movie review : two brothers

i had been meaning to do this for quite some time coz this one's a movie i can never get enough of and have watched it umpteen no. of times.   :

it is a 2004 movied directed by Jean-Jaques Annaud. nothing like a critically acclaimed or award winning one with a modest imdb rating 6.8/10, and yet its cute storyline told sans any attempt to make it anything but heart-tuggingly simple, is where the magic lies. :)

set in 1920's french-ruled cambodia, the basic plot is about two baby tigers who get separated as cubs and reunite later in adulthood.( gives any indian reader a feeling of  deja-vu with the plot of "brothers ka bichadhna in kumbh ka mela n reuniting later on but anyways!! )

the story starts with the tiger family living in the ruins of an ancient temple which is demolished by an explorer and hunter Adian Mcrory( Guy Pearce) . in the struggle that follows the father gets killed and one of the cubs get separated. Mcrory takes a liking to the cub and hands him over to the village chief. however, the chief being a corrupt person, sells the cub to a local circus( well its safe to guess that corruption has been like froever in every society!)

later on, for pleasing a pompous prince of the region, another hunt is organised in which the mother tigress is shot in the ear and the other cub is befriended by the young son of the french administartor, Raoul, who makes him his pet. after some initial months of merry, the cub is added to the princes' ferocious creatures' collection, much to the dismay of Raoul. the two tigers are eventually named Kumal amd Sangha. Kumal is trained to be a circus acrobat while Sangha is prepared to be the ferociuos animal, his vain master intends him to be. in an epic showdown a year later , the two tigers are pitted against each other at a battle-until-death organised by the prince in the memory of his father. much to the amusement of the audience and the embarrasment of the idiotic prince, they recognise each other and start playing instaed of fighting. the end is all about their escape to safety and reunion with their mother who gives them the long-due lesson of hunting.

what i found fascinating was the accounting of the tiger, branded as a solitary creature erstwhile, as a family one. one can't stop oneself from croonig over the cuteness and intelligence of the cubs and the playful antics of the young tigers. the breath-taking camera work catching each and every expression of the cubs and tigers, makes one actually forget that its a animal movie.  the screen play is also fabuluos recreating that era efficiently and the beauty of Combodia.for wildlife lovers as well as non ones, it is a delight alike. so still not late to catch up with this beautifaul piece of cinema with your loved ones ( i must also mention full-on warm and absolute "family stuff" ala the tiger family :) )...what say people?

for me on a scale of 5 it gets a rating of 4.5 .  

Scenes to watch out for :

• the vain prince talking to sangha in his cage about his father. a classic display of typical human ego and unwonted pride which is redundant infront of the refreshing animal  innocence.
• Sangha recognising Raoul in the end  and Raoul warning him to stay away "from the villages of men". ( "animals and children tell the truth they never lie.... which one is more human that's a thought now u decide" .... the animal song :)   )
• Kumal taeching Sangha to jump to safety fromn the fire around them using his training in circus ( and also as a cub licking sweets from Mcrory's hand.... nothin special but he's chooo shweet in those shots
• last but not the least, the tigers' escape from the battleground, with the audience being driven in the same ground where the tigers where supposed to fight , for their protection.( this should have a lasting impact on anyone for its message shouts out loud and clear  to us humans " you are just another species like us, u cannot decide nature's fate".