Cinema and Books

I knew Russia through my mother who knew it through Dr. Zhivago, her favourite film.  Was it shot in Russia?  I don’t know.  All I know is that it was about Russia, a country that seems to go there and back.

I miss cinema and books.  They introduced me to the world beyond my reach.  The internet has spoilt all the fun.  Now Egypt, Sydney Australia, Vienna or Turin are just a click away.

I always imagined places I read about in books.  I went to Paris from London during my student days in Britain.  I took the metro to visit the Bastille, because I had read some books which mentioned it.  Surprise!  When I got there, there was no actual building, just a monument of where the notorious prison used to be.

Cinema is even better, because it gives me a glimpse of what Geneva or Washington D.C. look like.  I’m still saving for a trip to India to see those castles in films such as Mehbooba, Jodhaa Akbar, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, to mention but a few. 

I also feel like getting into a plane and fly to the U.S. to experience inter-state driving when I watch films such as Why Did I Get Married.  Tyler Perry directed Jill Scott’s character to drive across the country because she was too fat for a plane seat.  The airline wanted her to pay for two seats.

Well! I won’t stop reading and catching a foreign film from time to time because of online browsing.