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Product Detail |
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Audio Format: DD 2.0 Video Format: Widescreen 1.85:1 (Anamorphic) Languages: Bengali Subtitles: English Region Code: 1 Year Made: 2002 Running Time: 98
 Winner of the International Critics Prize at Cannes in 2002, "The Clay Bird" is something of a first for Bangladeshi national cinema: an internationally acclaimed (and distributed) production that was so well received overseas, it was even nominated for an Oscar.
Set in East Pakistan in the late 60s, during the unrest that would eventually bring about the creation of an independent Bangladesh after the protracted civil war of 1971, "The Clay Bird" tells the story of Anu (Nurul Islam Bablu), a young country boy who is sent to a Madrasah (Islamic school) by his devout father, Kazi (Jayanto Chattopadhyay).
Warning against the dangers of blind subservience to religious leaders, "The Clay Bird" switches between Anu's experiences at the harsh Madrasah and his father's increasingly unhinged attempts to force the family to conform to religious dogma.
Falling out with his wife and brother-in-law (who have remained Hindu), Kazi even puts his young daughter at risk by refusing to treat her with antibiotics when she falls ill.
Meanwhile, at school, Anu witnesses a similar kind of fanaticism as his teachers gang up on eccentric classmate Rokon (Russell Farazi), eventually forcing him to undergo a life-threatening exorcism in the freezing river water to cure him of his strange habits.
Approaching Anu's childhood with quite considerable skill, Masud creates a gentle portrait of growing up during changing times. Yet, in his desire to make a political statement, the director threatens to push "The Clay Bird" towards simplistic propaganda.
 Set against the backdrop of the turbulent period in the late 1960s leading up to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, The Clay Bird tells the story of a family torn apart by religion and war. Anu, a shy young boy from rural East Pakistan (Bangladesh, as it is now known) is sent away by his father Kazi, an orthodox Muslim, to a Madrasah - or Islamic- school. Far from his family and the warmth of his region's Hindu festivities, Anu struggles to adapt to the school's harsh monastic life.
As the political divisions in the country intensify, an increasing split develops between moderate and extremist forces within the Madrasah. Back in the village, these same tensions create a growing divide between the stubborn but confused Kazi and his increasingly independent wife, Ayesha.
Touching upon themes of religious tolerance, cultural diversity, and the complexity of Islam, The Clay Bird has universal relevance in a crisis-ridden world.
Special Features :
- Video introduction by Tareque and Catharine Masud
- 3 songs from the soundtrack
- Interview(s) (With the cast and crew)
- Featurette (The Making of The Clay Bird (30 minutes))
- DVD-ROM content (Downloadable film press kit)
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