Hidden India (2016) UK, India

Indeed the other side of the India.

Season 01:

3 Episodes

Genre:

TV Mini-series, Documentary.

Length:

Approximately 5-minute read.


Review:
     After 'Wild Brasil', now BBC Earth came up with this. A three part mini-series and each one an hour long. It was focused on the wildlife of the Indian Sub-continent. From the Great Himalayas that spread out from north to northeast India to the Western Ghats in the west and southern India, all the hidden natural world revealed. As the opening of each episode say, India is the land of one billion people, if you had ever visited India, you would have seen people everywhere, spread out the entire land mass. But there are still some places where human penetrations absolutely limited, and that's where the wildlife flourishing. You are going to enter there with this documentary film.

     The first part was called 'Land of Changing'. A perfect intro for those who don't know the India's dynamic lands and the species that living there for the millions of years. From the snow mountains to wetlands, arid desert, grasslands, deep jungles, full of surprises. All the type of land mass and the animals that perfectly adopted those conditions and some of the species you might have never thought that you would find in India can be witnessed. Like the Indians who are one of the first people to migrate out of Africa, it seems these animals as well. Because being the same species, there are big difference in size and pattern compared to their counterpart from Africa.

     There are some off topic discussions like Hindu religion associated with the animal kingdom. Its done only for a slight moment to explain things.  If you understand that, it'll tell you why the majority of Hindus are vegetarians. Almost entire species found in India are linked to Hindu gods and goddesses. The rest of the world does not have to turn Hindus, but respect the animals in a similar fashion with passion, why not we the sons and daughters of Earth can live together harmoniously. Some of the documents in this episode will amaze you, how the people and animals co-existing peacefully. But animal instincts can't be predicted, so occasionally things could go wrong as well.

 You do not want to run from what you cannot see. As you may run straight into it. 

     The Second part was called 'Land of Mountains'. Of course, this kick starts with the Great Himalayas and moves to the UNESCO recognised world heritage site, the ancient mountain chain, Western Ghats. Many rare species like the snow leopard, Indian Sub-continent's only ape variety, hoolocks, frogs et cetera can be witnessed. Frankly, the Western Ghats are one of the less explored place on the earth. It is called the Amazon jungle of India, but the local name is Sahyadri. The 1,600 kilometers long mountain chain, a paradise for botanists, photographers and wildlife lovers. So I thought they should have got into deeper for more details about the place, it'll take you to the ancient time with your finds.

     Then the third and final part called 'Land of Rivers'. The third longest river in the world, Ganga, the sacred river of Hindus. The exploration begins from where it starts and where it is heading. The rich in minerals, that benefited by both wildlives and humans are detailed. On the opposite side, Brahmaputra, coming from the other side of the Himalayas and meets the Ganges before fall into the Bay of Bengal. I liked this episode as well, but I don't know how they have missed the Jog falls from different river, the Niagara of India, one of India's natural wonders.

     Narrated by Geraldine James, it's truly an amazing nature series. The India you would have never seen or thought of. But it is just a ten per cent, there are lots more to see the real wild side of India. The only disappointments was there were a few clips that are already seen in other BBC Earth shows. Other than that, it is a must see, particularly if you love India, visited India or going to. There are not many nature documentaries about India, so I hope it returns for the second season. But this time expecting to cover the Andaman Islands to the east and Lakshadweep to the west. Definitely worth making, if not for commercial purpose, just to investigate and keep the documents.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
The Story of India, Wild Brazil, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, BBC Life.


External link(s):

WCA geolocation:
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Three Girls (2017) UK

Innocent kids, blinded officials and the PIGS.

Genre:

TV Mini-series, Drama.

Length:

Approximately 4-minute read.


Review:
     Another excellent BBC drama. A three-part television series, and each one runs for an hour. It was based on the real event of the 2000s. Focused on three young British teen girls to tell us how these innocents became victim to paedophile pigs. The story is about these three, but it exploited to reveal the entire scenario which stretches back for many years earlier. So this is not your normal television programme, I mean an entertainment programme. It's sole purpose it to tell the world what these pisslamic bastards are upto. A new way of waging war against another ethnic at their home. The world without this terror organisation would be a much better place.

     The first episode is all about setting up the platform. It opened with a brief police investigation scene and followed the flashback. A smart girl Holly, who developed a new friendship, not knowing where it's all going to lead. Like any teenagers, she has drawn towards the free alcohols and having fun with the girls. But soon she comes to realise the serious consequence of it. Now how she reacts to it and her fate that changes forever.

     It was one of those episodes where you will be confused to rate. Not that I felt it was badly made, but the truth it unfolded was very uncomfortable to watch. It has some scenes that make our blood boil. I was in the mood to smash my screen. Then just imagine what these girls went through, and particularly their helpless parents. It is more an internal security fail, especially on children and the organisations that should be monitoring such thing frequently on the warning given by officials lower than them, like a sexual health worker who became the whistleblower in this tale.

     The second episode was much better, on the story aspect. Because this where it begins to take the right path. After passing a couple of years without a justice, then slowly picks up the heat and the spotlights the crime. This is where a new character introduced, the lady detective who leads the investigation from a fresh perspective. A team was formed, persuaded the victims and gathered all the details. But the case takes up shape from those three girls' testimonies. A challenging time for everyone involved in it. From there, where it all goes is the final episode to disclose.

 It's not brain surgery. We treat them as human beings, and we say we're sorry. 

     The final part commences. This is the courtroom drama, but not entirely. You can expect here some twists, though not the cinematic twists, just how the trial goes on with the twisting questions. It was a different courtroom drama than I anticipated. Maybe because of the sensitive case. But I felt like it was a real life trial. There's no such thing called spoiler when it comes to this drama. We know how it all ends, despite waiting to witness the conclusion. Moreover, this event opened the other doors in the similar cases and brought a new order in the social service.

     Not easy to come out of its contents to give some credits to the actors. Because that's how good they were. There are lots of emotions involved, as well as pains. If you are a light-hearted, then it'll be a challenging to follow, particularly the first episode as I earlier mentioned. And the rest of the series was very good. Not unpredictable, though it went to accomplish what it wanted to disclose in a most realistic way.

     It should have been a documentary film, but such genre does not reach a wider audience. Still, this mini-series looks like a semi-documentary. Each and every scene were powerful. From stage to stage in the developments, step by step in the different angles, the whole truth was revealed. There are lots of films in the similar context, I'm sure you had seen at least a couple of them, but nothing was as real as this one while depicting the events. A well made series and a must see. Highly recommended!



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Graceland, Speak, Trust, Trade, Trade of Innocents, Garden of the Night.


External link(s):

WCA geolocation:
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The Eichmann Show (2015) Britain

Behind story of the historical event's TV documentation.

Genre:

Drama, TV Movie.

What's in:

On-topic, Off-topic, Spoilers, Dialogues.

Length:

Approximately 3-minute read.

Review:

     This BBC film was based on the actual event that took place in the early 60s,  Jerusalem. About televising the trial from a courtroom, which was the first ever documentary series to broadcast. One of a top Nazi officer, Adolf Eichmann, who fled during the end of world war two and settled down in the South America, but brought back with the help of Mossad to Israel to face the war crime charges. The movie won't demonstrate all those in the picture, but it begins with the television production house preparing to shoot the important television event in the history. So the show begins, but a boring first half and the next half is where all the interesting stuffs happen.

     In my prediction this movie with the powerful contents would have easily beaten the 'The Imitation Game', if it was produced grandly and commercialised a bit of narration for the worldwide market. The real video clips of the trial were merged into the movie and that gave a strong effect which allows to realise how those actual occurrences has taken place. Actually, there are some uncensored cuts, which were shocking and disturbing. So pretty much like a semi-documentary, but due to the majority of movie clips that shot with actors and in the sets, it feels like a TV movie as it should be.

 While he watches the footage, we'll be watching him. Only then will we see the real Eichmann.

     The performances were ordinary, because the screenplay preferred the main event to display, not the characters and their lifestyle. That makes it is not a biographical picture, though both the lead men were pretty impressive. We had seen many world war 2 and related to it movies, but this one was a different. Because of the story was set 15 years after the end of war. Simple movie, no twists, no developments, but reveals the facts from a different dimension. Because of this show, people around the world and filmmakers understood the cruelty of the Nazi prison camp. The movies those came afterwards about this war were inspired by the events that discussed in the courtroom. So if you are planning for this, expect it to be as what the title says, not a bit more or less.

Similar movies:
The Imitation Game, The Railway Man, Frost/Nixon, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.


Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


External link(s):
    

The Story of India (2007) United Kingdom

One of the first beginning of the human life in order.

Genre:

Documentary, History.

Review:

     Sorry guys, I was busy last week and I have not seen a single movie. Saw this one recently, so here's my review. One of the interesting documentary series about the human civilization. Mainly focused on the birth and traveled path of the sub-continent culture and religions. This 6 episode documentary series was told right from when humans are beginning to migrate from the Africa through briefing some important historical events that took place in the last two millennia till the present time.

     Each episode tells different timeline of the all good and bad occurrences including some of them we already know and that we are not. The British historian and archaeologist Michael Woods travels across the South Asian countries, revealing what he had found in his expedition. In my opinion, what everything he says or find in the quest are probably not accurate, but 'might be like this', 'might be like that' kind of very close truth that we can get. Mainly because of the Indian culture and civilization were assorted with myth. So that's not an easy task to disclose in a short time of the research, the top to bottom of thousands years of the rich history with lots of ups and downs.

1. Beginnings:

     In the first episode, it tells one of the first human migration out of the Africa which took place 75,000 years ago who sailed to the west coast of the southern India. Few millenniums later the agriculture began with the idea of domesticating wild animals. While population increasing they moved towards the north where the great Indus civilization began which gave the name India and Hindu to identify the present sub-continent people. Michael Woods also visits places to find evidence of what Rig-Vedas' mentions. Half of this episode was roughly predicted, but still can't be neglected the discovery he made.


2. The Power of Ideas:
     In this part the story commence around 7,000 years ago, that mean 5,000BC where the system of life order begins. Later chronicled the first ever king Chandragupta Maurya who stood against Alexander the Great. Afterwards the birth of Buddhism and Jainism, and the spiritual side of the India. The fascinated thing was India is a place where it changes the people from their desire of thirst to the spirituality. And still happening like history repeating itself. Who knows Hitler would have invented a new religion and become a god if he'd Invaded India rather going after his neighbor countries. Don't take it offensive because in this episode that is what you learn, men with swords to the enlightenment.


3. Spice Routes and Silk Roads:
     It is one of the best part of the story narration. The first east and west encounter. It's all about trade and business between India and, Greeks and Romans. Indian spices and, silk and cotton weaving made the subcontinent the world's first economic powerhouse. In return, most valuable metals and liquor what India gathered that lead to become rich to richer. At the same time in northern India, Buddhism traveled to the China and further east in coming centuries. The India's famous story 'The Ramayan' was first written before the hundreds of its version come into the different languages in the later years.


4. Ages of Gold:
     The golden era which mainly focuses on the southern kingdom during the Chola dynasty. One of the ancient surviving languages of the world is the Tamil like the Greek. The perspective of Tamil culture, especially the birth story of classical dance, Bharathnatyam and world first sex guide book Kama-sutra was told. Many rituals and festivals that still followed in an old method was revealed. The Michael Woods visit to the places like Tanjore and Madhurai gives some idea about still standing architectural structures.  Overall, it is a south Indian slice of the whole sub-continent's long standing history.


5. The Meeting of Two Oceans:
     So this is where collision begins between outside religion and the sub-continent's. Islam makes it way to the India during the eleventh century. It was not easy for the outsider to invade India that history says many great personalities were failing to do that. But Moghals are the first to invade the sub-continent. Very important aspect and time of the Indian history, especially religious perspective. Because if you see now, the Islam spread from Persia, Afghan, Pakistan to the east Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia. But India and Indians are only who stood and fought against forced Islam conversion. Refused to accept it and that made Muslim kings change their style of rule in coming centuries after witnessing a series of grand failures. That is, to live together, the concept of  unity in diversity began.

6. Freedom:
     In this final episode, it chronicles the last invader of the subcontinent from the west, the English. They put an end to the Islamic ruling in the India and also brought the advanced technologies with them like guns, trains etc. The Indians suffered under the British raj over high taxation, but in other side the birth of modern India was taking place. Mahatma Gandhi himself a law graduate from London college who later fought for freedom with his Ahimsa tactic.

‘‘In history there have been many empires of the sword.
But only India created an empire of the spirit.’’

     With notifying Indian Independence struggle the story brings the curtain down to the narration. If you see the present India, it is not like what it was told from this documentary. Some people remained same from the centuries and generation after generation teaching art and technics to the children, but some are changed like the evolution happened. Especially, after living under different foreign rulers over the 1,000 years, the last 60 years of freedom is what gave them license to do everything they want. And that liberty is what the today's mess you can find in Indian sub-continent.

     Can Indian once again rise to become the leader of the world economy like it did thousands of years ago is the future have to wait and see. In the next couple of decades, India is going to put the American economy behind and compete with China for the top position. Once again, I remind you, that many events were predicted, according to the proof the BBC got. So mostly about the possibility than actuality, especially the occurrence that took place before the Buddhism. It is a must see documentary, there are lots that we can learn from it or get some ideas overs those times lifestyles.

Similar movies:

The Story of England, Legacy: the Origins of Civilization, In the Footsteps of the Alexander the Great.

Suitable for:

Tween, Teen, Adult, All

Final verdict:

Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent

External link(s):