Sunday, July 15, 2007

What's life....

...... without a passion? Something which leads an otherwise purposeless life, something which cannot be measured in terms of money.



For people who choose to throw the so-called social rules to the wind, it's their passion which sets them apart from others. The zest for living life by their own standards, by making their own rules, by facing the odds of doing the impossible, by daring to dream beyond their dreams, the familiar excitement which seems new and unfamiliar everytime it's encountered.........that's passion.



Such a realistic passion has been portrayed beautifully in ‘The greatest game ever played’, a movie about the subtle game of golf, one of the most underestimated games in a country where cricket (and its players) are worshipped akin to Gods. The film beautifully portrays the nuances of this fine game without going into the technicalities of the same. What makes it different from any other biographical film are the emotions of the main characters centered around the game, their honest camaraderie, and the sheer technical brilliance of the camera work.


Shia LaBeouf, as the principal character of Francis Ouimet (pronounced as ‘Vee-mit’), the poor yet talented golfer, displays a startling maturity of an amateur thrown into an international golf tournament, while at the same time retaining the boyish naive charm of a 20 year old. In contrast, Harry Vardon, played with amazing restraint by Stephen Dillane, represents the poise and standing of a seasoned golfer who’s reached the zenith of his career. And I must take up some of the space to dedicate a special mention about Josh Flitter, the adorable caddy of Ouimet, who endears himself to the readers through his undying devotion towards his hero (Ouimet) and his smart yet incisive comments about the game. More about the movie here.


The devotion towards the game, the sportsmanship and the exciting finale between the two players – Ouimet and Vardon - ending in a spectacular climax is what ‘The greatest game ever played’ is all about.


The movie seems to drive home this message - it is after all one life that we have........just live it .... the honourable way.

12 comments:

Sujit said...

passion is the driving force between what you are and what you want to be :).. seems like a nice movie..

Chitra said...

-/Sujit
It is an excellent movie! Watch it if you can....

Shruthi said...

Heyyy this was the last movie I watched before my baby was born.... totally loved it!

GuNs said...

When did this release?
Movies seem to release the latest in the world in UK which is a real pain. I mean, TRANSFORMERS hasn't released here YET.

-PeAcE
--WiTh
---GuNs

Chitra said...

-/Shruthi
Howdaa?? Cool ! Sakkath movie alvaa?

-/Guns
It is comparitively an oldie - was released a long time back. Hey...transformers trailers seem cool. I read the book as well. Can't wait to watch the movie... !

Jay said...

Interesting .. will try to catch it ....

Chitra said...

-/Jay
Yuppu! NoDu noDu....

Canary said...

Need to watch the movie now :)
Just flew by, liked it :)

Chitra said...

-/Canary
Do watch it! It's worth your time !

Asmita said...

temptation hanging on my head :)

Phoenix said...

totally agree about that part abt the passion...u actualy stole words from my mouth, for passion is so terribly imp to me!

Chitra said...

-/Asmita
What temptation? That of watching the movie?

-/Phoenix
Yup! Rarely do people understand it though.