Letter from the Wife (1972) vs. Nancy Drew... Reporter (1939)

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Letter from the Wife (Purnendu Pattrea, 1972) vs. Nancy Drew... Reporter (William Clemens, 1939)

Vote for either x1972 or x1939 (italicization unnecessary).

The deadline for voting is 12 a.m. EST on Monday, March 11.

If you need access to the films, please let us know.

[john ryan]

x1972

[rischka]

i really enjoyed bonita granville as nancy drew! her beatnik boyfriend with smartass lil sister and dickie moore as a character called Killer

the film has a LOT of energy and is really funny. haven't seen a nancy drew before but i ofc read the books many years ago.

will check out the indian film tonight. there's a blizzard here and i may stay home from work tmrw!

[Lencho of the Apes]

I'm really looking forward to seeing what a 1939 beatnik looks like.

Blizzard, eh? It's super-cold and super-cloudy here too, prime snow-threat weather; we might actually get us some.

[mesnalty]

Letter from the Wife is exactly why I love these cups; I doubt I ever would have heard of this film otherwise, but I loved it. Some similarities to The Home and the World, down to the jewelry theft and the looming presence of the Swadeshi movement, but if feels more Ghatak than Ray to me, with its eruptions of experimentalism. (I was delighted by the opening credits, but I didn't expect that same spirit to reappear at intervals throughout the film.) A very affecting piece of work. Thanks, Karl, and thanks for the subs!

[ItsUhhMee]

x1972

[mesnalty]

Nancy Drew... Reporter was pretty fun! Decidedly minor, but the actors who play Nancy and Ted Nickerson are both delightful, and I loved the "bedbug hotel" bit. Still, x1972 gets my vote.

[rischka]

ok i wanted to vote for nancy drew but i can't. thanks karl. x1972

[mae west]

noooo ! this is what i get for not selecting works of art...

[kanafani]

x1939

I'm decidedly in the minority here, but I saw the Indian flick a few months ago, and not much has stuck to my mind except the sense that it was kind of preachy and tedious in a sub-Ray kind of way. I know, I am a monster and you should all just block me. The Nancy Drew thing was fun.

[rischka]

it was the animation inserts that sealed it for me. was not expecting that

[mae west]

Just finished Streer Patra, and I can support that criticism. The brief spurts of experimental imagery were awesome, and if the story's feminist messaging was powerful for you, then I wouldn't want to take anything away from that — but personally I also found it more preachy/programmatic than affecting. Then again, I'm *such* a novice when it comes to Indian cinema, and Indian culture in general, that I'm not at all in a place to have an informed opinion on the matter. If I could see a good print in a good theatre, with a good scholarly introduction to boot, then that would be the bees-knees.

(p.s. x1939 for me, but I'm assuming the managers aren't allowed to vote in their own contests.)

[karl]

(x1972 then for me, to balance things out)

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Typically we don't count managers' votes, no. I guess the idea being that it'd be redundant? Never really thought about the why tbh

[rischka]

it was the tradition at mubi but there's no reason we can't. they do at ICM (naturally most people vote for their own film but it doesn't always happen either)

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What do people think? Should we?

[Lencho of the Apes]

The fewer rules the better, if you ask me. The worst that can happen is they cancel each other out.

[karl]

Evelyn and I were only joking. Managers shouldn't be allowed to vote for their own films.

[ofrene]

If you need access to the films, please let us know.

(I think it's a bit late but) I need access..

[kanafani]

I tend to agree that managers should abstain from voting in their own round.

[mae west]

I can imagine wanting to vote for someone else's movie — but I'm not passionate either way.

[Brotherdeacon]

x1972, Nancy was cute for about half an hour then slid into repetition, trops and less-funny gags, making me wonder if Scooby Doo borrowed these 1939 ND plotlines? However, I did like how she dressed and dominated everyone by any means possible. Maybe Todd Solondz should remake. Streer Patra's social screed was alarming; technically esoteric and wore its influences on its sari. A good film in many respects, but void of nuance and as Evelyn has mentioned, relentlessly "Preachy."

[Lencho of the Apes]

No preference, apples and oranges. Ambitious but flawed versus trivial but perfectly executed; I can't value one over the other.

[karl]

Gawd I guess I have to watch Letter from the Wife again (haven't seen it since I went through the trouble of fixing those awful subs soon after I first watched it for the 1972 poll, which, as you oldtimers here doubtless recall, was quite some time ago) to see this terrible "preachiness" you all describe. It must be pretty preachy, since no fewer than three of you have used this word to describe it above. I really don't remember anything of the sort. Except the kind of criticism that's inherent in a gals-ruined-by-being-forced-to-conform-to-social-standards story - in which case Mizoguchi, Sirk, Satyajit Ray & co are also preachy. I just remember being impressed by the style and the delightful and totally unexpected cartoon sequences. I also must admit that it's possible the mere presence of young Madhabi Mukherjee is enough to dazzle me into thinking I'm watching a better movie than I am. Rather than sub-Ray it's one of the few Indian movies I've seen that I think are in Ray's league. Needless to add, Ray is far and away the greatest Indian film director.

[MatiasAlbertotti]

x1972

I don't have much to add to the discussion. I agree with the criticism for Letter from the wife, but still liked it a bit better than Nancy Drew.

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Voting closed! Letter from the Wife (1972) wins!