The intro to the film really surprised me. I guess I expected a pretty straightforward retelling of The Ramayana, so the peacock phonograph and jazz music threw me off at first (it took me a little bit to catch on to the "Blues" part of the title). So did the kind of abstract, cosmic music and animations at the beginning, though I liked the rhythm and feel of it and how the image movements fit the music.
I also enjoyed the humorous tone of the Indian storytellers as they recall the epic together and especially how sassy they can get. The further I watch in the film, the more it seems like they end up humanizing Rama's and Sita's decisions and actions. They get more into the dynamics of their relationship than the cliches used in the original epic.
In terms of storytelling assignments, the idea of Ravana not being such a bad guy (except for kidnapping Sita) stood out to me. The Ramayana plays with this a little, offering him a choice between continuing on the same doomed path or trying to redeem himself, but the storytellers in the film go further, portraying this demon as a learned man who can also jam out on a sitar.
Other storytelling things I thought about were the what ifs? of Rama and Sita after Sita is rescued from Ravana. What would the implications be if Rama didn't doubt or test Sita? What if Sita got fed up with Rama and took a different path besides dramatically proving herself? I'm thinking questions like these might be what I pursue in my storytelling post for this week.
I really enjoyed the scene where Hanuman is casually burning down Lanka in the background while Sita sings. (source: Wikimedia Commons)
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