Friday 10 July 2015

Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

When our local R C Primary School closed a few years ago a group of people got together and set up an Arts Centre - The Old School House - or TOSH for short.

They hold exhibitions, various classes (my exercise class is there and I have also been on a couple of literature classes over the winter months) and once a week they show a film.   It is only a DVD on a drop-down screen, but it is only down the road and also it does support the enterprise.

For £15 a year you can be a friend of TOSH and for that, as well as a card which gets you a percentage off various cafes in the town, you get one free drinks ticket and one free cinema ticket.  So in my book good value for money.

This week's film was Second Best Marigold Hotel - showing at 4.30 and again at 7.30, so a group of us went to see it.  The hall was absolutely packed and we enjoyed the film.   Nothing spectacular, just a regurgitation of the first film really, but nevertheless a gentle, pleasant, nostalgic film.   And I always love to see the street scenes of Indian cities.

For many years I really wanted to go to India.   My first husband had been there for some months convalescing after the end of the war (when he was a prisoner of the Japanese on the Death Railway) and he vowed never to return, so we never went there, although we went to various places in China and what was the the Soviet Union.
But India was out.

I am always enthralled by the colour, the millions of people on the streets, the traffic, everything about it is so exotic.   I now know that I could not even consider going - all too much. Maybe in the next life. 

16 comments:

Yael said...

It is amazing, all day i was thinking about this film and could not remember it's name.Now i have it.

Joanne Noragon said...

A number of things have become "too much" for too many of us. Sad.

Bovey Belle said...

I would like to go too, but I fear I would get upset over animals not being cared for in the way they should be (horses especially). It does look so exotic though, but I doubt I shall ever get to find out for myself.

Jay said...

It's funny .. I've never had any desire to go to any of the Asian countries. They simply don't appeal to me, though I know some are very beautiful and have ancient cultures. I'm with Bovey Belle, too; some of the things I've heard about the way animals are treated makes me very reluctant to be put in a position of having to see or condone it (by eating the local food for instance).

I did very much enjoy the first 'Best Marigold Hotel' movie though!

Hildred said...

That sounds like a lovely evening out - I haven't seen the 2nd best yet and look forward to it. I always encourage my family to travel while they can - it is true, so true, - eventually it gets to be just too much and the thoughts of navigating an airport (especially on ones own) are quite devastating....

Hildred said...

devestating, devastating ---- oh well, overwhelming!

angryparsnip said...

I am happy to hear you had a good time.

But I can not see either one of these movies after all the crimes against women and girls in India.
The "men and young boys"(?) rape burn and kill women and if caught they can just walk out of jail.
I just could not sit there. I know every country has problems but India is just off my movie list.
And then there are the poor animals.

Sorry that is just me.
cheers, parsnip

Cro Magnon said...

One of my regrets in life is that I've not been to India. There's still time, of course, but somehow I doubt if I'll go.

thelma said...

It is a rich culture, both in its people and religious life. Think as a 'westerner' I too would be upset by the poverty and I was going to say cruelty to animals, but are they?
Ghandi rather turned me off to, always cited as one of the world's exemplary figures but he seemed to me very human in a not particularly nice way....

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for calling. I do agree about the cruelty to animals (and women to some extent) aspect - but I do also have to remind myself that there is cruelty to animals here too - quite recently our local cat rescue had over thirty Persian cats brought in from various sources because people couldn't be bothered to groom them. And then there is hare coursing, which goes on illegally, and badger hunting, and fox hunting. I think what it is is that our cruelty is much more subtle and hidden - but nevertheless it is still there.

Elizabeth said...

Robert and I went to India in 2009. I have so many mixed feelings about it. We went to too many places for a start and were taking heavy duty malaria medication. I still haven't digested it - never will.
So many people, so much beauty, so much poverty, so much pollution.
Saw a child knocked down by a motor bike miles from anywhere in the country - then the 2 men pulled off the motor bike by field workers and beaten with large sticks.
Have no idea the outcome for the child or the men. I asked our driver if we should stop and offer to take the child to hospital. He said we had to leave immediately and seemed panicked...
whole thing upsets me still.
Did like the fiery Marigold Hotel movie.

Elizabeth said...

not fiery in last sentence - auto correct is most irritating!

Mac n' Janet said...

It's on our Netflix list and I'm looking forward to it. Our only complaint is why did they add Richard Gere. With so many wonderful British actors he just doesn't seem necessary.

Heather said...

I can understand your first husband's reluctance to return to India. His memories and experiences will not have been happy or colourful. I loved the first film but have yet to catch up with the Second Best. Anything with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith must be worth seeing. I don't think I could cope with India - while I would rejoice in the colours I couldn't ignore the poverty and hardship.

angryparsnip said...


What I meant to say and very badly is they promote this wonderful fun filled life of the Marigold Hotel... happiness people signing flower petals falling and joy and yet around the corner they are beating to death after raping a newspaper reporter. The "men" of any age think this is ok. Yesterday in the paper 3 policemen set fire to a woman
Yes I know movies are different from real life but the drastic difference is to much.
We all have problems in our countries but to see this movie when I wounder how many women and children where killed in India in that space of movie time. The division is too much for me.

cheers, parsnip

Bovey Belle said...

I think it says a lot about me when I mention the treatment of animals in India and forget all about the treatment of women and children, which is just plain wicked. A forgetful oversight. I truly cannot understand any culture where women are considered without value and not worthy of the least respect. We do not know how lucky we are in the West. Thank you parsnip and Elizabeth, for giving my moral compass a big nudge.