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Like Bend It Like Beckham, Chadha focuses on the lead's charm to get us from start to finish with a killer Springsteen soundtrack and a good message, even if the film has some corn-ball sequences throughout. Based on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor's life and directed by Gurinder Chadha ( Bend It Like Beckham), this English 1987 setting sheds light on a turbulent time where racism was rampant for people of color. Blinded by the Light is sentimental, syrupy and joyful.Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen's music changes a British born teenager's life, whose Pakistani parents disapprove of the new film Blinded by the Light. Still, in large measure I enjoyed the ride as, no doubt, will many others. Then there was what I saw as the far too quick about face from his father. One involved Javed’s breakup with his girlfriend and another was his makeup with his long-standing best mate. These included rather clumsy handling of a number of key scenes that didn’t ring true for me. I did, notwithstanding a few more jarring moments. I appreciated Hayley Atwell’s portrayal of Javed’s encouraging teacher Ms Clay.īlinded by the Light may well cause you to shed tears. The theme of standing up to racism and oppression looms large throughout as does the music and lyrics of Springsteen and his working-class roots. It’s based on Manzoor’s memoir Greetings from Bury Park, which chronicled his experiences as a British Muslim boy growing up in 1980s Luton and the impact Springsteen’s lyrics had on him.īlinded by the Light is engaging, feel good entertainment, featuring a likeable lead in Viveik Kalra, who makes his feature film debut. The movie was developed from Gurinder Chadha and British journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s shared passion for Bruce Springsteen. Inevitably though that newfound confidence causes a major rift between father and son. Javed is inspired to find his own writing voice, to talk to the girl he’s always fancied and challenge his dad’s strict rule over the household.
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The lyrics are all about yearning to escape just like Javed wants to do and suddenly he has hope and possibility.
#Blinded by the light movie review series#
Through a series of musical sequences, we see how Javed relates Springsteen’s words about feeling trapped in New Jersey to his own life in Luton. Javed feels like Springsteen is speaking directly to him and understanding everything he thinks and feels. He knows nothing about the singer but when he first hears Springsteen’s music everything in his life changes. On his first day at his new school, Javed bumps into a fellow student in the hallway and a cassette tape featuring one of the Boss’ albums falls out of the guy’s Walkman. Javed knows his only way to get out of town is to do well at school so he has the chance to go to university. They – especially his father – expect Javed to work hard to help the family and give his wages to his dad who runs the household. Unfortunately, his family has other ideas of how Pakistani boys should behave. He wants what all teenagers want – a girlfriend and the freedom to go to parties – but most of all he wants to be a writer. He feels trapped and all he dreams of is escaping. Javed is a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy growing up in the boring, industrial city of Luton. Set in 1987, during the austere days of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, Blinded by the Light is about a teenager who learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the words and music of Springsteen. This one is inspired by fact, which isn’t the case with the other. While the recent Yesterday concentrated on the music of The Beatles Blinded by the Light, focuses on a young man heavily influenced by The Boss, Bruce Springsteen.