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Information

A.k.a.
Paper Flowers
Year
1959
Runtime
148 min.
Director
Guru Dutt
Genres
Romance, Musical
Rating *
7.7
Votes *
1,629
Checks
491
Favs
28
Dislikes
8
Favs/checks
5.7% (1:18)
Favs/dislikes
4:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Torgo's avatar

    Torgo

    Classic Bollywood melodrama with remarkable b/w cinematography and some gorgeous lighting. There are only few songs to scare off us regular Western viewers, but things sure get heavy in the last act.

    Tragic trivia: The film became a box office flop and the last to be directed by Guru Dutt (who also stars in the semi-autobiographical main role). 1964, at age 39, he died, of presumed suicide.
    1 year 5 months ago
  2. ucuruju's avatar

    ucuruju

    What an amazingly well-directed and photographed film. It must be one of the best uses of black and white I have seen in a long time. The story is also quite good up until the final moments where it's just infuriating to watch these characters slouch towards their doom out of pride and dogma. Still: the direction is so potent (wellesian lighting! pure cinema!!) that it's quite touching even when the drama feels manufactured. Really caught me by surprise-- I wasn't expecting it to be that great. Extremely recommended. 2 years ago
  3. Limbesdautomne's avatar

    Limbesdautomne

    The melodrama is a masochist torture. From the frustration of watching the worst on the screen will emerge the best in our imagination.

    Read more in French on La Saveur des goûts amers.
    6 years 2 months ago
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In 6 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #6 in National Film Archive of India's 125 Great Indian Films
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    National Film Archive of…

    6
  2. This movie ranks #7 in Outlook India's Best Bollywood Films
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    Outlook India's Best Bol…

    7
  3. This movie ranks #227 in Mark Cousins's The Story of Film: An Odyssey
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    Mark Cousins's The Story…

    227
  4. This movie ranks #277 in Tom Vick's Asian Cinema: A Field Guide
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    Tom Vick's Asian Cinema:…

    277
  5. This movie ranks #482 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
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    Sight & Sound's The Grea…

    482
  6. This movie ranks #711 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    711
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