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Mississippi Masala [1991] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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A warm-hearted movie with some good lessons
Review date: 2007-08-12 Rating: 8 out of 10
Masala - in Indian cooking, a mixture of many spices.
Garam Masala - a mixture of ground spices used for flavoring foods, as with curries, with other mixtures of spices such as Tandoori masala, green masala and Madras masala.
Mississippi Masala - a spicy mixture of different cultures, different races and different outlooks.
Demetrius (Denzel Washington) is a young African-American guy who lives in a small Mississippi town. He's ambitious, hard working and has started his own rug cleaning business. Mina (Sarita Choudhury) is the daughter of immigrants from Uganda who came to America when Idi Amin forced all Ugandans of Indian descent to leave the country. Her father was a well-to-do lawyer, who now helps manage a small motel, one of several small businesses members of the Indian community have started. Mina works at the motel.
Demetrius and Mina meet when Mina accidently runs into the back of Demetrius' van. They are a bit intrigued with each other. Demetrius calls her a few days later and asks if she'd like to come to his home on a Sunday afternoon for a barbecued chicken dinner and to meet his family. She agrees. Eventually he meets her family. Then the problems start. Mina can barely remember Uganda, with which her father is obsessed to have his property returned. Her outlook is American; her parents' outlook that of a traditional Indian family, where young people marry within the circle of friends, where the color of the skin can be just as much a factor as it is in America. Demetrius has dealt with white attitudes all his life. Now Mina is dealing with her parents' attitudes. After some ups and downs, Demetrius and Mina decide to find their own future away from Mississippi, and with the blessings -- the worried blessings -- of their families.
This movie is not as somber as it may seem. It actually is a very humane and friendly film, with people trying to do the right thing and gradually learning lessons from each other. Denzel Washington is excellent as a man with a head on his shoulders, in love with Mina, concerned about his father and younger brother, and determined to make his way. Mira Nair, who directed Monsoon Wedding, does a fine job. There might be a little too much time spend on the Uganda background, but it does help in understanding Mina's father and his reactions. This is very nice movie, well worth watching.
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Reviews
NIce story, nice soundtrack, nice performances
Review date: 2007-04-17 Rating: 10 out of 10
I saw this film immediately after Jungle Fever and loved it. Mira Nair does an excellent job with the character interaction and does well with the subject. Nair educates the audience with history and social commentary. She does it well without preaching and her message is love is a powerful force and conquers all. I recommend this film to anyone who is in or wants to be in an interracial relationship. Another reason for watching this film is the perfect soundtrack; this has been reviewed earlier and contains ablend of Soul, Blues, African and Indian Music.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Mohan Agashe
J.D. Barrett
Nora Boland
Dewey Buffington
Mahlon Bouldin
Creators:
Mohan Agashe (Primary Contributor)
J.D. Barrett (Primary Contributor)
Edward Lachman (Cinematographer)
L. Subramaniam (Composer)
Recording label: Columbia TriStar
Manufacturer: Columbia TriStar
EAN: 9781404932401
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 1404932402
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-05-27
Universal product code (UPC): 043396010222
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 117 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1992-02-05
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)