 |
CS Weekly Archive > DVD > 5/30/08
In Search of Enlightenment
by scott castle
The Buddha of Suburbia
Adapted by Hanif Kureishi & Roger Michell (the latter directed)
Based on the novel by Hanif Kureishi
 
 
Thirteen years before they collaborated on the 2006 Peter O’Toole vehicle Venus, Writer Hanif Kureishi and director Roger Michell co-wrote a four-part television serial based on the former’s semi-autobiographical novel The Buddha of Suburbia. Karim Amir (Naveen Andrews), the son of Pakistani immigrant and his English wife, finds his world falling apart when his civil-servant father Haroon (Roshan Seth) becomes the Buddhist guru for a group of bohemian suburbanites. With his family disintegrating, Karim seeks out his own brand of enlightenment through sexual experimentation and a journey into the theater. The Buddha of Suburbia soaks up the atmosphere of its mid-1970s setting and taps into a similar sense of ennui as that captured in The Ice Storm. With the added elements of racial relations between native whites and immigrant Asians, as well as the rise of punk music and its aesthetic of anger, Kureishi’s script presents a compelling portrait of a young man’s identity crisis in an era of violent change. Kureishi and Michell provide a commentary that highlights the autobiographical elements of the story, their writing process, and a post-9/11 perspective on the religious tensions they explored in 1993.
 The Buddha of Suburbia
BBC Video
Not rated; 238 min.
$29.98
Buy it now
Scott Castle is one thesis shy of a master’s degree in film. He’s written two short films, four television scripts, and a handful of short stories. He lives in Los Angeles.
The Buddha of Suburbia courtesy BBC Video
|
 |
From
the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss
in their own words a particular
aspect of screenwriting,
from the mechanics of writing
to the personal and professional
impact that writing has
had on their lives. >
VIEW
ARCHIVE
The Big Picture
Features that cover all aspects of screenwriting, from our "Seven Best" lists to analysis of old favorites and new classics. > VIEW ARCHIVE
Weekend
Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a
writer’s perspective. How can these items help
a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey
more enjoyable? > VIEW
ARCHIVE
DVD
Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What
aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate
the writing, development, and storytelling process?
> VIEW ARCHIVE
|
|
