Provide a brief critique of Nina Paley's film, "Sita Sings the Blues". Use the following as points of discussion:
1. Is Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic The Ramayana an effective one?
2. Comment on the some of the following elements in order to critique the film: narration and dialogue, soundtrack, setting/set decoration, animation, plot and film structure, etc.
3. Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?
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1. Is Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic The Ramayana an effective one? I thought this was a very effective way to teach The Ramayana. It was a very interesting way to interpret The Ramayana, however I enjoyed it a lot. (I will write about what I enjoyed and elaborate on everything on the next questions)
2. Comment on the some of the following elements in order to critique the film: narration and dialogue, soundtrack, setting/set decoration, animation, plot and film structure, etc. The narration was HILARIOUS, loved the puppets, they were probably one of my favorite parts of the entire thing, it made the story easier to understand and also have a comical aspect. It was pretty cool that the woman who made the entire thing was able to incorporate all of those songs from that same artist and make it flow well and stay with the story line. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of it after a few songs, it was a very creative way to use the music and make it unique. Since we didn't see the portion that related to her life I can't comment too much on the film structure but I bet it would have been interesting to see how she paralleled her life to the story of the Ramayana. I did like the majority of the animation, but I wish she had kept the same cartoon for each character, I wasn't a huge fan of all the changes from scene to scene, but at the same time it was interesting to see the different ways the characters were drawn.
3. Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?
I actually really enjoyed it, it was funny, and helped me understand one of the versions of the story. It really was developed nicely, and wasn't the type of story/movie that I really was just waiting for it to be over. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
that's all :)
1. I think that Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic was very effective of telling the story the way she wanted you to inturprate it. It explained how she really wanted you to view each character and thouht you the story in a cute and fun way that you would actualy remember it.
2.The narrration and dialogue of the story tellers in the backround was very funny also when they would pause and go over what just happened and there opinions of it helped me catch any parts i might have missed or not understood. The sound track was very fun and just helped keep me much more entertaned and was one of the most memrable parts of the whole thing and each song helps me remember what had just happened. I thought that the annamation was really good i liked how each part was diffrent from the singing to the story happening to the story tellers explaning all of it. The setting was really cool i really liked the setting when sita was banshed to the forest and she is singing about how blue she was and all of the forest was singing along and things all one by one turned blue with her. I think that the plot made for a great story and she did a really good job of putting all of the elements of the story in to her version of the movie.
3. YES! i deffenitaly liked it. First it was much better than any normaly history movie that you watch in school. also it tought me the story in a way that was easy to pay attechen to and it was vert fun. Also the singing by sita made it cute and much more entertaning! i really did enjoy this movie and think that everyone else who will watch it in future classes will like it too!
1. I think her interpretation is a really effective one. It was really interesting and fun to watch. It also helped me understand the story line of The Ramayana. It clearly illustrated the way she wanted us to see each character and how she hoped we would view the story as a whole.
2. The narration of this film was absolutely hilarious! I really liked the back and forth between the puppets, it was really entertaining and helped connect the different aspects of the story. They explained what was going on (or about to happen) well, so it made the story easy to follow. The dialogue between characters helped me understand it, and i liked that it made it easy to see how the characters were feeling at the time. It also showed an interpretation of the relationships between characters, such as how they acted towards each other. I really liked how the soundtrack tied in with the plot of the Ramayana. It went along really well, even though after a bit it got a little repetitive sounding. The setting of the story was cool, it kind of showed three versions of it within this one. Paley is really good at the animation for this film, it was really impressive. However, back and forth between the three story lines got to be a bit confusing.
3. I really liked this film. It was super entertaining and fun to watch. It was a great way to learn the story of the Ramayana. I think the woman who made it did a great job of it and it is a cool interpretation of The Ramayana. It was enjoyable to watch, and I looked forward to seeing the next part.
1. I think her interpretation was really effective with a personal opinion of the characters depicted througout the story. It was narrated in the way that she wanted us to see the characters and I got the picture that she wanted people to see so I think it was effective.
2. I loved the animations and how she made the characters look. I wasnt a big fan of the songs that were apart of the film but they went along with what was happening so it was ok. I would would have to say my favorite part of the film were the shadow puppet narrators. They made the film very original and were very comical.
3. I did enjoy the film. I thought it got the story of the Ramayana across very well and in a way easy to understand. And was written in a way that younger viewers could enojoy at the same time.
1) I think that it was. It was very funny and entertaining which made it very easy to remember. I know that by watching this it will be easy to remember the story of the Ramayana.
2) I loved that music I actually bought some of her songs. I really like how they used the Turkish shadow puppets to tell the story it was very funny. HOwever i did not like how there were 4 different story lines going on at once it was hard to keep what was going straight.
3)I really enjoyed this film it was funny and entertaining and had a good sound track. I would have liked it better if they did not have so much happening though. I think that this is a good way to learn about the Ramayana because it was very memorable
lexi savelli
I think the interpretation was very modern, and in my experience, applying modern thinking to ancient text never leads to anything good. But, for a modern interpretation, I think it was very well-done. It pointed out some things that are troublesome about the plotline of the Ramayana, such as when the shadow puppets point out that it would have been much less trouble if Sita had just ridden home on Hanuman’s back. Or like that short discussion the shadow puppets had about unconditional love.
I was very impressed with the animation, music, and artistic design. It was very cool how there was one style of animation narrating, another acting out the story, and a whole nother style for the silly music part emphasizing Sita’s weakness. The only thing that really bothered me was jazz Sita’s physical build. She was so thin, she would have had no room for internal organs. Real women aren’t shaped anything like that. I wondered if that had something to do with Sita being the ideal woman.
I enjoyed the film, because it was simply a well-told story.
-Cat McKeown, 7th period
I do think Paley’s interpretation of The Ramayana is an effective one because she covers all of the important events in the story, while still teaching it in a very entertaining and clever way. She makes it possible to put faces to the names, and therefore makes the story easier to remember. I was amazed by the animation in the film, and was very impressed that it was mostly done by one person and their computer. The narration of the film by the shadow puppets and the dialogue in general was hysterical, and I think that was the main reason why the film is so enjoyable. All of the vibrant colors used in the sets and decorations made it visually pleasing to watch as well. I was not a very big fan of most of the soundtrack and the jazz songs “Betty Boop Sita” performed. Although they did relate to the events in the story, I found that the performance scenes detracted from the film. Using music to tell parts of the story is a clever concept, but the ‘30’s jazz music was just a little boring. Overall I really did enjoy watching the movie. It was really funny, and made learning about The Ramayana very interesting.
I think that Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic The Ramayana was effective, it was vey well thought on on how she wanted to get her point accross to the viewers and the importance of it. I liked how the scenes matched up accurately flowing in the right sequenced order such as Sita's trial by fire. The decoration showed the culture of where the story took place and with the animation you could tell who was suppose to be who if you had already had a little bit of backgroud information about the story.I did enjoy the film some parts were amusing to me such as when the puppets would come up and tell the story.Overall, it was very creative on how she put it together.
1. I think her interpretation was very affective. It was so much fun to watch. I liked all the detail she put in. They way she made this made ti fun to learn about The Ramayana. It was very clear about each character.
2. The way she came about to his narration was fun and bouncy! It was really eye catching and entertaining. They help me understand it way more then taking notes. They made it easy to follow. I loved the songs that were apart of this film.My favorite part of the film would have to be the love scene in the forest with Rama and Sita. It was very funny and yet romantic. It made everything over all very original. The narrater was also another one of my favorite parts. It made this whole film hilarious! They way it would talk fast and make jokes. There was just so many parts that made the film memorable. Mostly the drawings and songs that were put into it. I think that putting this story into a little film like this was awesome! and it was great for being a movie!
3. I did enjoy this film. I actually wasn't able to watch the whole thing, but from what i saw it was great! and very much entertaining! It was a great way for students to learn about the story of The Ramayana. The woman who made this should be remarkably proud and exctied that she gets to share this with the rest of the world!
1. I thought Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic of The Ramayana was an effective one because it was a good overview of the story and helped to understand key events that took place. The only thing that made it maybe a little less true to the story is how he created Rama to seem like the bad guy of the story. It altered the story a little to make the demon king look not quite as bad as Rama.
2. The narration between the 3 shadow characters added more comical relief to the film and was a good quick summary of what we were about to see in the next scene. It helped break up the film so you did not get bored of just watching the film straight, like the peanut gallery. Also the soundtrack was a very good choice of songs. The placement of the songs in the story was well done and how she combined the elements of what was going on into those little dances. The amount of dialogue was good because it was just enough so at parts we understood what was happening but so that it wasn't overwhelming. The only issue was at some parts I was a little confused about what exactly what was happening, such as the part with Hanuman's tail burning down the city...maybe? I liked how Paley's used different drawings for different parts of the film. For the dialogue part she used the more drawn realistic looking characters and then she used the very exaggerated looking characters for the part where Sita sang her blues. If she had used the more realistic characters it would not have been as appropriate or funny. All the animation was very impressive. I also thought it was good how she brought back the deities into the film at some parts to remind the watcher that this wasn't just an ordinary hero saves damsel in distress story.
3. I LOVED this film. I thought it was hysterical and I was actually really excited to come into class and watch it on the days we did. All the elements went really well together to make it just a very enjoyable film.
1. Yes, Paley's interpretation of The Ramayana is an effective one. It really made me remember the story and helped me understand what was happening a lot more. I loved the way she used comedy because it made the film more entertaining and it also made it seem less like school work. Although, I wish that she wouldn't have made the film so subjective towards Rama because I think that might have affected everyone's perspective of him.
2. I liked Paley's narration of the Ramayana, the puppets were perfect for this film and they made me laugh so much. The music choice was interesting because it wasn't Indian or Hindu music, it was 1920's jazz music. At first I really liked the music but after a while it just became repetitive and overplayed. The animation of this film was sort of silly. The Betty Boop figure that Sita had was somewhat offensive to me but it did make me laugh every now and then. It would have been better if Paley just used 1 version of Rama and Sita because the different animations did confuse me at first. Besides that, I really liked this version of The Ramayana.
3. I did enjoy this film. It helped me remember The Ramayana more and it was a fun film to watch in class. This is definitely a film that everyone should watch when learning about The Ramayana.
1. I think Paley's interpretation is an effective one because it was very interesting and easy to understand. She clearly showed the role of each character, and told the story in a way that wasn't hard to follow.
2. The narration in this film was really good because it summarized what had just happened, or what was about to happen. The three puppets were funny, and helped me understand what was going on if I was confused. I liked the music that was played, but after awhile I felt like there could have been a little more variety in the songs. I didn't really like how there were two different types of animations. It would have been better if there was only one type of animation because I didn't know why there were two at first, and I was a little confused.
3. I did enjoy the film because it helped me understand and remember The Ramayana more than I did before. It had some comical elements in it, which made it more interesting and fun to watch in class.
1. I think that Paley did a good job presenting ancient scripture in a modern and entertaining manner. It was a very appropriate approach to teach the story to high school students. She told the story by combining facts with comedy while remaining true to the story. However, I can see how some Hindus might be offended by this type of presentation. Paley depicted Sita as a "dumb blonde" type of character that would do anything for the man who didn't treat her well.
2. I found the narration and dialogue a useful way to tell the story. It helped me understand what was going on in the story without oversimplifying. I also really enjoyed the music in the film. I loved the jazz! I do wish, however, that there was more traditional Indian music because it would have given the film and even more authentic feel. I also enjoyed how Paley used different types of animation such as the Betty Boop version and the more realistic stylization. One of my favorite things about the movie was the shadow puppets. They added a lot of humor and entertainment to the story. I liked how they disagreed with each other. It reminded me of sibling bickering.
3. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I liked how it presented the information as well as the animation. The music also added a nice vintage touch!
1. The interpretation of The Ramayana is effective because this is how Paley saw it. We don't really know what it really looks like, but this was a good way to give us a background of how she interpreted it. It made it easy to understand and to follow along. The film was silly but she got the point across. She had actual people telling about what was going on while still making it silly and fun to watch! It wasn't one of those movies with all facts and boring to watch. She kept us toned in with adding the characters, their dialogue, singing and dancing!
2. I really enjoyed Paley having the narration it was really fun to watch! Those people were silly but they told us the story so that we knew what was going on. At first I was wondering what is this, but then I ended up laughing so much. I liked that I could understand everything that was going on! I only didn’t like how there were two different Sita’s that got me a little confused at times when they went back and forth and why they had to have two Sita’s. Their dialogue was so funny to hear to, but it fit the characters perfectly! The music was nice to listen to in the background while they would explain the story and dance along. The sound track was interesting, but it fit nicely in with the characters and how they danced with the music. The setting explained how it might look like. The plot went well with everything and they did a nice transition from one place to the next or when they went from one Sita to the other.
3. I did enjoy the film a lot! I felt that I learned a lot from it more than I would have from a fact movie. Now I will be able to refer back to it. This made it easier to learn and I really enjoyed that! I like that it was in a cartoon and their voices because I still focused while they were bring funny.
1. I think that Paley's interpretation of The Ramayana was an effective one because it was very easy to understand the roles each character played as well as the events that took placed during the story.
2. The narration of the dialogue was great, I really enjoyed listening to the shadow puppets telling the story. I like how the shadow puppets made the story interesting by adding halirious comments. The soundtrack fit the story well, I enjoyed listening to the different music especially the one that played at the beginning. The setting and animation was interesting in that it changed a lot back and forth and it was fun to see that.
3. I did enjoy the film because it gave me a better understanding of The Ramayana and the events that took place. The fact that it an animated film made it more interesting and fun to watch rather than someone just reading us the story which is boring.
I think that Paley's interpretation of the Ramayana was an effective way because it covered all the important events and doing so in a very entertaining way. I like how the narrators came on the screen and talked about a scene it helped you follow along and if you did not get something they explained in a very funny way. I thought the music was great and helped you remembered the scene and kept me fouced on the movie. I also thought the shadow puppets were great, very funny. I enjoyed the movie very much. I thought it covered the Ramayana very well with a modern twist, and was easy to understand. It was very memorable.
1. I think that Paley's interpretation of The Ramayana is extremely effective. As we learned previously, there are many different versions of this love story. Paley's version is the only version i've seen yet, and i enjoyed everything about it! Although there were some parts of it that were obviously not accurate, i loved her modern twist to it.
2. The elements that she included in the story were very entertaining. I loved the three characters who would argue on what was right while being funny at the same time. I loved when Sita sang those mini music video versions of old songs. I'm still amazed that she did absolutely everything by herself at home! She did a really excellent job of mixing different elements.
3. I absolutely enjoyed the film. Every little bit of it was entertaining.
Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic was very effective. In fact, she did a marvelous job enhancing the characters to provide a way to teach The Ramayana. She used today’s tools to capture the audience’s attention. In her own way, decided to make it a fun story so that one could remember and explain easily.
Overall, the dialogue was great throughout the story. I love the music and how Sita had those random songs in between transitions. Also her use of comedy that was presented throughout the story was very entertaining. Her animation was on another level, the way she designed the setting and characters was so amazing to watch.
Did I enjoy the film? I would say I’m more on the neutral side. The film was great,but for me to enjoy any film I need to laugh, cry, smile, or something. During this film I was just sitting there with no emotion what so ever, and I don’t really enjoy animations. I would much rather want to see a human being than a caricature.
1) Yes I do think Paley’s interpretation of the Ramayana was effective. I thought that it got the main points of the story across very well, but just in a different manner and interpretation. Although it was a different style then one might expect I personally thought it helped me understand the story in a more interesting way. I thought the way she went about teaching it was effective and helped me actually remember the story because of interest not because I had to.
2) At first I was turned off by the animation but my opinion of that quickly changed. I was surprised by how well she was able to create the characters appearance as well as the setting, just by using her laptop computer. Something I really loved about the film was the shadow puppets who would appear between scenes. They were very funny and grabbed my attention and made me think about the previous scene that occurred in the film. As far as the sound track went I really liked the music, and I thought it was a very creative idea of hers to incorporate that into the film as she tied it in to her personal life. She was able to tie all of these elements together in a very artistic and professional manner and I was very impressed.
3) I loved the film! I’m very glad you decided to show it to us. It was so different and unique to other school movies I’ve seen, and it really captivated my attention. As far as learning about the Ramayana I think that was a great way to do so. It was interesting and entertaining and helped me learn the information in a new and unique way!
:] –Jess Young 7th period
1. I believe that Paley's interpretation of The Ramayana is very effective. It expresses her personal point of view while still explaining the story of The Ramayana. As we learned, there are many different variations to the story, and she explained one of them in a very simple, easy to follow manner.
2. The narration and dialogue was very successful in the context of Paley's film animation. She explained the story while adding a modern twist, which makes it easier for more contemporary viewers to understand and relate to. I also enjoyed the jazz soundtrack, the contrast of the Hindu story juxtaposed with typical 1920's music adding an interesting flare to the film. Overall, the animation was lively and kept the audience interested. I didn't expect the type of animation to change so often, but after awhile I found that it added more interest to the film.
3. I absolutely enjoyed this film. As previously stated, I found it informative and easy to follow, and it definitely helped me to better understand The Ramayana.
1) I feel that Paley's interpretation serves best as a simplistic introduction to the Ramayana to someone who doesn't know much about Hinduism. It can then be a jumping off point if a viewer's interest has been perked, and the viewer can then go and research more about the Ramayana. As a stand-alone interpretation of the Ramayana, it is very simplistic and is more focused on entertainment rather than information, which may lower its effectiveness as a valid interpretation.
2) I found the narration by the shadow puppets to be absolutely hilarious. I loved how they kept correcting each other when one made a mistake, and how the background while they talked morphed in order to match the words coming out of the puppets' mouths, whether it was even correct or not. The soundtrack was good, but no matter how much I loved the jazz numbers, they didn't really seem to fit with the atmosphere of the Ramayana. However, the other instrumental songs (namely the one in the beginning) added a lot of beautiful air to the movie. The animation and scenery was top notch, and I cannot think of any bad parts about it. The plot mostly followed the Ramayana faithfully.
3) I truly did enjoy the film. The humor kept the movie alive and the musical numbers had many fascinating animations and choreography. In terms of the class, the film helped me visualize the Ramayana, for the only other exposure I've had to the story was through the written text.
1) I think that Paley's interpretation of The Ramayana effective in some ways. It expresses her personal belief of her views even though she explains the story of The Ramayana. This story also made the Ramyana easier to understand.
2) The music and dialogue throughout the story made is fun and easier to understand. I liked the way they tried to make it a little funny and ammusing for viewers.
3) I enjoyed the film for the most part. I do believe somebody should make a movie like this for the bible so it would be easier to understand. Overall a pretty good movie
Paley’s interpretation seems to skew the intended meaning of the story, but she did so with exceptional flair and humor. Her portrayal of each character subtly suggests the qualities she wishes to bring light to, without making the story overly cheesy or an outright attack on traditional male dominance. Her humor and creativity made this an incredibly compelling film.
Paley did an excellent job creating all aspects of the film. The narrators were positively adorable. They were also effective in reducing potential monotony and moving the story forward. The dialogue gently crafts each character to animated perfection while still remaining lively. I find it astounding that Paley was able to find songs by the same artist that fit the story so well. It takes quite a bit of creativity to do such things. The simplified set added to the story, rather than distracting the audience with attractive scenery. The ridiculously exaggerated figures of Sita and Rama also furthered Paley’s intended message. Overall, this is an ingenious work of art.
Watching this film was a rare scholastic treat. It is not something I will soon forget. Nor will I soon forget the story of the Ramayana.
1) it's an take of the original story, pointing out certain character flaws but at the same time remains for the most part faithfully to the source. But since this story as many different variations this a successful one as it still tell a story with a moral thought it's main moral slightly different than others.
2) The narration was the part i enjoyed the most , as it broke the fourth wall pointing out what we the viewer thought was wrong, like Rama's treatment of Sita. The narration was more of a commentary as well. For this being a you-tube film the quality of the animation and soundtrack was very excellent, along with the different style of the animation depending on what part of the story help to move the plot along.
3) yes a much more interesting version that just reading parts of the book. it was very enjoyable while still being informative
1. Is Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic The Ramayana an effective one?
I think that Paley's interpretation of the Ramayana is very effective. I think that it was very relatable which led to me understanding and enjoying the story better. I went back and watched her own story that went along with the Ramayana, and I believe that her intention was for everyone else to be able to relate the story to their own lives as well.
2. Comment on the some of the following elements in order to critique the film: narration and dialogue, soundtrack, setting/set decoration, animation, plot and film structure, etc.
I thought the narration was engaging and humerous, it also simplified things so that the audience was able to understand the story line better. The soundtrack was interesting because it mixed Hindu cultured music with american music. The decoration and animation was really amazing, and by visualizing the story in that way made me much more interested in the story line. The plot and film structure was clear and helped me to better understand the Ramayana.
Between her interpretation of the Ramayana and the creative, well thought out narration, dialogue, soundtrack, animation and film structure, it was a very enjoyable film.
1. I think that Paley's interpretation of The Ramayana is an effective one. She covered the main and important details in the story, and she made it quite easy to understand. The humor and animation made it easy to follow/understand the story.
2. In my opinion, Paley did a good job with the elements she used in 'Sita Sings the Blues.' The narration was helpful in understanding the story, it gave me the main points occurring. I didn't care much for the jazz music, but some songs tied in well with the story. The animation was the best, and the shadow puppets were funny.
3. Yes, I did enjoy this film. I understood The Ramayana more clearly by her unique animations and humor. These elements made the story easier to understand, and not boring.
1.) I think Paley did a very nice job in portraying the Ramayana, but I admit that if I had to watch the film by myself only knowing the story of the Ramayana I think I would be very confused by the occasional Annette Hanshaw numbers.
2.) I think the narration and dialogue were spot on in the film; I loved the narrarators but sometimes when they would quarrel (i.e. about the spelling/pronounciation of one's name) I would get distracted from the main point. The soundtrack was very loyal to the film's cultures (Eastern BC & American 20's). All in all I was so fascinated that the whole movie was constructed on a computer. I kept wondering how long it must've been to create, and seriously how much work was put into it.
3.) Yes I loved this movie mainly for its humour and quirks, but I also liked the musical selections.
1. I think that Nina's portrayal of the Ramayana was effective at showing the message she got from the story, but i don't think that the story and meaning of the Ramayana is one that can taught to you. You can get the gist of it from this movie, but i feel like you might get the wrong idea about what is happening. Take what Rama does to Sita in the story: his mistrust, the trial by fire, and he still doesn't trust her. this is how he was brought up. it hard to imagine this not being wrong by our moral standards, but back then it wasn't bad. I just think that her movie might send the wrong message. But as a story, her interpretation works well.
2. What i enjoyed about the movie, there was a lot. I loved the animation, especially since it was all done on flash, I am a huge fan of old blues, and I half loved, half disliked the shadow puppets. While they were very funny, I just kept felling her pushing her feelings onto us through them, and that's just not what I like to see out of a movie based on a religious text.
3. All in all, I found it a very enjoyable movie. It was a pleasant surprise after a day of monotony, which seems to be a recurring theme in this class. good show.
1. I think that Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic, the Ramayana, is an effective one in that it creates a fun and entertaining way for people to become informed on the epic. Also, she tells the story effectively which explains the whole thing without such boring and conventional dialogue.
2. The narration and dialogue are different than most and is certainly unexpected. While they are unconventional, they also hold a humorous and playful tone which are constant throughout the film. The soundtrack seemed fitting to the film because it has a strong indian theme and also a catchy sound. The animation was creative and different than most animation but I thought it was a good fit for the film. The plot and film structure in my opinion was somewhat unnecessary like in instances where it would go into a song for like 5 minutes. The plot and film structure otherwise showed a good representation of The Ramayana.
3. I did not enjoy watching the film because of the musical themes and strange animation. The film was different and was somewhat entertaining but I did not enjoy watching it. I didn't like this because it did not interest me and I do not like musical or animated films.
1. I think that Paley did a good job with her interpretation of The Ramayana. It was informative and was a creative new take on the ancient epic. However I believe that Rama wasn’t portrayed in a very good light. He seemed to be over critical of Sita who was soley devoted to him, so you walked away with a bad feeling about Rama. Especially since he cast her out after her trial by fire and the film focuses on bad parts of Rama such as that.
2. The narration and dialogue for the film was very good, I feel like the voice overs worked very well. The soundtracks for the movie were good, I thought it was a nice creative touch to use the ‘20s music from that one singer. It was also nice that the lyrics for the songs fit good with the story line. The animation was great, and very creative. The plot seemed to be accurate to the Ramayana. Overall it was a very good film.
3. I enjoyed the film because it was a fresh new take on The Ramayana. I especially liked how she mixed the songs into it. It was very creative mixing the music into it, and the songs actually went along with the story.
1. Paley's interpretational work is effective in that she is able to convey her own interpretation very clearly and fluidly in the film, however it isn't entirely accurate. She seems to be biased, which affects her interpretation of the characters. Because Sita Sings The Blues is a reflection of the artist's former love life, she mirrors her feelings into the piece, making Rama seem like a total jerk, and creating an ending in which she does not make it clear that Rama and Sita get back together, except for the image of Lakshmi having her feet massaged by Vishnu, which would be the opposite of what is usually portrayed. This implies that Sita/Lakshmi gets compensation and justice in the form of eternally promised foot massages for all she had to go through to please Rama/Vishnu.
2. I liked how Nina Paley used a more modernized dialogue than that of the real Ramayana to tell the story to a modern audience. It was fun and easy to understand. I feel the same about the soundtrack, which broke down the story and showed emotion in music, arguably one of its most powerful mediums. The set and the animation were very detailed, and used a pleasing blend of more traditional depictions and silly cartoon depictions of the characters, for example the contrast between the real Sita and the Sita that Paley used to sing the Annette Hanshaw songs.
My favorite parts of the movie were the parts in which the shadow puppets were discussing amongst themselves the different interpretations and versions of the Ramayana. I thought they each provided a very real and different side of the story, and their banter back and forth made me laugh.
3. I very much enjoyed this film! In fact, I went home one day so I could watch it all the way through including the personal parts. I loved its humor and how the film was able to take the Ramayana and make it into this totally modern story that I can watch and relate to something I had heard or something I know of. The shadow puppets added an "unscripted" feel to the film, which I really loved. Although I realize there is a lot of controversy surrounding this film, I thought it was well-made and very creative.
(ALSO I'M REALLY SORRY THIS IS LATE BY LIKE AN HOUR AND A HALF) D:
1.I think that Paley's interpretation of the Ramayana is an effective one for her purposes. She clearly wanted to challenge the traditional values of the Ramayana while comparing it with her own life. Paley clearly went through a hard break up, depicting Rama as a cruel love interest of Sita. She presented the story biasly, but effectively none the less. She told the story in a modern way that was humorous, lively and artfully crafted.
2. I really enjoyed the animation. It was creative yet had traditional aspects to it. The colorful settings, images and graphics made the story more interesting. While at first I found the Annette Hanshaw songs creative and clever, they soon got on my nerves. (after about 3 song segments). The pitchy 1920's songs were drawn out and repetitive after a while. (Then again, I could be bias because I can't sit through a musical, so maybe this movie just wasn't for me). The shadow puppets narrated the story very well, and they were some of my favorite characters overall.
3. Overall, I did enjoy the film. This movie explained the Ramayana in simple way that managed to be entertaining and memorable. Even at times when I caught myself "zoning out" the imaginative animation of the characters, water, space and shadow puppets was incredible. I would have liked to see the personal parts and how it specifically related to the artist's story though. The only complaint I would have is the repetitive use of 1920's songs so explain the story. They were effective, but at times ran long.
1. I thought that Her interpretation was a personal one, and could easily be seen as an offensive one as well. I feel impartial towards it, but cautious towards the reactions that others might have. I did enjoy the fact that it remained relatively accurate.
2. I loved the sound track and animation. The animation was original and looked like it would have taken a lot of effort to put together. The sound track helped create a setting and add a personal touch without hurting the story.
3. I enjoyed the film. I found the creativity behind it to be entertaining, and educational. I'd recommend showing it to children and students who are curious about the subject.
Alyssa Collins (sorry it's late, my internet at home wasn't working well)
1. I thought the interpretation was a very effective one. It captured my attention immediately and it kept the story in my mind. I feel like I now know the Ramayana really thoroughly and I find it really intriguing. In its teaching and entertainment I think Paley's interpretation is very effective.
2. The narration I thought was very relaxed and funny. It seemed as though Paley just asked people to talk about the Ramayana and recorded them as they spoke. They gave their own interpretations of the Ramayana and it was very interesting. The soundtrack was probably my favorite part because it was interesting how Paley tied together two completely different periods of time. I also always left the class humming the music. The animation I found was incredible for just one woman and her computer, I would never be able to do it that well.
3. I really enjoyed the film. I thought it was captivating as well as informative and really fun. Paley's interpretation of the Ramayana engrained the story in my head and now I can see how it applies to life today. It is a universal love story that I feel everyone can somehow relate to. I loved the animation and how everything looked, I really liked the three narrators and I loved the music. It was a really great and interesting film.
1. Is Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic The Ramayana an effective one?
She related to her own life and yes to many Hindus it is probably offensive, but it is effective in portraying a message. She was communicating her experience of the festival and her observance of it. She portrayed the Ramayana in a way that many non-hindus can probably relate to so in my opinion she did what she sought out to do.
2. Comment on the some of the following elements in order to critique the film: narration and dialogue, soundtrack, setting/set decoration, animation, plot and film structure, etc.
I thought the narrations were done very well. It was creative to use shadow puppets as third-person narrators and it was very humorous. The music was a way that she portrayed her feelings about the female roles in the film and I thought it added another layer to her interpretation of the story.I was very impressed with the film structure because she made the film on her own computer. The animation was great and she told the story like it was in a book chapter by chapter.
3. Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?
I really liked the film. It was fun and could please a lot of audiences. I loved the animation and the story was very funny.
I thought it was very effective in her use of animation and funny narrators. She incorporated all sorts of entertaining animation that kept the viewer interested. It made the story fun and easy to follow. She made learning the story of Rama and Sita interesting and made people excited to learn about the Ramayana. I enjoyed the narration and dialogue even though Paley tended to incorporate her own feelings in how the characters were portrayed. For example Rama was made out to be a jerk and kind of mean towards Sita. I did really enjoy this film because of how fun and entertaining it was. Great soundtrack and great animation.
1. Is Paley's interpretation of the ancient epic The Ramayana an effective one?
I think that Paley's interpretation serves to explain the story and does a good job. Paley gets the point across pretty clearly.
2. Comment on the some of the following elements in order to critique the film: narration and dialogue, soundtrack, setting/set decoration, animation, plot and film structure, etc.
I thought that the film was really cute. The shadow puppet narration was funny and brought up some really good points, like why did Ravana not rape Sita, and was Sita a good wife or was she pathetic/desperate for staying with Rama after all he put her through.
I liked the shorter, less cartoony portions of the video more than the really animated singing parts. I thought they were funnier and a lot more realistic. The singing part was just too Americanized for me.. I guess I say that because they used old 50s music and Sita was dressed scandalously. The cartoon of her also annoyed me because of how cheerful she stayed throughout the film.
3. Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?
I was absent for one day so I didn't get to see the first 7 sections of the film but from the parts that I saw, I did like it. I think that's as entertaining as you could make that story without totally Hollywood-izing it.
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