A Visual 'Cinema' of Sanath Gunatilake

K S Sivakumaran

Due to constraints in space on this page this week's column too would be brief. Professional film critics and erudite and seasoned cinemagoers would analyze the film in depth in the coming weeks in the media. I would concentrate on some the salient features in the film as I experienced it...

The film concerned is the newest Sinhala film that is also the maiden venture of the versatile Sanath Gunatilake as a creative director in film making. Besides the film is a testimony of his brilliance in performing different roles-major and minor- with characteristic 'method 'and mannerism in each of his films.

The title of the film as you already know is Ekamathi Eka Rateka (Once Upon a Time) based on a short story by the exponent of Naturalism as opposed to Realism in

 World literature - Frenchman Emile Zola . I had read his Nana in English translation which novel had been translated into several languages including Thamil by Lankan A N Kanthasamy. I have also read his brilliant social novel Germinal, but not Pour Une Nite d'Amour (For a Night of Love).

I decidedly dubbed Sanath's film as a "Visual Cinema" because one of components of 'arty' cinema is more 'visual' than 'verbal'. Cinema is virtually a montage of 'Moving Images' then verbalized 'drama'. But unfortunately most 'entertaining' films in the Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood and Lanka are partial towards dialogue and appear televised or filmed stage dramas with diatribes in the name of dialogues. There are reasons for this, but let us look at that later.

Gunatilake's creation stands out basically as a presentation of visual story telling and at the same time keeping the audience spell bound with awe and empathetic. Except for a few young people-men and women- who were enjoying their privacy in the box seats thrilled over a few erotic scenes the film made unwanted jerks thus disturbing the attuned audience. This happened at the Regal Cinema last Tuesday.

The film entertained me not only as a film in Sinhala and English but also as a film that compares well with the fine World Cinema particularly of the European kind.

The story in its content apparently: is psychological, erotic, exposition of human misery of a lonely and disadvantaged person, a sincere rendering of love in subtle manners by not only the main characters but even the minor ones, a free and genuine lover- but a domineering and lascivious female youngster and many other unobserved subtleties.

As the story has a strong emotional impact it lends itself to imaginative playing by almost all actors, particularly Sanath himself. I was enamoured by the restrained performance of Nirosha Perera. Thanks to the direction of Sanath that everything was under control.

What adds to the enjoyment of the film is not merely direction and acting but also other contributory features that elevate the film as one of the noteworthy Lankan films made in Sinhala.

This can be seen in(a) the use of mellow, mild and at times translucent and exquisite colour, (b) lighting primarily in low key to suite the locale, (c) spectacular and aesthetic photography, (d) the settings of sheer beauty and appropriately mosaic, (e) and more importantly editing with quick jump cuts, juxtaposition and saving of valuable footage in a way to help the viewer understand the easy flow of visual narration and (f) the short

snippets though, lilting and symphonic compositions of the late Premasiri Khemadasa. All these features are commendable indeed. One other thing: Sanath Gunatilake like all good artistes is humble and makes it a point to learn all the time. I have had the pleasure of sharing a seat with him in many workshops on Cinema in Colombo to learn about Cinema as a visual medium.

sivakumaranks@yahoo.com