The Sicilian by Mario Puzo

This book was suggested to me by a drunken bengali PhD I met in tum-tum one day.
The author of 'The Godfather' presents us a little story of Micheal Corleone's stay in Sicily when he was hiding for murder of a policeman back in America. Micheal is expected to help out a bandit, who has been able to slip away from the hands of the government for past 7 years, to escape to America. Turi, the young lad has made enemies at Rome and Sicily with the Friends of Friends. Turi's parents are old friends of the Godfather and he has promised their son a safe passage to America. Micheal has to bring Turi along with him. How did Turi, a loving peasant became a rebel? How did he manage to bend the most powerful people in Rome to his will and later against him? Who is really with him and who is against him? Will he be able to escape the land of treacherous people?
In this book you will see the beloved son of our Godfather, seem insignificant to the self proclaimed Champion of Sicily. You fall in love with the bandit who is similar to Robin Hood, gives his victims time to make peace with God before killing them. He is gentle with friends and ferocious with the treacherous.
Turi Guiliano grew up a poor son of a poor peasant, born in America but raised a Sicilian. His friend Aspanu Pisciotta is his shadow, the more ferocious of the two. Until one fateful Turi is shot while smuggling and he kills a carabinieri and is an outlaw. He and Aspanu go on to live in the mountains initially supported by his family and his Godfather Professor Hector Adonis but then they proceed to terrorize all the carabinieri in the area release prisoners and build their own band. They loot,kidnap the rich and distribute it among the poor. People love him, say prayers for him,hide him, help him. Then it happens Don Croce tricks him and the massacre of Portella della Ginestra. He hunts down the traitor and kills him, he kills the Friends of Friends. But the noop has started to tighten. His final aim is Don Croce. All these years the enemies kept at bay by the documents of support these people had given him when they needed him to crub the socialist wave which could have been a doom for the Dons in Sicily and present government in Rome. As he moves to Trapani, in the abode of Don Domenico Clemenza, Peter Clemenza's elder brother, where Micheal waits for him. But he is assassinated by none other than his brother Aspanu on instructions from Don Croce. Michael later learns that his father had predicted the outcome and done nothing, and is saddened. He blames himself partly because he told Aspanu that the documents were safe in America. You are nearly as heartbroken as Micheal to learn about the death of The Sicilian(Micheal is in awe of this young man and evious of him who at the tender age of 20 had already started winning the hard life battles). Till the end you expect him to spring back to life, like it was another one of his jokes he played on the Friends of Friends or Rome. Later in the book when Aspanu is poisoned and the professor puts the note in his pocket 'So die all who betray Guiliano' you are over joyed.
Puzo nicely introduces the lifestyle of the Sicilians, their lifestyle, their homes, their customes, their stubbornness, their strength, their weakness, the treacherous, the loyal, the loyalties changing sides, new loyalties emerging, love, hate, revenge and other things. The story has 3 time lines, the present, the rise of Don Croce and the rise of Turi and still you feel at ease the way Puzo has written the novel. Also the scenes are very picturesquely depicted, you can imagine the scenes very clearly, either it be the freedom enjoyed by Turi and Aspanu in their first week at Monte d'Ora, or the monastery, or the assassination of Terranova (one of the major chiefs of Turi's gang) and other stuff. The change is gradual and each time line you are able to pick were you left.
Puzo doesn't fool you with romantic endings, the powerful wins and survives, the careless dies, either betrayed or by his own foolishness. The more experiences and calm Don Croce survives whereas the hero of the novel dies just because he instigated the Don in the final moments of his stay in Sicily. The novel may not be as good as godfather because of the more alien ways of Sicilians and Italy and Rome and the government there at that time, but still is a good read.

There are numerous quotes but that would require me reading the whole book again and would be updated later.

My Life (contd.)

(A enters B's room. B is watching a movie. B pauses it. On the screen is a door, possibly of a hospital wing. A looks at the screen) A - Arrey, yeh toh woh movie hai.... 1994 ki.... ek min...hmm.. fugitive, the fugitive.(B starts laughing) A = Me, B = My Wingie

My Life (contd.)

A - Yaar woh assignment kab tak dena hai B - Do din mein A - Tune kar liya? B - Almost sirf third problem baaki hai. Tu? A - (Knowing that B wouldnt give him assignment just like that to copy) Hmm. Mere ko third chamka hi nahin First aur second mein thoda pain ho raha hai. B - (Knowing A too well) Kahan pe hai pain? A - Yaad nahin. Dekhna padega B - Statement kya hai first ka?? A - Yaad nahin (Sees B staring at him) Abbey tujhe bhi pata hai aur mujhe bhi pata hai ki maine kuch nahin kiya. De de naa (Both laugh) A = Me B = My departmentmate who knows me too well

Before Sunset

They were in love 9 years ago. They meet again and fall in love again, only this time taking you alongwith them. A sequel of the movie Before Sunrise. The setting is in the City of Lights, Paris. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Deply) couldn't meet on the planned day, they meet 9 years later at a speaking in Paris. Jesse goes on to write a book about their one night romance in Vienna and Celine comes to meet him at his book opening in the city. Hawke plays a character of a guy in a failed marriage and Julie play a woman who has lost all hope in love. In a short 80 minutes movie the first half of the movie is funny innocent romance, later they begin to unburden themselves, ruing their decisions of not exchanging contacts and not able to meet up. They explore all their feeling about each other. They realize they are perfect for each other in the second stroll they take together around another city. A completely romantic movie and a must see for all die hard romantic people around the world.

Whereas Sunrise was youthful romance, this movie has more maturity in the characters (of course they have aged). Julie again steal the show with her accent and energy. We can see that Celine is fidgety at the start of the movie, speaking hysterically. Later when she unburdens herself we see the reason, she isn't happy with her life. Jesse's sexual advances seem innocent and pure. Similar to it's earlier version 90% of the movie is just conversation of two people (this time in love already). In contrast to Sunrise which takes place mostly during night, this story takes place mostly in the afternoon. The story flows smoothly and there is a gradual increase in the seriousness of the movie as the time passes by and they start revealing their feelings from the ferry ride to the car drive. There are many places that we can doubt about how much true Celine is, like about her grandmother's death, her boyfriend. But then thiswould just spoil the mood of the movie, we just hope that all the stuff in the movie was in fact true. Throughout this movie too Jesse's flight is a bother but the end is so smooth, light and peaceful with just the dialogs "C:Maybe... you are... gonna - miss - that - plane! J:I know..." and the picture fades. 2 people knowing so less about one another and yet knowing the other person completely. The chemistry is smooth and the intensity keeps on growing and as you sink deeper into the chair they sink deeper into the ocean of love. The acting again scores over everything else though one can easily recall a few cool/nice dialogs from the movie and scenes. No wonder it got so many nominations and awards for screenplay and story.

We feel like watching a home-made video the acting comes so naturally to these two characters. This movie scores over it's previous version in all aspects even acting, which was of par class in Sunrise. One can go on about the little details of the movie, the crux however is Before Sunset is a unique love story of 2 mature people who have had their share of mistakes, shortcomings, problems and responsibilities and an almost open ending (We can all easily guess the ending but still let us call it open end since we can't be 100% sure) give us hope that they will come out with it together leaving their previous responsibilities and love will (may) prevail in their case.

SCENES:This movie does better than the prequel at scenes. The most noteworthy scenes were

• The ferry ride, we get to know that both of them are frustrated and lonely in their life.
• The scene in the car where they both unburden their sorrows of life. It is a very energetic and fast scene.
• The waltz by Celine
  

QUOTES:This movie does better again at dialogs than its prequel. Though still being predominated by the acting of 2 class actors, some dialogs steal the show. In this movie the dialogs are not just romantic, they are dramatic, romantic, sad, depressing, funny at times. Though some were fascinating, but for most of them and the big ones I had to refer the .srt file.

Reporter:Do you consider the book to be autobiographical?
J:Well, I mean, is anything autobiographical? We all see the world through our own tiny keyhole, right? So when I look at my own life, you know, I have to admit, right...that I've... I've never been around a bunch of guns, or violence. You know, not really. No political intrigue or... helicopter crash, right? But my life, from my own point of view, has been full of drama, right?

C:Did you show up in Vienna, that December?
J:Uh, did you?
C:No, I couldn't, but... Did you? I need to know, it's important to me!
J:Why, if you didn't?
C:Well, did you?
J:No.

C:(hysterically)You weren't there anyway... Why? Why weren't you there? I would have been there if I could have, I made plans, and we... You better have a good reason! What? (Realises he was there) Oh, no! No, you were there, weren't you? (He shakes his head to indicate yes)

J:I wrote this whole fictional version in which you actually do show up.
C:Oh, what happens?
J:Uhm...
C:What?
J:Uhm, we make love for about ten days straight, that's one part of it.
C:Oh, that's interesting. So, the French slut...
J:Yeah
C:Ok, ok...
J:It's just, then they, you know, they start to know each other better and they realize that they don't get along at all.
C:I like that. It's more real.

J:Ok, I realize that there are a lot of serious problems in the world.
C:Ok, thank you!
J:I mean, I don't even have one publisher in the whole Asian market.
C:Ok, all right. Say "stop it"! (Moving her fingers very fast)
J:What, what? "Stop". (She shows him the middle finger)

J:When I was younger... I was healthier, but I was racked with insecurity. Now I'm older, my problems are deeper, but I'm... more equipped to handle them.

J:You... You were living in the US?
C:Yes, from... '96 to '99. I was studying at NYU.
J:Oh, God, don't tell me that, Celine!
C:What?
J:No, it's just... Nothing, I mean I...
C:What?
J:I've been living in New York since '98.

C:Do I look any different? I do?
J:I'd have to see you naked.

J:Skinnier, I think, more thinner.
C:Did you think I was fat before?
J:No.
C:Yeah, you thought I was a fatty. No, you thought I was a fatty... You wrote a book about a fat French girl!
(She says it so innocently, that you are really bumped)

C:I had this funny... well, horrible dream the other day. I was having this awful nightmare, that I was 32, and then I woke up, and I was 23! So relieved... And then I woke up for real, and I was 32.

C:I see the people that do the real work and what's really sad, the people that are the most giving, hard working and capable of making this world better, usually don't have the ego and ambition to be a leader. They don't see the interest in superficial rewards, they don't care if their name ever appear in the press, they actually enjoy the process of helping others, they're in the moment!

J:I even remember what brand of condom we used.
C:Okay, that's disgusting. I don't want to hear it!

C:Memory is a wonderful thing, if you don't have to... deal with the past.

C:There's an Einstein quote I really, really like. He said: "If you don't believe in any kind of magic, or mystery, basically, (you're) as good as dead."

C:It's amazing what... perverts we've become in the past 9 years.
J:I know, I know. Well, at least now we don't have to pretend that each new sexual experience is like a life altering event.
C:I know, by now, you know you've stuck it in so many places, it's like, about to fall off.
J:I mean, you know, I can't realistically expect you to have become anything but a total hole, at this point.
C:Yeah, thank you.

J:I heard this story once, about when the... the Germans were occupying Paris and they had to retreat back, they wired Notre Dame to blow. But they had to... they had to leave one guy in charge of hitting the switch. And the guy, the soldier, he... he couldn't do it! You know, he just sat there, knocked out by how beautiful the place was. And then, when the allied troops came in, they found all the explosives just lying there... and the switch unturned. And they found the same thing at... Saicre Coeur... Eiffel Tower... a couple of other places, I think.

J:You wanna know why I wrote that stupid book?
C:Why?
J:So that you might come to a reading in Paris, and I go walk up to you and ask: "Where the fuck were you?"

J:Oh, God, why didn't we exchange phone numbers and stuff? Why didn't we do that?
C:Because we were young and stupid?
J:You think we still are?
C:I guess when you're young... you just believe... there'll be many people with whom you'll connect with. Later in life you only realize it only happens a few times.

J:In the months leading up to my wedding, ok, I was thinking about you, all the time. I mean, even on my way there... I'm in the car, and a buddy of mine is driving me downtown, and I'm staring at the window... and I think I see you. Not far from the church, right. Folding up an umbrella, and walking into a deli, on the corner of... 13th and Broadway. And I thought I was going crazy, you know? But now I think it probably was you...
C:I lived on 11th and Broadway.
J:You see.

J:But I do, I feel like if somebody were to touch me, you know, I would dissolve into molecules.

C: you think you would you would have finished your book, if... if you were fucking somebody every 5 minutes?
J:I might have welcomed the challenge...

C:I was thinking... For me it's better I don't romanticize things as much anymore. I was suffering so much all the time. I still have lots of dreams, but they're not in regard to my love life. It doesn't make me sad, it's just the way it is.
J:Is that why you're in a relationship with somebody who's... never around?

C:It's not so easy for me to be a romantic. You start off that way, and, after you've been screwed over a few times... You... you forget about all your delusional ideas, and you just take what comes into your life.

C:You know... it's not even that, I was... I was fine. Until I read your fucking book! It stirred shit out from you, It reminded me how... genuinely romantic I was, how I had so much hope in things and... now it's like... I don't believe in anything that relates to love, I don't feel things for people anymore. In a way... I put all my romanticism into that one night and I was never able to feel all this again. Like... somehow this night took things away from me and... I expressed them to you and you took them with you! It made me feel cold, like if love wasn't for me!

C:Reality and love are almost contradictory for me. It's funny... Every single of my ex-es... they're now married! Men go out with me, we break up, and then they get married! And later they call me to thank me for teaching them what love is, and... that I taught them to care and respect women!
J:I think I'm one of those guys.
C:(hysterically again)You know, I want to kill them! Why didn't they ask me to marry them? I would have said "No", but at least they could have asked!!! But it's my fault, I know that it's my fault, because... I never felt it was the right man. Never! But what does it mean the right man? The love of your life? The concept is absurd, the idea that we can only be complete with another person is... EVIL! Right?
J:Can I talk?
C:You know, I guess I've been heart broken too many times. And then I recovered. So now, you know, form the starts, I make no effort. Because I know exactly what hap...
J:You can't do that. You can't do that, you can't live your life trying to avoid pain, at the expense of en...
C:Ok, you know what? Loose our words! I've gotta... I've gotta get away from you... Stop the car, I want to get out!
J:No, no, no, don't... don't get out...
C:You know, it's being around you...
J:Keep talking...
C:Don't touch me! You know, I wanna get on a cab...

J:You... you say all that, but you didn't even remember having sex. So...
C:Of course I remember it...
J:You did?
C:Yes! Women pretend things like that.
J:They do?
C:Yeah, what was I supposed to say? That I remember the wine in the park, and... us looking about the stars fading away as the sun came up! We had sex twice, you idiot!

J:I have these dreams, you know, that... I'm standing on a platform, and... you keep going by on a train, and... you go by, and you go by, and you go by, and I wake up with the fucking sweats, you know? And then I have this other dream, oh... where you're... pregnant, in bed, beside me, naked, and I want so badly to touch you, but you tell me not to, and then you look away. And... and I... I... I touch you anyway, right on your ankle, and your skin is so soft, and I wake up in sobs, all right?

C:Wanna see if you stay together or if you dissolve into molecules...
J:How am I doing?
C:Still here.
J:Good, I like being here.

Celine: [Celine's song] Let me sing you a waltz / Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts / Let me sing you a waltz / About this one night stand / You were, for me, that night / Everything I always dreamt of in life / But now you're gone / You are far gone / All the way to your island of rain / It was for you just a one night thing / But you were much more to me, just so you know / I don't care what they say / I know what you meant for me that day / I just want another try, I just want another night / Even if it doesn't seem quite right / You meant for me much more than anyone I've met before / One single night with you, little Jesse, is worth a thousand with anybody / I have no bitterness, my sweet / I'll never forget this one night thing / Even tomorrow in other arms, my heart will stay yours until I die / Let me sing you a waltz / Out of nowhere, out of my blues / Let me sing you a waltz / About this lovely one night stand

C:Maybe... you are... gonna - miss - that - plane!
J:I know...

TRIVIA(Picked from the net):Shooting took a mere 15 days. Hawke's character Jesse is in a failing marriage with a woman he married because she had become pregnant. Soon after the film's release, Hawke divorced his real-life wife, Uma thruman, whom he had married while she was pregnant with their first child.

P.S. - I saw this movie late evening while the sun was just setting. Such a nice coincidence to watch both the movies as their names suggest they should be watched.

My Life (contd.)

B-(with a bottle of 'Insanity' in his hand) A-Let me taste it for the last time(Shakes the bottle, Puts his finger and draws out some sauce) B-That is too much A-I'll handle it (a day later) A-Dude, I went to the bathroom 8 times today B-Told you, you are mad A-My father feels the same way about me. A = Me B = My Friend

My Life (contd.)

A - Main ghumne jaa raha hoon B - Chaata le lo A - Haath pe bhoj pasand nahin B - Raincoat? A (tries to put on a raincoat in different fashion for abt 2-3 mins) Naah, ditch (A goes out, it starts to rain, he comes back) A - Raincoat kahan hai B - Tum bewakoof ho A - grins A = Me B = My Dad

My Life (contd.)

A sort of reunion of wing at Poptates B - Kya kar raha hai, A- Usual, B - Yaad hai ek baar tu kuch toh 8 ghanta kiya tha naa, C - arrey 9 ghanta toh inka usual hai, B - Daya (Laughter everywhere) A = Me, B = My senior , C = My wing junior, who is very patient with me

Mugging during exams B - So by Markov's Chain rule A - What is that? (2 years later) B - So by Markov's chain rule, and don't you dare ask stupid questions like, what is the rule A - who is Markov? A = Me B = My poor department mate

The 3 mistakes of my life - Chetan Bhagat

coming soon

My Life

A : During exams I read a lot... B : Huh? A : I mean a lot of novels B : Hmm A = Me, B = Anyone who knows me

A-(Traveling with a book in his hand) B-Kal exam hai A-Haan B-(Points to the book and ask questioningly)Koun sa? A-(Raises and shows 'Kane and Abel') B-Ohh. Mug le saale A = Me, B = Anyone who doesn't knows me

A-(chatting) B-Mug le kal exam hai naa A = Me, B = Anyone who refuses to know me

A - Chal movie dekhte hain B - Chutti ho gayi hai. Ghar jaao naa A= Me, B = Anyone whom A doesn't know

A, B, C in Maddu mess. B - Tere kitne star hai, A - (Indicates using all his fingers on left hand while casually eating with right) C - Humaare saath nikelega?? A - Haan yaar bas 10 min de. B - Arrey iska matlab hai ki A -(cuts him) Arrey haan Huma naa, 10 baje pahunch jaaunga. C - Saale Insti se nikelega humaare saath B - Arrey, yeh saala 4-5 ghante se aage soch hi nahin paata. A = Me, B & C - My friends with whom I haven't rendezvous in quite some while

Usual routine this year

My usual routine as I enter my wing - Wipe my face with Sangram's towel hanging outside his quiet 365. proceed further crossing Bhotica's melodious 361 and start humming the song he is playing, proceed to my own uninhabited 357, throw my clothes, kick my shoes and go to Manu's smelly and dirty 354 to check mails and before entering knock Saumya's loud 353 to lower it's volume.

Before Sunrise

A young American man Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and a young French woman Celine (Julie Deply) meet on a train in Europe and end up spending a day in Vienna together. The movie is a dream come true romantic story for most people "You meet your soul mate and you get to spend time with them and fall in love"

Jesse is just out of a long distance relationship and he has recently split up with his girlfriend in Barcelona whom he came to meet, he thinks of spending the rest of his holidays across Europe and meets Celine on the train. Feeling to the connection between they decide to spend a day in Vienna and as time passes by they become intimately connected and as our viewers expect more to come out of the movie the movie ends with them just promising to meet on the station in 6 months time and going their separate ways.

Throughout the movie the thought of Jesse's flight bothers you. The movie is very beautifully made with 90% of the movie just as a conversation of 2 people and after the movie if you try to remember we just can remember clearly what were they talking about. There is an intelligent flirting between the two. The passion is so well built you seem to be drawn into the movie just by the acting. You keep guessing that what is the special thing that bonds these two souls remarkably well but u can not pin it down to any reason known to logic or sense.

Also, Julie being a French actress has this heavy French accent which is funny and seductive at times and if not anything else it just captures your attention.
The actors' experiences speak loud and clear, the chemistry is just love able. Julie looks very pretty, no wonder she was named the among the "25 most beautiful" the same year as the release of this movie. The screenplay is very well written, the viewers wont notice as the background of the activity keeps changing and none of the major landmarks in Vienna are shown. The magic created by the non-fancy simple dialogs is of a different kind. The characters are developed as the story proceeds with references from childhood and past experiences. In totality a very good romantic movie to see on your first date or if you are just entering into a relationship.

Though this movie does not have many breath-taking SCENES, there are a few which are worth mentioning.

• The one where he childishly ask her to accompany him on his last night in Europe.
• The one with their first kiss
• The one in cathedral when he tells her about the Quaker wedding
• The one besides the Danube river and the poet guy
• The one in the restaurant where the make imaginary calls to their friends
• The one where Jesse borrows a bottle of red wine
• The one in the Garden
• The one the following morning where the dance and take mental pictures of each other
• The one at the station when they part
  

QUOTES: The movie has some very romantic dialogs all of which appear the best for the moment but none of them is fancy enough to arouse interest of remembrance. I had to use .srt file for this stuff

C: Have you ever heard that as couples get older, they lose their ability to hear each other?
J: No
C: Well, supposedly, men lose the ability to hear higher-pitched sounds and women eventually lose hearing in the low end. I guess they sort of nullify each other, or something.
J: I guess. Nature's way of allowing couples to grow old together without killing each other.

J:Okay. Well, this is my thought. 50,000 years ago, there are not even a million people on the planet 10,000 years ago, there's like 2,000,000 people on the planet. Now, there's between 5 and 6 billion people on the planet, right? Now, if we all have our own, like, individual, unique soul, right, where do they all come from? Are modern souls only a fraction of the original souls? Because if they are, that represents a 5,000-to-1 split of each soul in just the last 50,000 years which is like a blip in the earth's time. You know, so, at best, we're like these tiny fractions of people, you know, walking.. I mean, is that why we're all so scattered? Y'know, Is that why we're all so specialized?

J:This is gorgeous
C:Yeah, its very beautiful.
J:We got, uh, we got a sunset here.
C:Yeah
J:We got the Ferris wheel. It seems like, um, this would be a...
C:What?
J:Uh, you know, uh.
C:Are you trying to say you want to kiss me?
J:(Shakes his head with eyes closed mouthing the word 'yes')

J:You know, I mean, everybody's parents fuck them up. You know, rich kids' parents gave them too much, poor kids' not enough. Too much attention, not enough attention. They either left them, or y'know, they stuck around and taught 'em the wrong things. Y'know. I mean, my parents are just these two people who didn't like each other very much who, uh, decided to get married and have a kid, and they try their best to be nice to me.

Street Poet: Daydream delusion, limousine eyelash / Oh baby with your pretty face / Drop a tear in my wineglass / Look at those big eyes / See what you mean to me / Sweet-cakes and milkshakes / I'm a delusion angel / I'm a fantasy parade / I want you to know what I think / Don't want you to guess anymore / You have no idea where I came from / We have no idea where we're going / Lodged in life / Like branches in a river/ Flowing downstream / Caught in the current / I carry you / You'll carry me / That's how it could be / Don't you know me? / Don't you know me by now?

J:There's these breeds of monkeys, right, and all they do is have sex, all the time, you know? And they turn out to be the least violent, the most peaceful, the most happy, you know? So maybe fooling around isn't so bad.

J:I think I'd rather die knowing that I was really good at something, that I had excelled in some way, y'know, then that I had just been in a nice, caring relationship.

C: No, then it sounds like a male fantasy. Meet a French girl on the train, fuck her, and never see her again.

J:All the clocks in the city/ Began to whir, and chime/ Oh, let not time deceive you/ You can not conquer time/ In headaches and in worry/ Vaguely life leaks away/ And time will have its fancy/ Tomorrow, or today.

J:Listen. Listen. You know all this bullshit we're talking about, about not seeing each other again? I don't want to do that.
C:I don't want to do that either.
J:You don't either?
C:I was waiting for you to say something.
J:Well, why didn't you say something?
C:I was afraid maybe you didn't want to see me.
J:Alright, alright, well look. Listen, listen. What-d... what-d... What do you want to do?
C:Maybe... maybe we should meet here, in five years or something.
J:Alright, alright. Five years. Five years? That's a long time.
C:Yes. Its awful. Its like a sociological experiment. How about one year?
J:One year. Alright, alright.
C:One year.
J:How about six months?

TRIVIA (Picked from the net): The idea for the movie came from a night Richard Linklater spent walking around Philadelphia with Amy, a woman he met.

P.S. - I saw this movie late very late in the night and completed it in wee hours of the morning, just before the sunrise.