One can tell that Paley was exorcising some past strife, namely from her own break-up that we see in the film in a scraggly Dr. Katz style of animation, but what's most striking is how it's tragedy is never ever a downer. Here are some great movies worth streaming that you won't see in the Best Picture category at the 2021 Oscars. While Sita Sings the Blues starts off as a fairly educational, entertaining, musical comedy, the film delves deeper into some serious feminist ideology. The different visual styles state and reinforce cultural differences. I got a DVD in the mail, an animated film titled "Sita Sings the Blues." This IS her vision, down to all of the designs and animation, which she did over the course of five years (a dedication of time that recalls a director like David Lynch on Eraserhead or Inland Empire). Sita Sings the Blues (2008) Plot. Sita Sings the Blues on the Web:Official Website. Now, everyone in town wants a piece of his feathered appendages. Sita Sings The Blues tells the story of Rama and Sita with a very interesting twist. "https://ssl." And yet, if you have a chance (as I had) to see it on the big screen, it's one of the events of the year if you love animation and daring in film-making.It's a personal story of Paley's break-up with her boyfriend (who did it, savagely, over email), and put into a context of the story of the Ramayana, an ancient Indian story about a woman, Sita, and her bond with the blue-skinned Rama over a lifetime. Use the HTML below. Sita Sings the Blues is a 2008 American animated musical romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, produced and animated by American artist Nina Paley. (2008). United States. This FAQ is empty. document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); The film interprets the Ramayana, a text considered sacred by many, from a rather modern point of view which despite being problematic, highlights through particular scenes the gender relations that remain even today, a pertinent issue. Uh, huh. try { It was all done on computer- reportedly only one intern helped animate some of a battle sequence- and it's being presented for free on the website for Sita Sings the Blues. Sita Sings the Blues is a 2009 artistic retelling of the Ramayana. Paley is licensed under a Creative DVD VERSION! From "Dexter" to The Suicide Squad, here are our picks for the reboots and remakes we're most excited for in 2021 and beyond. I carefully filed it with other movies I will watch when they introduce the 8-day week. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. It was an version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.Based Movie Tags:music forest. Title: And the musical numbers are just about the best one has seen all decade (which goes without saying the lack of competition, but still), as we see Sita sing her feelings and thoughts, sometimes in happiness and sometimes totally down in the dumps (re: her pregnancy and abandonment after being rescued).There's a complex web of emotions that Paley navigates through, and she does it so confidently that it's hard not to marvel at her achievements here. Nina Paley created the unapologetically quirky, irreverent, and unconventionally animated film Sita Sings the Blues after her own divorce from her husband. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Commons Attribution-Share Alike License, http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/license.html. Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Sita Sings the Blues makes clever use of irony, crossing over between multiple timelines to give us a portrait of women – across cultures and through time – being mistreated by men and not having the sense to do anything but put up with it. It's a dark comic feminist musical fable that includes an intermission, a cast of hundreds (animated, not voiced), and it strikes up your heartstrings in the best possible ways. Sita Sita Sings the Blues is a very independent animated film that portrays a portion of the Hindu epic the Ramayana.It was created by Nina Paley, and the film is, remarkably, almost a solo effort. At the same time Paley uses animation and music and documentary and the free-wheeling expression of cinema to make it unconventional. The movie is about Sita, the Hindu Goddess from the epic "The Ramayana", who accompanies Lord Rama on a 14 year exile in forest. Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Arriving amidst a tidal wave of overblown and frequently charmless big studio efforts, "Sita Sings the Blues" is a welcome reminder that when it comes to animation bigger isn't necessarily better. This movie tells the story of Rama and Sita, along-with a biographical account of the director's relationship with her husband. The story of a man who rescues a German shepherd and how the two become fast friends. In this dreamlike Hungarian folk myth, a horse goddess gives birth to three powerful brothers who set out into the Underworld to save three princesses from three evil dragons and reclaim their ancestors' lost kingdom. Animation, testimony, and archival footage combine to relate the events of August 1, 1966 when a gunman opened fire from the University of Texas clock tower, killing 16 people. Traditionally the Ramayana was a religious myth that mainly focused on the values of dharma; however, Nina Paley in Sita Sings the Blues seems to focus more on the relationship of Sita and Rama while telling the story from Sita’s point of view. Sita Sings the Blues is an animated movie made a Jewish woman reflecting on a difficult break up through the story of Sita and Rama from the Ramayana. http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/license.html. "I envisioned This Land Is Mine as the last scene ... See full summary ». has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to The Best Animated Films of the 21st Century Ranked, From ‘ParaNorman’ to ‘Spirited Away’, Animation Is Film Review: ‘Seder-Masochism’, Annecy: ‘Seder-Masochism’ Director Nina Paley: ‘I Have No Idea How This Movie Will Go Into The World’, Spiritually-Significant Movies and Television Mini-series, Bridging the Gender Gap: Best Films from Women Directors. An animated film about the heartbreaks of a Hindu goddess and a contemporary woman who share the sadness accompanying a romantic breakup. Nov. 2010: Check out my new comic strip, Creative Showing all 3 items Jump to: Summaries (2) Synopsis (1) Summaries. Told through four different animation styles, involving the filmmaker's story, the Sita story, three shadow figures giving humorous commentary on the Sita story, and my personal favorite, parts of the Sita story reflected through the music of a 1920's jazz … Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. Roger Ebert wrote of it, “I am enchanted. Sita Sings the Blues They re all part of the eclectic cultural tapestry that is Sita Sings the Blues, an 82-minute animated feature that combines autobiography with a retelling of the classic Indian myth the Ramayana, and that required its creator, the syndicated comic-strip artist Nina Paley, to spend three years transforming herself into a one-woman moving-picture studio. Sita Sings the Blues is an animated film that retells the original story of Ramayana with a modern westernized twist on the ancient Indian myth. Nina Paley is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Next to her is a whimsical peacock fueled record player, the bird’s beak scratching out the most beautiful music from this to which Sita gently gyrates. Technically, Sita Sings the Blues is a wonderful achievement. It's a post-modern breakthrough, and I can't wait to revisit it, oh, right about now I would say. The Reaper. To sum up, "Sita Sings the Blues" is based on an adaptation of the the Ramayana, a Hindu epic, and some Hindus find the film offensive. The Ramayana shows Sita doing just that, and then sings her praises. This movie tells the story of Rama and Sita, along-with a biographical account of the director's relationship with her husband. Sita Sings the Blues uses images and art covering two thousand years of history and culture. This isn't a case of a director putting her vision on the screen via a crew of technicians and a cast of actors. In fact, Sita Sings the Blues is a wonderful way to keep Hindu mythology alive.” Hindu restiveness over representation of the faith in Western culture has grown over the years. Sita The whole film is split into four different segments that are interwoven around one another. However, controversy over the film was immediately sparked as certain Hindu groups accused the European-American woman of appropriating Indian culture. It intersperses events from the Ramayana, light-hearted but knowledgeable discussion of historical background by a trio of Indian shadow puppets, musical interludes voiced with tracks by Annette Hanshaw and scenes from the artist's own life. Loosely following a traditional Passover Seder, events from the Book of Exodus are retold by Moses, Aharon, the Angel of Death, Jesus, and the director's own father. An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Sings the Blues by Nina Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nov. 2010: Check out my new comic strip Mimi Nina Paley`s ‘Sita Sings the Blues’ is a rewriting of the Ur-Text of the Ramayana and it was released online in 2008. Then I was told I must see it. Publication date 2008 Usage Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States Topics sita, blues, ramayana, annette hanshaw, nina paley Publisher www.sitasingstheblues.com. Based on a work at www.sitasingstheblues.com. Exiled artist and poet Mustafa embarks on a journey home with his housekeeper and her daughter; together the trio must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in Mustafa's words will incite rebellion. var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-13102794-6"); We see Indian drawing figures ala Monty Python animation discussing story points as they go along, which name is who's and what detail really happened, etc. Distribution Project  QuestionCopyright.org, var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? Much to his surprise, an utter misanthrope is transformed into a reluctant do-gooder, when a glorious pair of angelic snow-white wings sprouts up from his back. on a work at www.sitasingstheblues.com.Permissions An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. pageTracker._trackPageview(); Nina Paley Paley’s award-winning 2009 animated musical interpretation of the Hindu epic Ramayana has earned widespread critical praise, a 100% rating on RottenTomatoes, and continued places on best-of lists. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/license.html. With Annette Hanshaw, Aseem Chhabra, Bhavana Nagulapally, Manish Acharya. The human experience is also involved, Sita is not just a Goddess nor is Rama not just portrayed as a God. The Ramayana of Valmiki is an epic poem portraying the ideal relationship between Rama and Sita. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. But this isn’t a normal movie, it is cut up into four different artistic styles that blend Sita Sings the Blues is a 2009 artistic retelling of the Ramayana. I … This is all the leftover Sita Sings the Blues merch our previous order fulfillment service sent us when we closed our account. & Eunice! Add the first question. In the case of Sita Sings the Blues, Nina Paley set out to to establish a parallel between the life of a contemporary person living in one culture and the lives of divinities from another culture as depicted in an ancient text from that culture. "); Sita is abducted by Ravana, the ruler of Lanka. This is my own DVD version -- UNofficial, but … Sita Sings the Blues is Nina Paley’s creative interpretation of the Hindu epic, The Ramayana. Directed by Nina Paley. An organized (lawful and peaceful) protest caused the venue to cancel the showing, which later took place in a private home. The movie is about Sita, the Hindu Goddess from the epic "The Ramayana", who accompanies Lord Rama on a 14 year exile in forest. Sita Sings the Blues. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Update Comparison of the epic poem and film leads to significant contradictions as the role of Sita in both illustrates a different story. A stop-motion animated story about people living in a Sydney apartment complex looking for meaning in their lives. "Sita Sings the Blues" is based on the Hindu epic "The Ramayana". ... Sita (voiced by Reena Shah) is a beautiful goddess who marries Rama (Debargo Sanyal), the heroic prince who is exiled for 14 years by his father. Set in Algeria in the 1920s, a rabbi's cat who learns how to speak after swallowing the family parrot expresses his desire to convert to Judaism. Nina Paley has made this a very thought provoking movie. Also, it features three cleverly interwoven segments, involving unconditional love and being rejected by a … pulkitanand. At some point everything went through … Sita is abducted by Ravana in Sita Sings the Blues, a film by Nina Paley When you see Sita rising from the ocean on a lotus, you are struck by her beauty and the sheer limpid depths of her eyes. Sita Sings The Blues features Sita, Rama, Dasharatha, Ravana, Valmiki, Ex-husband, Mareecha, Hanuman, Luv, Kush, Surphanakha, Kaikeyi, Shadow Puppets. beyond the scope of this license may be available at Nina Paley’s film “Sita Sings the Blues” reveals the culture and values conveying a message of art across cultures and generations. Nina Paley is the kind of filmmaker that makes the auteur theory look dated. "Sita Sings the Blues" is based on the Hindu epic "The Ramayana". View production, box office, & company info. And then there are musical segments put to Annette Hanshaw, a 1920's jazz singer, to illustrate Sita's journey through the turbulent ups and downs of romance.Sita Sings the Blues is joyous entertainment. But there's another ... See full summary », An animated short set to the tune of Pat Boone's Exodus Song satirizing the history of the land called Israel/Palestine/Canaan/the Levant. I've been inventorying and organizing and folding and removing cardboard box shreds with a lint roller since they dumped everything on our doorstep. Written by : "http://www. She saw in the tale of Ramayana, which the film juxtaposes with the story of Nina’s own divorce, “the greatest break-up story ever told.” The film tells the tragic story of Sita, who was first kidnapped by Ravana and then cast away (twice) by her … Nina Paley's delicious Sita Sings the Blues finds solace in autobiography and an animated gold mine in the caverns of an ancient Sanskrit epic. Nina Paley Cartoonist Nina Paley's inspired tale of love gone wrong cheekily mixes different styles of animation into a jazzy, eye-popping epic of flying monkeys, many-headed demons and love-weary women On the contrary this is a comedy in a fresh sense, where the absurdity keeps coming in little unexpected ways, like with the figures of the monkeys in battle, or how the discussing members talk over the details of the Sita cast members. The ancient mythological and modern biographical plot are parallel tales, sharing numerous themes. It satirically tells the story of Rama on his journey to save his wife Sita from the nearly invulnerable king of Lanka, Ravana. Movies Like Sita Sings the Blues. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment. Sita Sings the Blues: Four Connecting Movies in One Sita Sings the Blues is an animated version of the epic Indian tale “Ramayana”. In Sita’s time, a woman’s place was for her to be by her husband’s side no matter how horribly he treated her. 13 of 14 people found this review helpful. It is an unconventional animated musical that was completely produced by one person over the course of 5 years. This work is published from: 1pm: Sita Sings the Blues 2009 Dir. } catch(err) {}, Update The movie was released on February 11, 2008 and directed, produced, and written by Nina Paley. For a time, the behind-the-scenes story of Nina Paley’s animated feature Sita Sings The Blues was drawing more attention than the story in the movie. Sita Sings the Blues Directed by Nina Paley. To the extent possible under law, Several scary black-and-white animated segments in different styles appeal to our fear(s) of the dark. An astonishing cocktail of friendship, resistance and life set among the unexpected landscape of an elderly care facility. Was this review helpful to you? Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. 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