The world is a fine place and worth
fighting for - Ernest Hemingway
|
|
|
Back to Awards & Commendations War & Peace - film by Anand Patwardhan
Moving on to examine the costs being extracted from citizens in the name of national security, from the plight of residents living near the nuclear test site to the horrendous effects of uranium mining on local indigenous populations, it becomes abundantly clear that contrary to a myth first created by the U.S.A, there is no such thing as the "peaceful Atom". War and Peace slips seamlessly from a description of home made jingoism to focus on how an aggressive United States has become a role model, its doctrine of "Might is Right" only too well-absorbed by aspiring elites of the developing world. As we enter the 21st century, war has become perennial, enemies are re-invented and economies are inextricably tied to the production and sale of weapons. In the moral wastelands of the world memories of Gandhi seem like a mirage that never was, created by our thirst for peace and our very distance from it. Anand Patwardhan has been making politically charged documentaries for nearly three decades. Despite winning numerous national and international awards his films are often suppressed by the ruling Indian elite, tackling as they do subjects like street dwellers (Bombay our City, 1985), religious fundamentalism (In the Name of God, 1992), the connection between machismo and sectarian violence (Father, Son and Holy War, 1995) and the plight of those displaced in the name of "development" (A Narmada Diary, 1995). The film has won numerous awards amongst these
Reviews “The
film itself is a tour de force, beautifully shot and often darkly funny and much
more riveting than the dry subject matter might suggest.”
Duncan Campbell - The Guardian, UK "War
and Peace" has a riveting intelligence all its own and earns its epic
title.
Elvis Mitchell - The New York
Times “We
should listen to our voices of dissent for our own sake and for the sake of our
children and their children. War
and Peace is that voice’s most eloquent expression. Which is why it should be
seen by everyone, everywhere.”
Anil Dharker - The Times of India “The
atom bomb has come to India with another American tradition - the curbing of
works that seek to expose its dangers. ''War and Peace'' has won praise and
prizes at film festivals around the world, including Bombay's, but it is
effectively banned in its home country. “
A.S. Hamrah – The Boston Globe
“Narrated
in quiet yet passionate terms…of immense interest and importance.”
David Stratton – Variety “Patwardhan
is as unsparing in his criticism of the aggressiveness of the American military
and nuclear machine as he is of the nuclear pretensions of India and
Pakistan…and in his understanding of the sexual politics of resurgent Hindu
communalism, Patwardhan remains India’s most astute and daring documentary
filmmaker and one of the country’s most sensitive commentators.” Vinay
Lal – Manas “This
film by India’s leading documentary filmmaker is so important that one could
justify its requirement as part of the education of all high school students and
undergraduates. The power of the film derives from its brilliant cinematography
and narration, its juxtaposition of
points of view and
its total honesty. Patwardhan never preaches, he simply shows things the way
they are and lets his audience react.”
Blair B. Kling – University of
Illinois |
