teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU (Thomas E. Billings) (11/01/89)
SPICES
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1989 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis:
In a rural village in colonial India, the tax collector, an evil, petty tyrant,
lusts after the town beauty. She hides in the local spice factory, which
becomes a besieged fortress. The men of the town are willing to give her to
the tax collector; only the women dare to resist! An interesting story of
sexual and political oppression.
India (English subtitles), color, 1986, approx. 100 minutes.
Director: Ketan Mehta
The time is 1940 (approximately); India is still under British colonial
rule and Gandhi is alive and active in politics. To collect taxes, the British
use a system of "subedars" or tax collectors. The subedars visit villages,
meet with the village chiefs, and negotiate the taxes to be paid. The village
chiefs then assess each family in the village a portion of the taxes.
The system of subedars was ripe for abuse. The subedar was generally
accompanied by groups of soldiers, and had the power to collect taxes by force.
Sometimes the soldiers would engage in looting and other hostile acts. The
split of the taxes collected was: 50% for the British colonial government, 45%
for the local feudal lord (usually a Maharajah), and 5% for the subedar. Thus
the subedar had direct financial incentive to extract as much tax as possible
from the villages.
This film depicts the events in a small rural village that occur when the
subedar visits and demands more than the usual tax payments. Here the subedar
is a young man with a handlebar mustache and a fancy phonograph which he uses
to amaze the villagers. The village throws a "party" of sorts, at which all
the women of the village dance. Here the subedar decides which women he wants
to sleep with.
Later that night one of the women is brought to his tent. He is upset; he
wanted a different woman, Sonbai, who happens to be married (her husband is
away, working for the railroads). The next day he sees her, and approaches her
and makes advances. She refuses his advances and even slaps him. This is an
insult to his honor, for he is a man, powerful, and of high caste; she is a
woman, low caste, with "no husband" and "barren" (no children). He orders his
soldiers to capture her; she flees and hides in a spice factory.
At the spice factory, she finds an ally, the guard, an old man with a
shotgun and a strong sense of morals. He is the only person willing to defend
Sonbai! The factory becomes a kind of fortress, surrounded by soldiers
outside, and Sonbai and the factory workers (all female) inside. This causes a
crisis in the village, for the subedar is demanding that Sonbai be turned over
to him. It is an affront to the sexual honor of the village.
Eventually the men of the village give in, and agree to turn her over.
However, Sonbai refuses. This leaves Sonbai and the women of the village to
resist the subedar alone, and the story continues from there.
This film is very well made, and, though slow moving at times, will hold
your interest well. Like many Indian films, it does have singing and dancing
in it, but it all takes place within the context of the story and is not
"grafted in" or "gratuitous" as it is in so many Indian films.
The biggest criticism that I would make of the film is that the handling
of the social message (sexual and political oppression) is self-conscious at
times and reduces the entertainment level of the film. For example, there is a
subplot about the village chief neglecting and beating his wife. This subplot
adds little to the main story. However, despite this, it is a very good film
and is worth seeing.
Distribution. Currently showing at a limited number of theaters in the U.S.;
first U.S. theatrical release is in progress.
Reviewer: Thomas E. Billings, Department of Statistics
University of California, Berkeley
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU