East is East

East is East was a movie (released in 1999) of a mixed Pakistani-English household in Salford, Manchester in 1971. The film was directed by Damien O'Donnell and adapted by Ayub Khan-Din from his play.

Related Topics:
Pakistan - English - Salford - Manchester - Damien O'Donnell - Ayub Khan-Din

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

George Khan (Om Puri), the father of 7 children and owner of a fish and chip shop is married to an English women named Ella. Nazir (George's first son) had dressed himself for a traditional Pakistani wedding. Nazir was set to be married to a Pakistani girl but bailed out at the last minute, after his bride-to-be had looked at him. Soon afterwards it is discovered that the youngest of his sons was not circumcised, whilst participating in a urination contest to the amazement of other Pakistani children. The son tried to resist but soon afterwards George got him circumcized and bought him some presents to make up to him

Related Topics:
Om Puri - Circumcised

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In desperation George, accepts to be introduced to a Mr. Shah. When Mr. Shah shows him a photo of his daughters. George had agreed to two of his sons (including Nazir who happens to be gay) to be married.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The family swerves precariously until George decides to take charge, disowning a son who refuses an arranged marriage. In order to reprieve himself, he decides that Tariq and his brother Abul will marry, sight unseen, the twin daughters of a Bradford businessman. The youngest, Said unearths the secret and the clan then decide to support the values of a normal British life.

Related Topics:
Arranged marriage - Bradford

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

George is a character both intransigent and violent, he is the root of the family conflict. Each conflict with each member of the Khan family occupies a different position along the fault line. Om Puri gives George paternal conservatism from which there is rich humour in his juggling act of trying to control the family by using Muslim values in a predominantly Christian society.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nazir, the eldest, is gay and after fleeing an arranged marriage, he is disowned by his father. The multicultural homosexual aspect has links to another Channel 4 film production My Beautiful Laundrette.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Maneer is religious and believes that his family will never be properly regarded as ?English?.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saleem is an art student who pretends to be studying engineering to appease his family.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Slapstick visual comedy is used when tomboy Meenah kicks a football through Mr Moorhouse?s window. His angry face is framed by what remains of his Enoch Powell poster. This gives the impression that all racists are the same and that they all have the same motives. Furthermore, a girl kicking a football through someone?s window breaks the stereotype of boy?s kicking football?s through windows, which is seen in many film and television productions. Moreover, Meenah playing football is against George?s beliefs that a woman?s place is in the household whilst wearing a sari.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some of the humour comes from incongruity ? from hearing a young man gilded from head to toe in Muslim wedding finery open his mouth and speak broad Salford ? but beneath the easy laughs a stealthy intelligence is at work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mr Moorhouse's silent hostility is comically undermined by the friendly overtures of his son Earnest, who longs to be part of the Khans' gang. And when his daughter Stella attempts to play Juliet to Tariq's Romeo ? "I'll never let your father's colour come between us"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sajid is permanently parka-clad and is mostly an observer to the unfolding family drama. Furthermore, Sajid being moved into an operating theatre in his parka also creates visual comedy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Introducing a wide cast of characters with broad, comic strokes and moving the action along at a swift pace, O'Donnell still finds time for pleasing visual flourishes. In one scene the permanently parka-clad Sajid and his friend Earnest appear upside-down, through Meenah's legs, as she plays ball on the street. In a point-of-view shot for Sajid we see the world framed by the fluffy periscope of his parka hood.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The clash between British and Asian cultural values drives every scene from the beginning. In the opening sequence, a Christian parade winds its way down a tight, terraced Manchester street. In the midst, there are six Anglo-Asian children, the Khan family. As their English mother looks on, George makes his way back from the mosque. The news of his arrival sparks a mini-stampede as the children make their way down a side street.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Comedy is evident when there is a birds-eye view shot of the children making their way down a side street quickly in order to overtake the father and rejoin the front of the parade. Moreover, a shot of George watching the parade as the children run behind him also produces comedy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Yet, although the Khan family feel that they are British, their situation is summed up by the family watching ?The Clangers? in silence. ?The Clangers? are a set of mysterious, rootless aliens on a planet where they do not belong, which has parallels to the Khan Family.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Their sense of being British is most evident when Tariq shouts ?I don?t want to marry a Paki!?.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, there is a great deal of comedy displayed in the outdoor scenes involving the two seductive English girls toward the Khan children. Furthermore, by ironically showing a small, red-haired boy distributing literature for Enoch Powell whilst shouting ?Salaam Aleikum? to George Khan and also playing happily with the Khan?s youngest child.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An arranged marriage is good enough for George?s children, yet they are not allowed to ask questions about how he came to marry the woman he loves, without George becoming violent, which is essence makes him a hypocrite.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In one scene, George loses his temper and beats his wife and his son Maneer. The incident is present in a non graphic manner. In order to balance out the grim scenes, visual comedy in the shape of the drawing of a penis just after Sajid had been circumcised is used to relieve the tension.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

New comedy normally presents an intrigue between a young man and a young woman, which is blocked by some kind of opposition, usually paternal and resolved in a twist in the plot by comic form. This is reinforced by Tariq?s situation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tariq deals with his father?s obdurate traditionalism and surrounding prejudice by having a dyed-blonde haired girlfriend and taking her to discos as his alter ego Tony. This gives the audience the impression that he believes that he is British so he has a stereotypical English name and that because of the colour of his skin he must use an English identity to get into the disco. He is a party-loving rebel who rejects his Asian heritage, calling himself Tony.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The film portrays its character?s ambiguities in part by oscillating between humour and dramatic action, creating a production in between the conventional film genres.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This is reinforced by the director O?Donnell, ?We?re dealing with racism. We?re dealing with tension between India and Pakistan, but we do it in the film with the use of humour because I think that is the best way to make a point?.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There is a tilt against religion for romance, which is reinforced by Tariq and George.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

George is fighting the seduction of his children by the secular religion of pop music and fashion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although addressing serious social issues, East is East is not heavy handed, it uses comedy as a feature to relieve tension. With the 1971 backdrop, there is the India-Pakistan war over Kashmir and Enoch Powell?s immigration speeches for the family to deal with as well as the pressures of family honour and personal honour.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whilst challenging oppressive elements of traditional Pakistani culture. It deals with cultural differences and difficulties of assimilation. It is about the dangers of losing your identity, which George is trying so hard not to lose, when leaving one country for another.

Related Topics:
Assimilation - Identity

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Moreover, the storyline of children rebelling against strict parents is often used as comedic fodder on television and on the big screen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Furthermore, it is about family dynamics and how children inevitably rebel against their parent?s beliefs and traditions in order to grow up and become independent. Nevertheless, East is East celebrates Britain?s cultural diversity.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With its low-budget, sitcom-style set-up ? one street, two or three interiors, neighbours who pop in and out of each other's houses ? this BBC/FilmFour co-production feels instead like virtuoso small-screen drama.

Related Topics:
Sitcom - BBC - FilmFour - Co-production

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other British films, such as ?Trainspotting? and ?The Full Monty? deal with social issues for example drug abuse and unemployment. However, the success of these comedies has tended to obscure their serious messages.

Related Topics:
Trainspotting - The Full Monty

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~