Jalsaghar (1958)
2/10
The sensible review
10 February 2016
If you are not from India and find the cast system an insult to humanity and if you can tell music from noise or hypnotic sounds, then you will probably, as I, have a more sensible view on this film and its virtues than an inbred Indian of the Brahman cast (the most privileged cast). Actually, you cannot really say that this film is a defense of the cast system but it is also not an attack on it. To attack the music in this film and call it noise is, I admit, to put your chin out. Real music is a mystery not something that you dance to. The mystery is how music can make a better human being of somebody, who, through the music, reaches feelings, so overwhelmed by goodness and humility, that they sweep all that is evil out of a person as far as that person allows it and, indeed, experience the music.

For sure (and that is why it is always provoking to attack any noise calling itself music) the mystery is not solved, so that you can tell why this music makes you feel and why this other music does not make you feel. The part that has to do with memories can easily be sorted out and leave the mystery intact. This does not mean that the mystery cannot be solved or, if it is solved, is solved in such a way that it ceases to be a mystery, which is expected by any solution of a mystery. We may understand a lot about why music makes us feel what we feel and still not be able to invent new music after some kind of formula. The kind of music that is done after formula will maybe make us dance but will not make us touch God.

When judging music, I judge the feelings awoken by it. People may call themselves music lovers and, for sure, have a music library that in quantity is most impressive but when they talk about music it is obvious that they understand something quite different to what those understand who cry to music because it is so moving. Maybe that is the most evident sign of a music lover, crying to music because being deeply moved, but it is, by no means, a sure sign, because swines can also cry when they are not allowed to be as swinish as they want to be. On the whole though, you can start your investigations with those who cry to music to come closer to understand the mystery of music.

The music (noise) presented in this film is not something you cry to unless you have childhood memories connected to the music. It is a music however, that easily puts you in a hypnotic state in which some interesting experiences are possible as, for instance, a deeper understanding of Indian way of life. But, unless this way of life makes you cry per se, you will not cry to this kind of music and only to its lyrics, if these are touching enough.

In all honesty, I would now have to name music that has touched me to tears (so that I can be attacked in turn). I will have to choose music without lyrics because that is what all this is about. Therefore it will be classical music.

The Unfinished Symphony by Schubert. The Fifth Piano Concerto by Beethoven (not all movements). The Sixth Symphony by Beethoven (not all movements) Interlude from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni Nessun Dorma (I don't know Italian so I put it here in spite of lyrics) … and much more but not more than 20 hours of music at the most through out the history of man. Allowing lyrics to the music, the number of hours is, of course, much larger.

Back to the film. Well, it left me rather cold, i'm afraid. I have no sympathy for the rich.
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