georgan g
This imperfect movie gives life to Rushdie's novel. My main criticism is that there are no subtitles and even the spoken English is hard to hear/understand. But having just finished listening to the audio book of the novel I was impressed by the movie.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
dave s
Sadly, due to the complexity of plots and the depth of the themes, many great and expansive novels are virtually impossible to make into great films. Examples: The Magus, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Atlas Shrugged, etc. Add Midnight's Children to the list. Salman Rushdie's novel is brilliant, but the mystical, magical qualities of his masterpiece don't transfer well to the screen adaptation. Deepa Mehta's film is lovely to look at, but the movie introduces too many characters over too many years with too many different ideas and, as a result, the movie feels interminably long but, in a strange way, not long enough. In the novel, the children feel otherworldly, but when seen in the film they are bathed in milky light and speak in echoes, making them laughable instead of impactful. Maybe just read the book and forget that this film was ever made.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Eine wirklich kongeniale Adaption des ersten Romans von Salman Rushdie. Die Geschichte, nein, die Familiensaga, beschreibt die Geschichte des indischen Subkontinents vom Ende der Kolonialherrschaft bis zur Abspaltung Pakistans und Bangladeshs, beinhaltet kriegerische Auseinandersetzungen ebenso wie die brutalen Säuberungen der Slums von Bombay durch Indira Ghandis, am Bespiel einer Familie.
Das Spannende ist jedoch, dass die Geschichte und die Schicksale der Protagonisten im parallel zu der Geschichte des Subkontinents laufen, kein Wunder, sind die "Mitternachtskinder" doch um Mitternacht des 15. Augusts 1947 geboren, die Stunde der indischen Unabhängigkeit.
Die kindliche Distanz der realen Ereignisse könnte man dem Film vorwerfen, allerdings fesselt der so erzeugte Zauber und die zum Teil komische Surrealität den Zuschauer.
Es war von Vorteil, dass Salman Rushdie selbst das Drehbuch verfasste und so die Essenz seiner Romanvorlage einfangen konnte.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/28/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I loved this movie. Great story and albeit a bit long, it was a beautiful narrative. We must not take any of our moments for granted, for it is all in love, we are love.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This has got poor reviews but was perfect for a wet afternoon on holiday. It's lush, complex and ultimately redemptive. It covers a lot of ground and has some very harsh scenes. Magical realism at the service of history. Love overcomes all.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Deepa Mehta never fails... now making a movie based on such a wonderful book by Salman Rushdie, and with an impeccable cast of stellar actors, incredible music, rich and luscious images, this is, by far, one of the best movies I have watched this year, and it is on Netflix... Loved it so much and cried a few times as this was profound and beautiful.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
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