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Thread: Sita Sings the Blues

  1. #11
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    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Eric11235 View Post
    And for my final point:

    This is a film written for the masses, not meant to enlighten but to entertain, I believe that if this film slightly interests someone and makes them look up the ramayana then it is a good film for Sanatana Dharma's spread, perhaps they can also decide to hate it's portrayal of these characters after they've studied enough.


    My point was not to say that this is a great study tool, but merely a catalyst for possible future interest in the epic. And for that I sincerely commend it.
    These type of denigrating displays of the Ramayana do not get people interested in the real story, it rather reinforces people's prejudice against Hinduism. Even those who are interested in Hinduism, do feel like they have to carry the white man's burden and relieve India from all it's superstition. Misrepresentations of Hinduism are not easily removed from the western psyche, the impressions remain in their conciousness for a long time.

    I cannot say that it is not offensive as that is simply not true, but I can say that as an american made film, it could be a whole lot worse.

    Namaste
    You will understand how offensive it was, once you understand the Hindu perspective of Rama.

  2. #12
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    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Vannakam Sahasranama,

    As much as your words pierce me, as mean as they truly are, I will not disagree.

    As offended as I am by your sentiments and questioning of the authenticity of my belief (and if you do say that you aren't I highly suggest reviewing the last statement you have made) I cannot speak for all people. but nor can you.

    Unlike your (and no facetiousness meant) rather educated view on the matter of Westerners views on the Ramayana, I cannot guarantee with such certainty that my words ring any truth, but to make such a generalization that this film only reinforces negative stereotypes is in and of itself a stereotype. There are people who are tolerant and while the vast majority aren't there are some who are, for those people I take offense to your statement.

    I am angry with myself for being this angry and expressing it publicly but I cannot sit idly as someone questions my integrity through statements such as you have made.

    I am sincerely sorry to everyone who must suffer my reading, and I'm sorry for being melodramatic as such, but it appears that my (relative) open mindedness is not as welcome as I had hoped.

    Namaste

  3. #13

    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Sahasranama View Post
    This is the ADHD again, you get easily lured into watching denigrating displays of the Ramayana because someone included fancy graphics and catchy music. Can you not discipline your senses and listen to a beautiful serene recitation of the shlokas of the Ramayana?
    Namasté Sahasranama, Eric11235,

    Eric, again I would like to thank you for posting.

    Sahasranama, NPD is of greater concern here than ADHD; however both these concepts are irrelevant here as I do not believe in this Doctrine.

    By your interpretation and judgement of "ADHD" derived from my comment. I can only assume that you neither sing nor play any musical instrument?
    Your attitude and remarks lead one to want to walk away from such text. I can only hope that you are not a teacher!

    Respectfully but admittedly some what agitated.

    praNAma

    mana

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    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Eric11235 View Post
    As much as your words pierce me, as mean as they truly are, I will not disagree.

    As offended as I am by your sentiments and questioning of the authenticity of my belief (and if you do say that you aren't I highly suggest reviewing the last statement you have made) I cannot speak for all people. but nor can you.

    Unlike your (and no facetiousness meant) rather educated view on the matter of Westerners views on the Ramayana, I cannot guarantee with such certainty that my words ring any truth, but to make such a generalization that this film only reinforces negative stereotypes is in and of itself a stereotype. There are people who are tolerant and while the vast majority aren't there are some who are, for those people I take offense to your statement.

    I am angry with myself for being this angry and expressing it publicly but I cannot sit idly as someone questions my integrity through statements such as you have made.

    I am sincerely sorry to everyone who must suffer my reading, and I'm sorry for being melodramatic as such, but it appears that my (relative) open mindedness is not as welcome as I had hoped.
    How can you allow someone to control you like this with his words as Sahasranama is doing in this thread as he is good at ? Develop a slightly thicker skin. It helps to save you from developing allergic reaction to tiny poisonous insect bites.

    Having said so, the link that you have provided is really not in good taste to a Hindu. Please don't think that a Hindu would be happy watching it or anything similar to that. Rama has to be felt in the heart as a Hindu feels then only you can understand why such depiction of Ramayana is unacceptable to the Hindus.

    I remember there was another thread on painting the picture of Krishna on nails ! That is really disgusting from a Hindu point of view ... it is not art. No Hindu worth his name can see this as an art. It is like painting Goddess Sarasavati in nude and call it as art !! It is sick mentality of those who have no idea of the culture of the Hindus. The Nails touch many dirty things & accumulate dirt in them ... whereas people don't even go near the pictures of God with dirty hands and feet ... leave alone touching them ! I am not saying whether it is good or bad ... it is like this ... that is all. We Hindus are like this ... take it or leave it.

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

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    Re: Sita Sings the Blues


    Namaste all.

    I see two different sets of hindus here, without anyquestion both being well intentioned ones. First group (mana and Eric) has verylittle clarity on Ramayana, especially the circumstances that compelled Rama totake steps which do not reflect hisstellar character to a casual onlooker, which is what under attack in the film.For them it is just a smooth storey telling, enjoyable graphics and evenadmirable, for they miss out on the subtleties and small details as they just gowith the bigger sequence of events. The other group has a thorough knowledge ofthe epic, aware of the heartache Rama goes through during the banishment phaseof Sita etc..

    Lets now shift energies to EXPLAIN the newcomers theoffending aspects of the film. I saw it some one year ago, and I shall postlater after watching it again, rather studying the Nina Paleys satirical video,although I dont want to give the honor to Ms Paley. In the meanwhile if anyonehas time and mood, then please start telling Mana, Eric and others who mightfeel their way. Dhanyavadam.

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    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Mana View Post
    Your attitude and remarks lead one to want to walk away from such text. I can only hope that you are not a teacher!

    Respectfully but admittedly some what agitated.

    praNAma

    mana
    It is not a problem if you walk away, this way the wheat is seperated from the chaff. If you enjoy watching Rama being portrayed as a heartless masochist who tramples on Sita, you have no business with Hinduism.

  7. #17
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    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Namast, all.

    Charitra, your idea is a good one, and I feel moved to respond - in part due to the number of well-meaning friends who recommended this film to me in the past, having seen and enjoyed it, and mistakenly assuming that I would like it too.

    I have tried to watch this movie and never gotten past the first ten minutes. I found it disturbing even before I began following Sanātana Dharma or knew anything about it, and could not identify why.

    A link given in the other thread describes some of the problems with this film: http://forumforhinduawakening.org/articles/id/preserving/sita-sings-the-blues I cannot comment upon all items with complete accuracy, having not seen the entire movie - but based upon this link, summaries and articles I read about the film, and the bit I saw, here are some thoughts.

    Mother Sītā gives women tremendous strength in adversity; it is not at all surprising that women who hear her story will naturally identify with her, particularly in times of suffering. But there is a pitfall of egotism and arrogance, when one uses another religion's theology as personal catharsis. Instead of being inspired by Sītā's forbearance, or finding hope in Sītā and Rāma's unending love, Paley vents her unhappiness with men, and her own failed relationship in particular, through Rāma. Likely, she was able to do this because for her, the story is only mythology, and Eastern mythology at that.

    I may not like Christian doctrine, but I would not make a film depicting Joseph kicking and otherwise harming Mary. This is because I respect the people who believe in, and love, Mary as the holy virgin and the merciful intercessor for those in need. Nor would I ever depict this pious, modest woman, who is always shown in flowing robes, wearing a showy costume with flashy jewellery and showing cleavage. If I did, I would be prepared for an onslaught of criticism and hatred of my work, and I would expect it after flaunting another faith's theology. (Indeed, we have already witnessed the outcry that happens in the West when Christian stories are "updated" or "interpreted." Two fairly modern examples are both films: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, in which a brave saint is re-interpreted as a vengeful crazy woman, and The Passion of the Christ, widely criticised as needlessly gory and anti-Semitic besides.)

    This film seems to me to be less about a strong artistic message than about personal therapy for the producer; though Paley believes this is a feminist film, I do not see how it would empower women. What is the message of this story? That being a woman is unending sorrow and grief, and that history continually repeats itself in this regard? I find nothing inspiring in that, nor am I moved by Sītā's skimpy attire and coarse language - which suggest that a woman must be a tough Western broad in order to be brave and beautiful. Moreover, Paley missed a very obvious opportunity to make a truly feminist statement.

    For Ravana - who, according to the link above, is depicted as "essentially a good king except for the events regarding Sītā" - committed actual rape, in its sense meaning violation, of Sītā's very personhood by denying her choice, the most basic right that any human possesses. In counting his desires more important than her entire life, Ravana ignores Sītā's wishes, thus silencing her voice, and takes her away as if she was a potted plant that would simply settle in when transplanted elsewhere.

    Had Paley not coloured her entire project with her own feelings of unhappiness, she could have used all of that art and music to tell a truly feminist story: the story of a female who triumphs in tremendous adversity, by remaining pure, strong, and sacred even when she has only those qualities to support her. Unfortunately, there is a scornful tone even in the first ten minutes that I saw, and I felt very uncomfortable and unable to watch more.

    I saw bobble-headed animation, a satirical style in Western film/television which instantly brought to mind series like South Park. The narrators quibbled over various points of the epic, as if the whole thing was just too complicated to really understand, and too ridiculous to bother reaching a correct consensus. One of the first lines was something like, "I guess it's true, in the same way the events in the Bible are true." In short, it treats Rāmāyaṇa like mythology, rather than theology, so from the beginning there is this issue: a non-Hindu telling a Hindu story as if it's false.

    This film was very popular, and as I wrote above, I had friends recommending it to me. This was their first exposure to an important part of the religion I now follow. I can only imagine if I had been Hindu at the time, or moreover, kept a murti of Rāma in my home, the amount of explaining I would have had, to un-do the false impressions created by this film.

    Please understand, I am not condemning those who saw the film and enjoyed it on first viewing, without considering all of these points and many more. My own habit when I am watching movies is to relax, suspend disbelief and enter another world for a little while, to see the world from another perspective for a time. Certainly, the art and music in this film are extremely interesting and, solely judging the aesthetics, it is definitely creative.

    But the story itself takes our beloved Devas and laughs at them, and worse, it does so in a visually appealing, fun, polished way that makes people believe it. (It is hard seeing those you love mocked, harder still when those beloved ones are also role models, guides, and when the mockery against them is invented.) It is not the gentle, loving laughter of poking light fun at someone, but a mean-spirited laughter - and by making sport of our Gods, the film encourages laughter at Hindus, also, for being so gullible and stupid as to actually consider these events and persons sacred.

    It is not my way to speak in anger, but I do understand the feeling, in response to seeing such things.

    Indraneela
    ===
    Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
    Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

  8. #18

    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Namasté Indraneela,

    I quite agree, this mirror is not clean and the colour of this lady's hurt does shine through, I would have been highly disappointed if the original legend were close to this.

    The singing was fantastic, it introduces "some" ideas in an open way. but above all it is a comparison of an ancient theological epic, to a modern day failed New York relationship. I find that in many ways this highlights the effect of time and situation to interpretation by the inept.

    But we all have the right to a voice.

    A remark that I removed from my first response was that. Men often struggle; for biological reasons, to trust their spouse, this is infinitely aggravated if love is bonded in vanity. This is a reflection nothing but this Lady's failed relationship quite possible founded in vanity.

    In looking for no more than a modern comment, I was not disappointed. Given the nature of our times it is of no surprise that the slant be feminist, I have passed my entire life being tould that Men are horrible, by Women.

    One must keep an open mind to all interpretation, inorder to perceive fully the reality within which one lives.

    Their is no benefit to be drawn from scorn, or closing ones eyes.




    praNAma

    mana

  9. #19

    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Quote Originally Posted by charitra View Post
    Namaste all.

    I see two different sets of hindus here, without anyquestion both being well intentioned ones. First group (mana and Eric) has verylittle clarity on Ramayana, especially the circumstances that compelled Rama totake steps which do not reflect hisstellar character to a casual onlooker, which is what under attack in the film.For them it is just a smooth storey telling, enjoyable graphics and evenadmirable, for they miss out on the subtleties and small details as they just gowith the bigger sequence of events. The other group has a thorough knowledge ofthe epic, aware of the heartache Rama goes through during the banishment phaseof Sita etc..

    Lets now shift energies to EXPLAIN the newcomers theoffending aspects of the film. I saw it some one year ago, and I shall postlater after watching it again, rather studying the Nina Paley’s satirical video,although I don’t want to give the honor to Ms Paley. In the meanwhile if anyonehas time and mood, then please start telling Mana, Eric and others who mightfeel their way. Dhanyavadam.
    Namasté charitra

    I bow humbly to your voice of reason!

    Thank you for your insight charitra!


    praNAma

    mana

  10. #20

    Re: Sita Sings the Blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Sahasranama View Post
    It is not a problem if you walk away, this way the wheat is seperated from the chaff. If you enjoy watching Rama being portrayed as a heartless masochist who tramples on Sita, you have no business with Hinduism.

    Namast Sahasranama,

    If you wish to separate wheat from chaff; I would humbly suggest you take up farming?

    praNAma

    mana

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