I chanced upon this film, quite by chance, tucked away unsuspectingly in the midst of my school library, and immediately assumed that the title was an English translation of a Hindi title. But, no. That is what the film is called and it gives an interesting reading of the origin of the civilized world, which is also its middle and its end. Two Adams, one Eve, a messenger from the outside world and an occasional serpent form the characters of the retelling of this story of primal and socialized instincts, and of what people might do if they could start over.
It began rather depressingly, as Hindi "Art movies" of the period tend to, but before I could balk completely and give up, I found myself in the grip of the story. I must admit that I kept guessing the outcome of the story, and that my imagination was thwarted by the superior imagination of Mrinal Sen. I kept expecting the moral of the story to be the fact that the three companions would turn their little utopia into the exact replica of the world that they had left behind, but the story takes an interesting turn.
The figure of Eve (or "the woman", since the characters are generic types not individuals) plays an interesting redemptive role, for she is both Eve and Cassandra.
The trader, the only "go between" in this film that connects the paradise of the ruined village to the outside world, also cannot be judged simply. He has an uncanny sense of what this utopia is about, how the equations between the two Adams may be disturbed, and what preserves or can destroy the delicate balance of this sanctuary. Though he ends up being the angel of death, I thought that the portrayal of this character was very interesting.
The serpent shows up twice. Once when the woman first appears, and the second time when the trader begins to change his mind about the lucrative value of the ruined village. It is also worth noting that only the trader and the woman have the ability to theorize or narrativize what is happening. These two people with the gift of narrative, and a larger vision about the possibilities of the end of utopia, ironically enable the doom.
On the whole, definitely worth watching.
It began rather depressingly, as Hindi "Art movies" of the period tend to, but before I could balk completely and give up, I found myself in the grip of the story. I must admit that I kept guessing the outcome of the story, and that my imagination was thwarted by the superior imagination of Mrinal Sen. I kept expecting the moral of the story to be the fact that the three companions would turn their little utopia into the exact replica of the world that they had left behind, but the story takes an interesting turn.
The figure of Eve (or "the woman", since the characters are generic types not individuals) plays an interesting redemptive role, for she is both Eve and Cassandra.
The trader, the only "go between" in this film that connects the paradise of the ruined village to the outside world, also cannot be judged simply. He has an uncanny sense of what this utopia is about, how the equations between the two Adams may be disturbed, and what preserves or can destroy the delicate balance of this sanctuary. Though he ends up being the angel of death, I thought that the portrayal of this character was very interesting.
The serpent shows up twice. Once when the woman first appears, and the second time when the trader begins to change his mind about the lucrative value of the ruined village. It is also worth noting that only the trader and the woman have the ability to theorize or narrativize what is happening. These two people with the gift of narrative, and a larger vision about the possibilities of the end of utopia, ironically enable the doom.
On the whole, definitely worth watching.