A Beautiful Mind
Director: Ron Howard. Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer. (2001)
Josh Nash was a handsome, brilliant mathematician who won the Nobel Prize in Economics for the Games Theory which he developed early in his career, as well as the Abel prize for mathematics. This genius suffered from a serious mental disease—schizophrenia. He would have terrifying delusions, which seemed to him to be real. He believed he heard voices, and took them for real. His wife suffered much because of this, and Nash’s reputation took a serious blow, of course. The movie follows the man’s adult life, shows both his brilliance and the pathetic way he suffered because of schizophrenia. Brilliantly played by Russell Crowe, John Nash comes alive on the screen. A heart-warming moment is Nash’s speech at the Nobel Prize ceremony, at which he speaks movingly of his wife’s support to him through the years of struggle and pain. The movie takes liberties with the actual life-story, but is a gripping tale of the mental illness of a brilliant man.
The Notebook
Director: Nick Cassavetes. Cast: Ryan Gosling (as the young Noah), Rachel McAdams (as the young Allie), James Garner (as the older Noah), Gena Rowlands (as the older Allie). 2004.
A very popular movie, based on the famous novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. Noah, a poor working young man and Allie, a rich young woman who came to the town with her family for the summer holidays, meet and fall in love. Allie’s family is appalled. They refer to Noah as trash, and want Allie to marry the rich young man who has proposed to her. Whom will she marry?
What is the notebook? The movie shows an elderly couple in a home for the aged. The man, physically weak but mentally fine, has a notebook, from which he reads to his wife, who is physically OK, but has lost her memory to Alzheimer’s. This is Noah and Allie in their old age. The aged Noah, who loves his wife dearly, reads out their story to her, hoping that some memories would come back. She listens to the story, finds it interesting, but does recognize him or herself in the story. After her vising hour is over, she would ask him the question that breaks his heart, “But who are you?” The end is a surprise!
Black
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Cast: Rani Mukerji, Amitabh Bachchan, Ayesha Kapur. 2005.
This famous movie revolves around the plight of deaf and blind, and Alzheimer’s disease.
It begins with Michelle, who is both blind and deaf from age two but is now a confident graduate, visiting her old teacher who has Alzheimer’s. The movie then goes back to Michelle’s story as a flashback.
Having lost her sight and hearing by illness at age two, Michelle McNally grows into a violent, uncontrollable and frustrated child of eight. Her world is black. Her parents are a loss. Then Debraj Sahai, a drunkard, but a creative teacher, steps into their lives. With his unconventional methods (which Michelle’s father hates) he helps her to understand simple words and concepts. She is able now to study, gets admitted in a university, and, after twelve years of effort, gets her degree. At her graduation, to her parents’ delight, she gives a speech. But she does not want to wear her graduation gown. She wants Debraj, who is now hospitalized, and has lost his memory, to be the first to see her in it. It is her turn now to help him to remember.
Prof Gigy Joseph
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