harpalkhambay

‘The Convergence of the Twain’ 1912: An Analysis

Despite being a Thomas Hardy fan, I was unaware that he had written a poem about the Titanic soon after its sinking. The content of the poem, and the time of its publication caused controversy as some deemed Hardy’s work to be distasteful and disrespectful towards those who lost their lives. Let’s take a closerContinue reading “‘The Convergence of the Twain’ 1912: An Analysis”

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ 1910: The Phantom, Raoul and Christine – A Toxic Love Triangle

Happy (early) Valentines Day! What better day to break down one of literatures most famous love triangles? Gaston Leroux’s novel ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ has charmed, and haunted, the world long before Andrew Lloyd Webber took to his keyboard. Despite the books success though, it was Webber’s words that immortalised the story and lovesContinue reading “‘The Phantom of the Opera’ 1910: The Phantom, Raoul and Christine – A Toxic Love Triangle”

New Year’s Resolutions: A Brief History

It’s that time of year! Everyone is either making New Years Resolutions or has broken them already. All this discussion got me thinking, where did this common practice originate from? Answer? The Babylonians, nearly 4000 years ago. The Babylonians lived in Ancient Mesopotamia, which is now known as southern Iraq. It is the Babylonians whoContinue reading “New Year’s Resolutions: A Brief History”

Cameron Cook in ‘Rivals’ 2024: Racism in the Television Industry

TW: Racism and Sexual Assault Disney Plus’ 2024 series ‘Rivals’ follows the lives and lusts of an elite group of countryside dwellers in Rutshire. The series, based on Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same name, has been well received by critics and fed everybody’s current craving for escapist soapy melodrama. I did not realise though,Continue reading “Cameron Cook in ‘Rivals’ 2024: Racism in the Television Industry”

‘The Substance’ 2024: An Analysis

Coralie Fargeat’s Cannes 2024 winner ‘The Substance’ is an atmospheric, visceral tale about the ageing body. It follows Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, as she begins to fall out of favour with TV Execs not due to any misconduct, but simply because her age is advancing. What follows is quite an incredible examination of manyContinue reading “‘The Substance’ 2024: An Analysis”

‘Wicked’ 1995: Race Relations and Good and Evil

Whilst reading Gregory Maguire’s revisionist Wizard of Oz novel, the thing that shocked me was peoples’ surprise at the novel’s existence. The glitzy, well-known musical has a larger following than the novel, despite the latter’s critical and commercial success. As a revisionist text, the novel seeks to give some background to The Wicked Witch ofContinue reading “‘Wicked’ 1995: Race Relations and Good and Evil”

‘Dilwale Dulhania La Jayenge’ 1995: An Analysis

‘Dilwale Dulhania La Jayenge’ is one of the most celebrated Bollywood films. Even after twenty-nine years, it still plays at the Maratha Mandir Theatre in Mumbai. The film tells the story of two young NRI’s, non-resident Indians, Simran and Raj. Both embark on a trip around Europe after finishing sixth form and their meeting changesContinue reading “‘Dilwale Dulhania La Jayenge’ 1995: An Analysis”

‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ 2024: An Analysis (and why I loved it)

Ironically the poor reviews surrounding Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is what drew it to me even more. While I have great respect for the first film, I did not love it and found the sequel to be more engaging and interesting. On the first film, there were elements that I liked and objectivelyContinue reading “‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ 2024: An Analysis (and why I loved it)”

The ‘Alien’ Franchise: Gender, Sex and Motherhood

TW: Mentions sexual assault When you think of iconic science fiction horror franchises, it is likely you will think of ‘Alien.’ Birthing in 1979 under the watchful eye of Ridley Scott, the franchise itself is still going strong today, as evidenced by the recently released ‘Alien: Romulus.’ After rewatching them all each film has aContinue reading “The ‘Alien’ Franchise: Gender, Sex and Motherhood”

‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood’ at the Southbank Centre: An Analysis

Pravesh Kumar’s ‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood’ is currently playing at the Southbank Centre and has just celebrated it’s one hundredth show. The billion-colour musical is true to its name and follows eponymous heroine Frankie on her journey to Bollywood stardom. It is a classic, fish out of water story, and one of self-discovery, set inContinue reading “‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood’ at the Southbank Centre: An Analysis”