Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair

by John Kenneth Muir

Overview

(Applause Books). "I want my films to explode with life." Mira Nair. This the first book to examine the films of the acclaimed and popular Indian-born and Harvard educated filmmaker, Mira Nair. A unique voice in cinema today, she is one of the few female directors who made it to the top of a male-dominated profession. Her films feature an incomparably sensuous visual style yet at the same time often record the injustice of the disenfranchised and the cross-pollination of East and West. Her twin themes of realism and romance make for dazzling cinema. John Kenneth Muir analyzes all of Nair's work, including: * Salaam Bombay! (1988), the groundbreaking story of a young boy abandoned by his family on the streets of Bombay. * Mississippi Masala (1991), an interracial small town romance between an Indian woman (Sarita Choudhury) and an African American businessman (Denzel Washington). * Monsoon Wedding (2001), featuring a Bollywood carnival atmosphere, one of the most successful foreign films ever released in the United States. * Hysterical Blindness (2002), the HBO film featuring Uma Thurman and Juliette Lewis, looking for love in all the wrong places. * The big-budget Hollywood adaptation of the Thackery novel Vanity Fair (2004), starring Reese Witherspoon, Gabriel Byrne, and Eileen Atkins.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557836496
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	06/01/2006
Series:	Applause Books
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	322
Product dimensions:	6.04(w) x 8.67(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

John Kenneth Muir is the author of 16 books including Singing A New Tune: The Rebirth of the Modern Film Musical from Evita to De-Lovely and Beyond (1-55783-610-8'), 'Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (1-55783-609-4'), 'The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (1-55783-607-8'), 'and An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (1-55783-586-1). He lives in Monroe, North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

During the 1950s, India became a forerunner in feature film output, and it was in that decade and country that filmmaker Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) was born. Muir (Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company) presents an engrossing, superbly researched study of Nair's career that incorporates material from numerous interviews. He discusses the eclectic components and production of her films as well as delves into the heart of Nair's philosophy and stunning cinematic approach. He further considers her subject matter, which includes social issues, globalization vs. national identity, and the struggle of individuals to find meaning while bridging Eastern and Western cultures. This book the first to concentrate on Nair's fine achievements will significantly interest those familiar with her work and should inspire others to further study. It will be especially valuable for university cinema studies programs as well as for academic and circulating libraries. [Nair's The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling debut novel, will be released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the fall. Ed.] Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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