 Did you hear that? It's a ghost. It's probably a reincarnation. Don't worry. Hey, welcome back to our new direction series, of course, but I'm Rick. You can follow us on Instagram, Twitch, and all that juicy content. Juiciness dripping all over your face. Put it down, we're about to get into school. BANG! Follow us on Twitter, channels, and we'll do some more. Today we're doing a movie review, everybody. Welcome back to Spooky Month, and we watched a fantasy musical mystery, is what it's classified as. Really? I saw something that said it was a paranormal romance. I like that better. I like that a lot better. It's a paranormal romance. But it's the 1958 from one of the oldest films we watched. I don't think it's the oldest, but one of the oldest films we watched. Qualifies as a classic. Madhumati, and we were recommended by some people for Halloween month. I thought it'd be cool to get a kind of a classic in there. And it does have some spooky elements to it. It does. For sure. So, it's from 1958 directed by Benal Roy, is that right? Yes, and he produced that as well. Written by Ratwick Gattek and Rajinder Singh Bedi. And starring Dilip Kumar. Yeah, forgive, this will be a butchering of the name. Vijayanthi Mali. And then Johnny. So sorry. Johnny Walker as well. Who I think is probably our third classic of him. He seems to always be playing the exact same character. It's like Charles Chaplin playing the tramp. Yeah, exactly. But yeah, so it's $100 for the review. It came out in 1958. Yeah, if you haven't seen this, that's your fault. I also wanted another excuse to watch a Dilip Kumar film. Yeah. Since we didn't really like them so much in Mughal-e-Azam. But Rick, your initial thoughts, please. I think it felt a little bit long because I still had a dune hangover. Don't go see dune, guys. Just if you love the books, you might like it. But then the books probably would bore me spitless too. I really liked it. It's everything you want from a classic movie. I was impressed with a lot of the technical stuff in the film. I was impressed with the cinematography for the day. I was impressed with the visual effects for the day. The set design, just when that castle was spooky, it was as good as Old School Universal now. Dracula. Yes, Frankenstein. Exactly. It had that exact same feel on those moments where everything was just quiet. It felt a little long, but I really do think that was my... Because dune is a long film. And I had a dune hangover. And it's Old School Bollywood. It's Old School Bollywood. And I knew that. You kind of anticipated being a minimum of like a three-hour film. Yeah. I thought the story was really good. I was telling this to Androni again, and I said this after anything we've seen him do. He's shockingly grounded and real for somebody in 1958. There's a moment where he's walking and he's talking to Johnny Walker. And he gets something in his eye. And most actors in the day would say, okay, cut, I got something in my eye. But he did a Brando thing and methoded it and just was like, oh, I got something in my eye. That happens whenever that happened. And they kept it. So I liked it. Yeah. I liked it as well. There were parts that I wish weren't there, but it's 1958. And it's basically the parts. I didn't like the fact that they just did this flashback. I thought it could have stood on its own. You're not a big fan of flashbacks. No, I'm not. But I do give it grace. It's 1958. So it wasn't a trope back then. Right. It is a trope. Like if it came out now, I'd be like, really, we're going to do the whole and flashback. And because it's a trope, and he's right in this regard, because a lot of folks that do the flashback thing, it's a weak excuse in storytelling. I understand it because of the reincarnation aspect to it. I totally get it. And the fact that obviously she's been, they keep getting reincarnated and finding each other and to fall in love again. Yeah, essentially, which I know you probably love that whole love. I did that whole aspect. I love that. And I love we'll get to in a second. I also love the twist at the end. Yeah. Yeah. But I do, like if I was doing it, I think like him falling off the castle would have been a perfect ending. I know. I thought that would have been absolutely wonderful. Yeah. Because one, it's a cool shot. And two, it's like fitting on. He's going to go be with her now. Yeah. And I get that they brought it back and they were together in their next life and all that kind of stuff. Hold on. Now that you said that, one of the most ridiculous moments that I just said, okay, I'm going to let it go. I'm just going to let it go. It's the very last line in the film. He sees her get off. He's so happy to see his girl. It says to her, we're going to be with each other for eternity. And he forgot. And he forgot she had a baby. He looks in and sees his child. He's like, oh, I forgot. Yeah, I thought that was funny. Wow. I was like, really? You forgot? You had red flags there. Yeah. Yeah. Literally forgot. He remembered past life romance, but he doesn't remember his own child. But I thought it was a really, for a two hour 45 minute film that it is, I thought it was a really engaging film. And it was really simple to follow as well. Really simple to follow. And I thought it was really well done, especially for a 1958 film. Dil Kumar, we saw it in Mool Azam. And it solidified in this that, man, I get why people call him the Brando. Absolutely. He brought the method to Indian cinema. I totally see it. Totally see it. Because at this time, which one of the biggest problems I have with like classic films is the style of acting that was, and not only in Bollywood, but Hollywood. Yeah. That was like this old, big, kind of, I don't know how to fully describe it, but it's like this, it wasn't real. It's the silent, it's the silent, they couldn't help it at the time because there were several contributors to it, but silent films required you to be bigger than life because you're conveying so much. It's basically theater acting on screen. Yeah. And over the top theater acting, which at the time, when you don't have electronic microphones and anything of that nature, you need to project and you need to be bigger. They'll tell you this in a lot of things. You need to, the person in the back row needs to see you and feel you. So it needs to be big. Whereas in a movie theater, you can just raise an eyebrow and the person in the back row is going to see the whole thing. So yeah. I think he's grounded. He's so grounded and I love that. Obviously that's the style I love. And he's so different from his character as well. Yeah. And in Mughal-e-Azam. So I'm really excited to see even more of him. Me too. Whether it's Devdas. I will see if I like a version of Devdas. I think it's a good chance of it's Dilip Kumar. You very well made. Compared to the acting. Because the problem I had with Devdas wasn't the overall film. It was the God-awful acting. But I loved what he did. I loved the rage he brought when he went to beat up the king. Yeah. And then kind of him going kind of crazy. But it wasn't like stereotypical. It was like I literally thought this guy was probably going crazy. Mad because he was in love and trying to find this person that killed his love. I love it. You notice that the stunt work with the king fall from the stair. That was good. It was a freaking hardwood floor. That was good. That was really strong. Yeah. For once again. Oh my goodness. 1958. Yeah. Everything that you do back then if it can look like something that would have been done now. It's crazy. It must have been a jaw-dropper that last sequence with her when she's on the stairs and he's talking to her and he's realizing who she is and then she walks in and they're both on screen. Is that the twist that you like? Yeah. I love the fact that it wasn't the other girl. It was actually her back haunting. Figured it was when he was like you buried me or you buried me blah blah blah blah blah. And I was like that other girl doesn't know that. Yeah. How does she know that? And then so yeah it was a great reveal but it was also technically great. It must have been jaw-dropped especially for any younger audience members for back in the day. That was pretty flawless special effects for the day. Yeah and her as well. I thought let's take her name again please. Yeah I'll butcher it. Forgive me for please not knowing how to properly pronounce her name. It's the J. N. Thimala. The J. N. Thimala. That's the closest I'm going to get right now. You can help me over time. I'll get it right. Oh she's in Devdas too. No Devdas one. I don't know if she's the main love interest. I can't remember who that character is. I don't either. You don't have to revisit it. But yeah apparently she's in Devdas with him which was three years prior to this. So everybody who loved them in Devdas must have been really excited to see this and I read that this did incredibly well. Why does it say it has a runtime of 110? That is not what the one said. That is way way off. Everybody must have been really excited and I read that the film did really really well when it came out. And I could see why. They had really good chemistry them two together. She has great screen presence. She has that classic beautiful woman of Hollywood feel to her. Yeah like she has great, the screen loves her. Very playful. And her and Dilip had great chemistry together. Agreed. And I really enjoyed watching them. I did too. And I also loved the music. All of it. Score and songs. We reacted to a couple. I think two. Yeah. But there were some other ones in there like the Scorpion one. Yes. I love the Scorpion one. That one was I did too. Like the big showstopper in the middle of the film. Yeah. That one was really really fun. I thought all the songs. And I think it was sung by Lada, right? If it wasn't, I'm shocked because that's who I assumed it was the whole time. If it wasn't Lada, it was her sister, right? But yeah, I loved all the songs. And there were so many which I think helped. I just carried the film along. And I just picked up on something. The story is written with Glutuk who is Cloud Cap Star. So he wrote that one that we saw. No, he directed Cloud Cap Star, I think. Well, then wrote it. Yeah. Wow. Well, there you go. No wonder I like the story so much. He's a good writer. And for the time, this is a really interesting story. And it's because obviously I know, especially with Hindu mythology, the reincarnation is a big standard, right? Yeah. But I don't know if this was one of the first ones that kind of delved into that in film. Incidentally, yeah. Because I know it's happened more now, but obviously in 1958, there weren't a ton of tropes. Right, exactly. It is so early in the industry. There's not really the tropes, the stereotypical tropes at that time. So for that time where a guy comes in, he falls in love with a girl who lives in a village. And then basically the king comes in and rapes her and murders her essentially, right? Yeah. Or attempts to rape her. Attempts to rape her. And she runs and dies because it dies. And then there's this story of reincarnation, ghosts. I actually really enjoyed the comedy scene of the guy trying to, that whole thing with Johnny Walker. Johnny Walker and the guy who was trying to do the, I forget what the word is, but cast out the demon. Yeah. He was doing his spell and they're saying louder. That whole thing was great. And he went into the cat. Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was really funny. I actually really enjoyed him, Johnny Walker in this as well. It is one of my favorite, even though he's, everything we've seen a man, he's playing this same character. He is. And if there's ever a story that's made about that man's life, it has to be played by B.J. Ross. Yes. He reminds me so much of B.J. Christ. Absolutely agree. And it's funny that I enjoy him opposite somebody. So grounded. So grounded. Yeah. As Billy Kumar. Complete opposite. Because he's the complete opposite. And I wonder if it's tempting to work with Johnny Walker back then. And if you have to fight to not be over the top with him. Because it's, he's so much fun. He's, he can get away with it in the same way that, that, if you watch some of the great silent film actors do what they do. And they just deadpan. Or for example, it's not as over the top, but the kind of fourth wall breaking ridiculousness. Whenever Stan Laurel does something and Oliver Hardy looks at them and then looks at the camera and just stares at the audience. He goes, that kind of not real stuff. He completely gets away with that. Yeah. I also thought the actor who played the dad was really good as well. Oh yeah. He was well cast. Giant. Giant? Yeah. I thought he was well cast. I thought he did a good job. He had great big father screen presence. Intimidating. Yeah. And the end, the king was good too. Yeah. I liked him. I liked him. He had like pencil thin mustache. I loved, I loved when she comes in to the room thinking it's going to be Dilip Kumar. And she pulls the blanket down. And he's got this creepy smile on his face. It's like, she pulls it down. And he's like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I really enjoyed the storyline of like when she popped back up and it was the other girl. Yeah. But he thought it was her. That was a good twist. I was like, what is going on here? Yeah. What? And so I was like, is this the reincarnated girl? And then that whole twist, I really enjoyed that. So for like, like I said, 1958, I thought it was really, really ingenious, really, what they did. I just, I think this part, the flashback, could have stood on its own. Like it didn't need the front and back part. I mean, as just the film itself? Like the front part where obviously they got stranded, they went to the castle and he was like, yeah, cool. I remember this place, blah, blah, blah. How do you tell a reincarnation story? You mean just do it sequentially, let them die and then come to the future and see them now? Just don't eat them. Just eliminate the reincarnation. Literally start at the flashback. But literally just thought that story. I know, I get why they do it. But you can't even have the payoff at the end unless you're basing it on reincarnation. I think it's more powerful to just have him die and you get that they're going to be reincarnated together. And forget the duplicate girl? No, no, no, no, no, no. The only parts I want to eliminate it are the front part where he starts telling the story. Right? Okay. So you can eliminate basically all that. Oh, I got you. And then eliminate the end. And eliminate the end. Finds her again. I get why they did it. I like it. I totally understand. They fell in love. They get reincarnated and they always fall in love because they're meant to be together forever and forever in every single life, right? I get it. I just don't prefer that. I prefer his death and then the film ends. Well, because you would prefer every film with the main guy to die in the end. No, it's just, it's stronger. No, you would. It's a stronger end. You would like everything. You'd prefer it if like, I'm trying to think of the most optimistic. You'd like it if Nacho Libre ended with everybody getting shot in the head. That'd be cool, though. See? Yeah, that'd be cool. Yeah, you would like that. An artist. I liked it. I enjoyed the message, but it's just the what I would prefer it was. Like if it was made now, I would be like, that's dumb. Don't do that. Just leave it the way it was. It was nice the way it was. Just the middle part. Take out the book end. I liked it because then you couldn't have had the whole I forgot my son part. That's true. That's true. You couldn't have had that. But yeah, overall I thought it was real nice. A great classic. If you didn't know, we are going to do classes month in January. And so what should be some of the classics that we watch? Give us more of these two. Dilip and what's her name? Yeah, I don't want to mispronounce it a third time. The girl, the girl has love interest. Yes. All right, so difficult name. I know she's a legend for you guys. Forgive me for not knowing her. I enjoyed her. So what should be the next of both of them? I want to get a lot of. And I know you. And Riddwick, man. Now that I've known of these two, what else is Riddwick directed? Yeah, I've written. Yeah. Yeah, so let us know what the next classic Dilip and company films that we should watch are. Dumb luck.