Catch the classics

Navrasa Duende is back with the second edition of classic film festival featuring cinematic gems from across the world

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” says a peeved Rhett Butler as he walks out on Scarlett O’Hara, in the parting shot of Gone with the Wind.
How often do you get to watch such timeless classics on the big screen? With a three-day film festival to be held in the city, here is the chance for movie buffs to catch their favourite classic films on the big screen.

Hosted by Navrasa Duende, a production house which creates and promotes unique global cultural events, the classic movie festival is set for June 22-24. Its second edition will feature movies ranging from blockbusters to those which were considered milestones of the neo-realistic cinema movement.
“Any form of art is a part of a society’s tradition and should be passed on to the next generation,” says Dinesh Singh, director of the festival and founder of Navrasa Duende.

Movies from various dialects, genres and languages will come together on a single platform. Different genres of film ranging from Vittorio De Sica’s Italian crime drama Bicycle Thieves to Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese thriller Throne of Blood will be screened at the festival. Romantic megahits, including Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind and David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago are also part of the festival.
Singh has selected Satyajit Ray’s Bengali musical Jalsaghar as the only Indian film this time around. According to him, Jalsaghar is one of Ray’s best works, yet people are not as aware of it as his other movies.

Classic movies have a lot of sub-genres, explains Singh. Some of the directors created classic epics keeping audience in mind as they tried to converge art and entertainment while there were another bunch of directors who created what they thought was a good movie and if the audience was willing to explore their art they were welcome to do so. This festival brings together films from all these directors.

Collection of such diversity brings a wider set of audience. “Families, youngsters who wants to know about movie making and techniques along with people who wanted to explore different movies can join in”, says Singh.

Other films to be screened are Norman Jewison’s comedy Fiddler on the Roof, Marcel Carne’s black and white drama Children of Paradise and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Russian war film Ivan’s Childhood.

The first edition was a two-day festival screening four movies, which this year has increased to nine. Singh hopes to make it a multicity event in the coming years.

So, head for Siri Fort auditorium to watch some of the best and most memorable characters who have captured the hearts and imagination of viewers across generations.