Three teenagers are sitting in front of a TV, enjoying their large helpings of pork sausage and bacon. Suddenly they hear a door opening and immediately start cleaning up all of the dishes and unsuccessfully try to get rid of the fumes of grilled bacon and sausages that billowed through the whole house. This is, of course, not depicting the normal life of three teenagers, but taken from the film "East Is East" by Damien O'Donnell. It deals with the story of a family in England in the 1970s with a Pakistani father (multi-facetted enacted by Om Puri) who still believes in his Pakistani traditions and his Muslim religion and an English mother (great performance by Linda Bassett) who tries to give her seven children as much freedom as all of their "fully English" friends enjoy. This movie was labeled as a Comedy both in theaters and on DVD or VHS, but anybody looking for light-hearted entertainment fitting for a Saturday night will be hugely disappointed. This movie is out to teach the viewer about how difficult it is to get two very different cultures to not only co-exist peacefully next to each other, but to merge them to create a new one. The script by Ayub Khan-Din, who also wrote the book and the stage version of this movie, does have its funny moments, and the whole cast, including the children, is in for some good laughs. But the more intense moments are those where the viewer has to deal with outbursts of domestic violence or things like arranged marriages that seem so far away and cruel to Westerners. The cast shows its brilliance in those intimate moments. Even though the script might sometimes appear to be too ambitious there are just too many characters all developing in a very distinct manner and all crucial to the movie the movie can be recommended to anyone who is not looking for a standard comedy and is willing to have his views on life challenged.
169 Reviews
High-class movie
ian_harris4 October 2002
A bitter-sweet comedy with some moments of truly stark drama, this is a high-class movie. Yes, there are randy dogs and fat, ugly girls - but the piece is a class act because it mixes those "laugh-out-loud funny" comic set pieces with great drama so cleverly.
Very much a period piece, the movie is set in Salford in 1971 - a telling time for a part-Pakistani family with Enoch Powell's shadow never too far away and the break-away of East Pakistan (Bangladesh-to-be)unravelling as the film goes on. The poverty of 1971 Salford with the outside toilet, bedpans and tin bath is excellently portrayed. And at a more mundane level, the constant sight of a bright orange space-hopper and its comedic demise is truly nostalgic, especially to this reviewer whose own space-hopper suffered a similar fate around 1971.
Superb acting performances all round - Linda Bassett used to be one of the better-kept secrets on the UK stage, but now I suppose the secret is out. Highly recommended movie.
Very much a period piece, the movie is set in Salford in 1971 - a telling time for a part-Pakistani family with Enoch Powell's shadow never too far away and the break-away of East Pakistan (Bangladesh-to-be)unravelling as the film goes on. The poverty of 1971 Salford with the outside toilet, bedpans and tin bath is excellently portrayed. And at a more mundane level, the constant sight of a bright orange space-hopper and its comedic demise is truly nostalgic, especially to this reviewer whose own space-hopper suffered a similar fate around 1971.
Superb acting performances all round - Linda Bassett used to be one of the better-kept secrets on the UK stage, but now I suppose the secret is out. Highly recommended movie.
He Loved His Parker
daveisit23 January 2001
"East is East" tried to cover too many issues and genres in the one film. In the end I don't think the script was strong enough to tie all this together, and the film suffered because of it. Having said that I believe it was a strong performance from a talented cast.
In it's favour there were some hilarious scenes throughout the movie, and an insight into the Pakistani families and communities in England. Not the typical English stereotypes usually portrayed by Hollywood, nor the typical London lifestyle so often seen in movies today, which was a refreshing change.
Oh Yeah, this confirmed how dangerous and damaging religion has the potential to be. Definitely worth a look.
In it's favour there were some hilarious scenes throughout the movie, and an insight into the Pakistani families and communities in England. Not the typical English stereotypes usually portrayed by Hollywood, nor the typical London lifestyle so often seen in movies today, which was a refreshing change.
Oh Yeah, this confirmed how dangerous and damaging religion has the potential to be. Definitely worth a look.
Touching and unpredictable
Dodger-917 December 1999
Engaging, well-made comedy based on the play by Ayub Khan-Din concerning the misfortunes of an Anglo-Pakistani family verging on the brink of change in early 1970s Salford. Traditional dad Om Puri is shocked when his oldest son (Ian Aspinall) runs away from an arranged wedding, and decides that from now on his family will be more respectful. Among his plans are the weddings of two of his other sons, both of whom are far from delighted with the idea. Khan-Din's fine script never resorts to cliche resulting in a funny, study of the clash between the old and the new.
Linda Bassett as superb as Puri's second wife, an English woman who straddles both camps between her husband's traditionalism and her kids' sense of rebellion while nonetheless attempting to keep her own dignity.
Fine performances from Chris Bisson and Jimmi Harkishin (Coronation Street) and Jimi Mistry (EastEnders) while little Jordan Routledge is great as the parka-loving Sajid.
However, it's Puri who shines as the complex father, desperately trying to hang on to tradition and finding nothing but rebellion from his family.
The ending could easily have been a familiar family seeks revenge on their overbearing father but what results is a refreshing change to the many TV movies that usually opt for an easy solution to a difficult problem.
Linda Bassett as superb as Puri's second wife, an English woman who straddles both camps between her husband's traditionalism and her kids' sense of rebellion while nonetheless attempting to keep her own dignity.
Fine performances from Chris Bisson and Jimmi Harkishin (Coronation Street) and Jimi Mistry (EastEnders) while little Jordan Routledge is great as the parka-loving Sajid.
However, it's Puri who shines as the complex father, desperately trying to hang on to tradition and finding nothing but rebellion from his family.
The ending could easily have been a familiar family seeks revenge on their overbearing father but what results is a refreshing change to the many TV movies that usually opt for an easy solution to a difficult problem.
Solid slice of nostalgia, but something of a wasted opportunity.
MilesPieri25 April 2005
Damien O'Donnel's bright and colourful comedy drama is, for the most part, an entertaining and nostalgic tale of the conflicts within a mixed-race family in early seventies Manchester. A hit in the UK upon release the film also did modest business in the US helped by a marketing campaign that promoted it as a breezy comedy but the film also tackles the serious question of what it was, and what it is, to be young, Asian and British. It's curious, and perhaps a little disappointing, that despite the early seventies setting the film steadfastly refuses to tackle the broader issue of racism in any depth. At a time when Enoch Powell was extolling the virtues of repatriation and the nations favourite sitcom was 'From Death Us Do Part' (or possibly 'Love Thy Neighbour') the worst any character in East Is East has to contend with is a shifty look from a nightclub bouncer. Powell does have a brief cameo, as a poster on a window that the family's daughter Meenah (Archie Panjabi) smashes in a defiant demonstration of her footy skills. It's a nice moment, a teenage Asian girl kicking in Enoch's head with a soccer ball What would Alf Garnett say? Unfortunately we don't get to find out as the films only really abusive white character (Who bears a suspicious resemblance to Johnny Spate's 'lovable racist') only appears a couple of times to mutter something about 'Bloody Pakis' or 'Pickininies'. The conflict between Indians and Pakistanis is given a similar treatment, with George expressing his distaste for "Those cow worshipping bastards" and the contemporary conflict on the subcontinent being relayed on the family's radio. Again, however, this seems more to add colour and humour than for any other purpose. Perhaps O'Donnell felt that a deeper examination of these issues would detract from the theme of Asian/British identity and it's true that other British features have dealt with the subjects in greater detail. Having said that it might have been an idea to make a passing reference to the fact that racial prejudice, while not necessarily any more commonplace than today, was certainly seen as more acceptable. Of course, despite the considerable attention to period detail, 'East Is East' lays no claim to painstaking factual accuracy. There's a fairytale like quality to the film heightened by the Bollywood-style primary colours that frequently contrast with the drab Salford landscape. This viewer was reminded of Hettie MacDonald's council estate love story 'Beautiful Thing', like this based on a stage play with a script by the original author. Both of these films employ a subtle heightened sense of reality that suggests a half remembered childhood memory. One marvellous sequence set in a Bradford Asian flea pit (The 'Moti Mahal') sees the entire Khan clan sitting transfixed during the latest Bollywood epic. It's that rare occasion when the conflicts within the family can be forgotten in favour of a fleeting moment of escapism. And conflicts there are, because the real meat of the film concerns the alienation that exists between the rigidly traditionalist George and the other family members. Played, with a mix of bumbling comedy and genuine menace, by Omi Puri George is certain he knows what's best for his children, not to mention his wife. He wants the kids to learn Urdu but they refuse to study, his precious sons should marry into another Pakistani family of his choosing but they want to screw around with white girls and his wife refuses to show the respect that is demanded in a Muslim marriage. George, while not exactly an anachronism he gets plenty of understanding from the like minded down at the local Mosque is a man who cannot see that his children are not like him. Their only sense of the 'homeland' is through their father and the traditions he imposes upon them. It's not surprising then that they consider themselves unequivocally British. Upon arrival in Bradford one of the youngsters takes a look at the locals and shouts excitedly "There's 'undreds of 'em!" In a way it's a shame that the family is mixed race. Not enough is done with this to really justify it and how much more impact the conflict between George and Ella (Linda Bassett) would have been were she also Asian. The fact that the Khan children are half Caucasian also simplifies the question of British-Asian identity a little too needlessly. All of this might suggest a rather dry, even depressing film, but like the colourful feature playing at the Moti Mahal 'East Is East' never forgets it's primary function is to entertain. This is, after all, essentially a comedy and it's frequently very funny indeed. The humour ranges from extremely broad a scene involving the 'banished' sons new life as manager of a 'swinging' London Boutique and another involving a latex vagina could both have come from an 'Austin Powers' movie to the grimly dark. The best example of this might be youngest son Sajid's (Who lives permanently inside his Parka like a prototype for 'South Park's Kenny) trip to hospital for a circumcision. Towards the end of the film, in a moment mirroring this, he has the hood of his jacket unceremoniously ripped off and is finally exposed to the outside world, or as close to the outside world as George allows the family to get. Clearly Khan-Din's surrogate in the film (Himself a Salford boy who would have been ten in 1971) much of 'East Is East' is viewed through his eyes and from this perspective the film can be seen as something of a 'coming of age' tale. While not entirely successful 'East Is East' is still a welcome addition to the increasing ranks of British-based Asian cinema and television. Seemingly made with a broad audience in mind it, nevertheless, takes up some serious issues. It's just a shame the filmmakers weren't willing to stick their necks out just a little bit further.
Funny in places, reasonable storyline
Rash15 June 2000
Warning: Spoilers
As a 27 year old Muslim who grew up in this country I have to say I could not relate to much of this film. My gripe lies with the inaccuracies of a director who couldn't get the details of the film correct. He managed to get the 70s look and feel of the film spot on, he even managed to get the Indian films and songs of the time right as well. However, being a Muslim director he couldn't (or more precisely deliberately didn't) get the religious details right. These include (spoilers here, but reading them won't spoil the storyline): Muneer getting up in the morning when the sun was well high and starting to pray (prayer at this time is prohibited in Islam!), or all the boys of every age being taught one monotonous sentence by an Imam at the mosque when in reality children of different ages are taught at different levels of difficulty. Minor things one might say, but details are everything with me.
I had been asked if all the sexual goings-on in the film was offensive and I replied no, because I wanted to watch the film as an objective moviegoer. But, the film was spoiled by the inaccurate details two of which I have mentioned above. Most (non-Muslim) people won't notice these details, but its like going to the best Indian restaurant in town to try some authentic Indian dishes but being handed a plate of vindaloo (people in India don't even know what this dish is!!!).
Nevertheless, the comical moments were superbly handled and thought out and the acting was excellent. This is definitely one fictional comedy to see.
I had been asked if all the sexual goings-on in the film was offensive and I replied no, because I wanted to watch the film as an objective moviegoer. But, the film was spoiled by the inaccurate details two of which I have mentioned above. Most (non-Muslim) people won't notice these details, but its like going to the best Indian restaurant in town to try some authentic Indian dishes but being handed a plate of vindaloo (people in India don't even know what this dish is!!!).
Nevertheless, the comical moments were superbly handled and thought out and the acting was excellent. This is definitely one fictional comedy to see.
Realistic, Funny and Tragic
mjw23051 January 2007
East is East is a breath of fresh air that gives an accurate insight into mixed race families and their struggles to gain acceptance in the community.
It is also very daring in the way it explores how dangerous religion can be, and how it can seriously harm human relationships; this is the case for every religion in the world, not only the religion used in this film.
On the lighter side East is East is hilariously funny at times, which balances out the tragic and dramatic moments. The cast are all extremely talented, and they are very convincing in their performances, and the direction is really simplistic and believable.
7/10 This is a really good movie, and should be seen by everyone at least once.
It is also very daring in the way it explores how dangerous religion can be, and how it can seriously harm human relationships; this is the case for every religion in the world, not only the religion used in this film.
On the lighter side East is East is hilariously funny at times, which balances out the tragic and dramatic moments. The cast are all extremely talented, and they are very convincing in their performances, and the direction is really simplistic and believable.
7/10 This is a really good movie, and should be seen by everyone at least once.
The epitome of 70's anglo/asian culture shock with real humour
lward-21 February 2000
This film depicts ultimate realism for people who have grown up in multi racial environments. The graphic nature of the language only goes to reinforce the raw acceptance of the cultural influence of the times and area in which the film is set (70's Manchester, England). The director has captured the emotional elements the script intended perfectly. It was obviously deeply researched. The character portrayal of the dominant father is by no means stereotypical of the part, but is truly based on the difficulties encountered by the respected head of any multicultural family. His six sons and one daughter are experiencing the natural mix of eastern and western influence and putting their own spin on their existence, much to their father's dismay. The character of the mother portrays the natural ethnic blindness that should be much admired and is yet so common throughout the world. The humor is very real. Every family, if they look back on their own historical events would come to recognise the similarity of the situations encountered. The work surely ranks among the very best in regional exposure along side the likes of "Kes" etc. Well worth watching more than once
A few laughs between the many bumps in this film...
Sygourney25 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Let me start by saying that this film is terribly mislabeled as a comedy when it is, in fact, very much a drama. Yes, there are times when I laughed out loud but I chose this film because I was in the mood for a comedy. Had I been in the mood for a drama I am sure I would have scored the film much higher.
"East is East" is the story of a Pakistani father, George Khan, his Caucasian British wife, Ella, and their seven children. The acting is superb, the writing is excellent, and the soundtrack is wonderful. Having said all of that, I do have a few issues with the film. (SPOILER ALERT) First, the oldest son, Nazir, just kind of disappears for a while without any explanation. Did he run away? Did he kill himself? Where did he go? We find out about halfway through the film when his father pronounces that he is dead. This leaves the viewer wondering how one could have missed such an important event, but a few minutes later we realize that Nazir is only dead to him. In fact, we discover, albeit something I guessed in the first ten minutes of the film, that Nazir is gay. This is all the more reason for his Pakistani father to call him dead.
My second issue with the film is that I really liked all of the characters, even the strict and traditional George. Ella is charming the way she can talk him down from almost any argument with typical British humor mixed with a few choice swear words. The kids adore their mother and, although they disagree with him, they love their father. This led me to believe that the film was going to be a "Dad is a strict traditional man, kids and mom are not, so this is the story of how everyone changes Dad." (SPOILER ALERT) Unfortunately, the story became, "Dad is an abusive and closed-minded bastard and starts beating on anyone, including mom, who dares to defy him." I just don't understand why the story had to change this way. I left the film wishing Ella would leave her bastard husband and raise her kids on her own. We went from the tenderness of how Ella would ask George if he would like some tea and he would reply, "just half a cup", to George calling her a "bloody b****" and giving her a black eye. Why? My final issue with the film is the ending. (SPOILER ALERT) We are left with nothing changed in the family other than the children discovering that their father isn't just strict, he is cruel. I just feel incomplete after watching "East is East". I get that the Pakistani culture is very different from British culture and that, particularly in the 1970's, the west was not very open to accepting this new group of immigrants. What else came of this story? I don't feel warm and fuzzy toward this culture if George is a shining of example of how the men truly behave. Why did he choose to marry outside of his own culture if he hates it so much? Why raise children with a mother who is not Muslim and not from Pakistan if you are just going to teach them that it is unacceptable to marry anyone who is not from Pakistan? I feel like I got a glimpse of a very dysfunctional family who will never see a happy ending and that is just not why I choose to watch films. I watch films to learn something new, or to laugh, to perhaps cry a little, but overall, I watch films to have a few hours of enjoyment. I watch films to forget my own problems for a while. After watching this, I just feel like I would have been better off calling my own family back home and hearing about their issues and problems.
"East is East" is the story of a Pakistani father, George Khan, his Caucasian British wife, Ella, and their seven children. The acting is superb, the writing is excellent, and the soundtrack is wonderful. Having said all of that, I do have a few issues with the film. (SPOILER ALERT) First, the oldest son, Nazir, just kind of disappears for a while without any explanation. Did he run away? Did he kill himself? Where did he go? We find out about halfway through the film when his father pronounces that he is dead. This leaves the viewer wondering how one could have missed such an important event, but a few minutes later we realize that Nazir is only dead to him. In fact, we discover, albeit something I guessed in the first ten minutes of the film, that Nazir is gay. This is all the more reason for his Pakistani father to call him dead.
My second issue with the film is that I really liked all of the characters, even the strict and traditional George. Ella is charming the way she can talk him down from almost any argument with typical British humor mixed with a few choice swear words. The kids adore their mother and, although they disagree with him, they love their father. This led me to believe that the film was going to be a "Dad is a strict traditional man, kids and mom are not, so this is the story of how everyone changes Dad." (SPOILER ALERT) Unfortunately, the story became, "Dad is an abusive and closed-minded bastard and starts beating on anyone, including mom, who dares to defy him." I just don't understand why the story had to change this way. I left the film wishing Ella would leave her bastard husband and raise her kids on her own. We went from the tenderness of how Ella would ask George if he would like some tea and he would reply, "just half a cup", to George calling her a "bloody b****" and giving her a black eye. Why? My final issue with the film is the ending. (SPOILER ALERT) We are left with nothing changed in the family other than the children discovering that their father isn't just strict, he is cruel. I just feel incomplete after watching "East is East". I get that the Pakistani culture is very different from British culture and that, particularly in the 1970's, the west was not very open to accepting this new group of immigrants. What else came of this story? I don't feel warm and fuzzy toward this culture if George is a shining of example of how the men truly behave. Why did he choose to marry outside of his own culture if he hates it so much? Why raise children with a mother who is not Muslim and not from Pakistan if you are just going to teach them that it is unacceptable to marry anyone who is not from Pakistan? I feel like I got a glimpse of a very dysfunctional family who will never see a happy ending and that is just not why I choose to watch films. I watch films to learn something new, or to laugh, to perhaps cry a little, but overall, I watch films to have a few hours of enjoyment. I watch films to forget my own problems for a while. After watching this, I just feel like I would have been better off calling my own family back home and hearing about their issues and problems.
East is East
chrissie-b8910 January 2008
"East is East"- another boring film we have to watch in our English lesson. These were my first thoughts when I heard that this film will be the next topic our English class has to deal with. But that is absolutely not the case! This film is a great enrichment for the viewer and it is no boring stuff at all.
Ayub Khan-Din wrote a fantastic script which is perfectly put into action by Damien O'Donnell. The cast members did a good job by giving their characters influences to link them into the right direction. For example Om Puri who played his complex character "George Khan" with such a conviction and even the youngest cast member Jordan Routledge who has absolutely not to hide behind his co-cast members in his performance of Sajid Khan". Also the setting in the 70's is a big success so that you get the impression as if you are living within this time. Mostly I liked the way the writers handled the difficult topic of the different lifestyles of Pakistani and British people without speaking in favour for one group. They used a lot of prejudices about both cultures but they converted it into funny scenes everybody has to laugh about. So a good balance between comedy and tragedy is created because of the spontaneous comic relieves. The film gives a good opportunity for watching it for entertainment but also for talking seriously about it, like for example the two generations and their different points of view: On the one hand we can see the young generation of Sajid who does not care if his friend Earnest is a Pakistani or not. And also Tariq who does not want to be a devout Pakistani and likes partying all night even if his father gets angry about it. But on the other hand, there is the older generation of immigrants George belongs to which is extremely influenced by their traditional values and it is hard for them to adapt to the British society. It seems as if especially George does not learn from his mistakes: After the failed arranged marriage of eldest son Nazir, he tries to plan marriages for his sons Tariq and Abdul who are strongly against it. At the end, left alone from his family, George seems to be contemplative and Ella goes back to him for reconciliation. But the viewer does not get to know whether George changes his behaviour or not but you can still hope it! And that's why "East is East" is such an intoxicating movie: Everybody can identify with one of the characters and so you suffer with Ella when she is beaten up by her husband, you laugh with the siblings when they are teasing each other, you want to give them good advices and most importantly, you think about what you would have done in their situation.
So I can really recommend watching this movie because of the good balance of comical and tragically effects, the great actors and not to forget, the fantastic story written by a man who collected his first experiences by creating this script which was such a success.
Ayub Khan-Din wrote a fantastic script which is perfectly put into action by Damien O'Donnell. The cast members did a good job by giving their characters influences to link them into the right direction. For example Om Puri who played his complex character "George Khan" with such a conviction and even the youngest cast member Jordan Routledge who has absolutely not to hide behind his co-cast members in his performance of Sajid Khan". Also the setting in the 70's is a big success so that you get the impression as if you are living within this time. Mostly I liked the way the writers handled the difficult topic of the different lifestyles of Pakistani and British people without speaking in favour for one group. They used a lot of prejudices about both cultures but they converted it into funny scenes everybody has to laugh about. So a good balance between comedy and tragedy is created because of the spontaneous comic relieves. The film gives a good opportunity for watching it for entertainment but also for talking seriously about it, like for example the two generations and their different points of view: On the one hand we can see the young generation of Sajid who does not care if his friend Earnest is a Pakistani or not. And also Tariq who does not want to be a devout Pakistani and likes partying all night even if his father gets angry about it. But on the other hand, there is the older generation of immigrants George belongs to which is extremely influenced by their traditional values and it is hard for them to adapt to the British society. It seems as if especially George does not learn from his mistakes: After the failed arranged marriage of eldest son Nazir, he tries to plan marriages for his sons Tariq and Abdul who are strongly against it. At the end, left alone from his family, George seems to be contemplative and Ella goes back to him for reconciliation. But the viewer does not get to know whether George changes his behaviour or not but you can still hope it! And that's why "East is East" is such an intoxicating movie: Everybody can identify with one of the characters and so you suffer with Ella when she is beaten up by her husband, you laugh with the siblings when they are teasing each other, you want to give them good advices and most importantly, you think about what you would have done in their situation.
So I can really recommend watching this movie because of the good balance of comical and tragically effects, the great actors and not to forget, the fantastic story written by a man who collected his first experiences by creating this script which was such a success.
Interesting... and quite enjoyable...
ajs-1026 August 2011
I live and work in an area of the UK with a very large Pakistani population and so I thought this film might throw a little light on that community. A lot of people I know are always telling me that this film is really good and a great comedy. Well, even though I don't 'get' a lot of comedies, I thought I'd take a look, and I must say, although it has some amusing moments and some very funny dialogue, it's not really a comedy. I will tell you why after this brief summary.
Set in Salford, Manchester in the early 1970's, this film tells the story of chip shop owner George Kahn, his wife Ella and their children. There are six sons and one daughter, oh, and I should point out that Ella is white and from Manchester. George wants to bring the kids up in the traditional Pakistani manner. Unfortunately for him, they don't particularly want to be brought up like that. He is insistent though, and goes ahead arranging marriages for his sons without telling them until the very last minute. We get a look into how the youngsters are just typical teenagers/young adults, who just want to be able to have a good time with their friends. The relationships between the various family members are also looked at quite closely, particularly Ella's relationship with George. I really don't want to go into too much detail as I'm very wary of giving too much of the plot away (Them Spoiler Police are very strict these days!).
A very well made British film with some nice insights into a very interesting, and diverse family. The highlight for me was the performances of the main characters, both Om Puri as George Kahn and Linda Bassett as Ella Kahn were excellent. All the kids were very good; Jordan Routledge as Sajid, Archie Panjabi as Meenah, Emil Marwa as Maneer, Chris Bisson as Saleem, Jimi Mistry as Tariq, Raji James as Abdul and Ian Aspinall as Nazir.
For me, I thought this film worked much better as a drama; this aspect of the plot brought out the best performances and was much more interesting. I did feel that a lot of opportunities went begging, but I could see that the filmmakers were very wary of causing offence. It was almost like they wanted to make a full-blown comedy, but the, more interesting, story about relationships and family life got in the way. I should mention that there are scenes of domestic violence that some may find distasteful. Having said that, I did quite enjoy this film and I think so long as you're not expecting a raucous comedy, it's one I can deem Recommended.
My Score: 6.6/10.
IMDb Score: 6.7/10 (based on 9,232 votes at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81/100 (based on 31 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Set in Salford, Manchester in the early 1970's, this film tells the story of chip shop owner George Kahn, his wife Ella and their children. There are six sons and one daughter, oh, and I should point out that Ella is white and from Manchester. George wants to bring the kids up in the traditional Pakistani manner. Unfortunately for him, they don't particularly want to be brought up like that. He is insistent though, and goes ahead arranging marriages for his sons without telling them until the very last minute. We get a look into how the youngsters are just typical teenagers/young adults, who just want to be able to have a good time with their friends. The relationships between the various family members are also looked at quite closely, particularly Ella's relationship with George. I really don't want to go into too much detail as I'm very wary of giving too much of the plot away (Them Spoiler Police are very strict these days!).
A very well made British film with some nice insights into a very interesting, and diverse family. The highlight for me was the performances of the main characters, both Om Puri as George Kahn and Linda Bassett as Ella Kahn were excellent. All the kids were very good; Jordan Routledge as Sajid, Archie Panjabi as Meenah, Emil Marwa as Maneer, Chris Bisson as Saleem, Jimi Mistry as Tariq, Raji James as Abdul and Ian Aspinall as Nazir.
For me, I thought this film worked much better as a drama; this aspect of the plot brought out the best performances and was much more interesting. I did feel that a lot of opportunities went begging, but I could see that the filmmakers were very wary of causing offence. It was almost like they wanted to make a full-blown comedy, but the, more interesting, story about relationships and family life got in the way. I should mention that there are scenes of domestic violence that some may find distasteful. Having said that, I did quite enjoy this film and I think so long as you're not expecting a raucous comedy, it's one I can deem Recommended.
My Score: 6.6/10.
IMDb Score: 6.7/10 (based on 9,232 votes at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81/100 (based on 31 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
East is East
mayoon-110 January 2008
East is East" is a refreshing inventive family story. Directly the first scene where two different religions and also two opposing views of life (namely the children's and the view of their conservative father) clash together. With the funny way of telling which is typical for the whole film, nevertheless the problems are shown in their graveness. The cast represents every member of this Pakistani family as an individual but the good relations between the siblings and their mother is shown as realistic as the problematic relation between them and their incorrigible father. The viewer gets the impression of a different culture but he will recognize a lot of aspects of his own family life, too, what was aimed by the makers who brought in the personal experiences. All in all, this movie is an evening-filling enrichment for the viewer.
East Is East
lasttimeisaw28 November 2012
Aka. FISH & CHIP, a UK film whose plot hinges on a Pakistani family living in UK, the patriarch is a traditional chauvinist whose only tenet is to do everything in Pakistani Muslim ways, while the mother is English, with 7 children, the cultural collision and marriage-defiant headaches begin to aggravate the family, and finally ends with a drolly amusing farce.
From Irish director Damien O'Donnell (his debut feature), this film emanates a great sense of humour (never pull it off overhead) and a whiff of theatrical commotion when the storyline needs it, supplying career-best leading roles from both Om Puri, who is deft in embodying himself into a highly unlovable character even without any preach-the-converted statement, and Linda Bassett as the chafing-yet-united parent, imaginably with 7 offspring (6 boys and 1 girl, age ranging from 6 to 25) to coping with, the familial disarray can dissuade many chic couples from children-rearing quandary, not counting there is a bigger hurdle standing in front of them, the religious disparity, Puri is an out-and-out Pakistani, even living in England, has an English wife (which is his second one while his first wife is still living in Pakistan), he rebuffs any discord and claims absolute submission from his family members, as long as he is still the man-of-the-house, even resorting to domestic violence when things are out of his control. As the most-of-the-time pliant, sometimes witty, but complete sympathetic mother, Bassett has her gut to fight back for her children, and her performance does has an effect of sublimating the heightened tension and brings about some excellent empathy which sharply differs from a general comedic tonality. All seven progeny and a handful supporting roles are molded with distinctive personalities (with many laughable episodes to entertain the viewers).
So, about the aforementioned preach-the-converted argument, the film can be a tint offensive to portray Pakistani people in a quasi-teasing milieu (the two Pakistani maidens are rather wickedly selected), it seems the film is assuming the audience should already taken their stand (against the abominably bigoted father figure), clearly the truth is this fictional approach opts for its own British slant towards the Muslim immigrants, it may find its voice in the island, but elsewhere, its acceptance inevitably needs to be tested under the surface of its light-hearted masquerade.
PS: My Oscar entry, Linda Bassett storms at No.6 in the BEST LEADING ACTRESS category.
From Irish director Damien O'Donnell (his debut feature), this film emanates a great sense of humour (never pull it off overhead) and a whiff of theatrical commotion when the storyline needs it, supplying career-best leading roles from both Om Puri, who is deft in embodying himself into a highly unlovable character even without any preach-the-converted statement, and Linda Bassett as the chafing-yet-united parent, imaginably with 7 offspring (6 boys and 1 girl, age ranging from 6 to 25) to coping with, the familial disarray can dissuade many chic couples from children-rearing quandary, not counting there is a bigger hurdle standing in front of them, the religious disparity, Puri is an out-and-out Pakistani, even living in England, has an English wife (which is his second one while his first wife is still living in Pakistan), he rebuffs any discord and claims absolute submission from his family members, as long as he is still the man-of-the-house, even resorting to domestic violence when things are out of his control. As the most-of-the-time pliant, sometimes witty, but complete sympathetic mother, Bassett has her gut to fight back for her children, and her performance does has an effect of sublimating the heightened tension and brings about some excellent empathy which sharply differs from a general comedic tonality. All seven progeny and a handful supporting roles are molded with distinctive personalities (with many laughable episodes to entertain the viewers).
So, about the aforementioned preach-the-converted argument, the film can be a tint offensive to portray Pakistani people in a quasi-teasing milieu (the two Pakistani maidens are rather wickedly selected), it seems the film is assuming the audience should already taken their stand (against the abominably bigoted father figure), clearly the truth is this fictional approach opts for its own British slant towards the Muslim immigrants, it may find its voice in the island, but elsewhere, its acceptance inevitably needs to be tested under the surface of its light-hearted masquerade.
PS: My Oscar entry, Linda Bassett storms at No.6 in the BEST LEADING ACTRESS category.
George is not representative of Pakistanis or Muslims
omarazam21 May 2001
I didn't want to do this, but after reading how many poor souls think that this movie is an accurate represenation of a Pakistani immigrant, you should know that it isn't!
Most Pakistani men are not so vulgar and stupid, and George does not understand his Islam at all (e.g Children must freely consent to marrying their spouse, whereas George is autocratic, and a man can never disown his son, to name a few doctrinal points). I can say that he does tend to represent all the worst stereotypes of Pakistani culture (the overbearingness, insecurity, arrogance). But this has nothing to do with his religion. More to do with his own misunderstanding of it. And I've never seen anyone so poorly understand it as him. This guy is a creep. Yuck.
Most Pakistani men are not so vulgar and stupid, and George does not understand his Islam at all (e.g Children must freely consent to marrying their spouse, whereas George is autocratic, and a man can never disown his son, to name a few doctrinal points). I can say that he does tend to represent all the worst stereotypes of Pakistani culture (the overbearingness, insecurity, arrogance). But this has nothing to do with his religion. More to do with his own misunderstanding of it. And I've never seen anyone so poorly understand it as him. This guy is a creep. Yuck.
A different side of England
oxblood15 December 2004
I wish there were more movies about the different cultures in the UK. Not just the Anglo, but the Asian and West Indian perspectives. Even the Southeast Asian view. The Middle Easterners have shown great strides with movies like "Bend It Like Beckham" and a few others. This movie got away from me until recently. I saw in the library video section and decided to check it out. The box is very misleading. They put a young interracial couple, front and center on the cover when actually their subplot is very peripheral to the story. I guess the movie studio figured they'd get a wider audience interested with younger faces on the cover since the main characters look to be in their 50s.
George Khan (Om Puri) has left his native Pakistan to live in the UK with its soveriegnty ties. Though he has a wife back in his homeland (she is only mentioned, not seen), he marries a white Englishwoman, Ella (Lynda Bassett). They have 7 kids: 6 boys and 1 girl. Flash forward to the late 60s (where the movie actually begins) and we see his kids are truly English in behavior though he stresses that they must go to Mosque to study and worship. His oldest is to be wed in an arranged marriage to a woman he hardly knows. He runs out in the middle of the ceremony in fear, embarrassing his family especially his father who disowns him. This sets the tone of the movie. His kids are English-born and want to live like their friends in their working-class neighborhood but George wants to raise them as traditional Muslims, despite opposition from his wife, Ella, who only wants the kids to be happy. She tries to help them avoid run-ins with their father who despite his cheerfulness is quite an ogre when angered. The kids range in attitude and indifference toward George's attempts to introduce them to the traditional ways.
This is a decent introduction to immigrant life in the UK especially since it's set during a time when there was political strife over immigration of non-whites into Britain. Though it's an effective comedy, it also touches on the frustration immigrants of any culture go through to hold onto or reject their identity. The only thing marring this movie is a domestic violence scene that may bother some. Still a very good movie worth seeing.
George Khan (Om Puri) has left his native Pakistan to live in the UK with its soveriegnty ties. Though he has a wife back in his homeland (she is only mentioned, not seen), he marries a white Englishwoman, Ella (Lynda Bassett). They have 7 kids: 6 boys and 1 girl. Flash forward to the late 60s (where the movie actually begins) and we see his kids are truly English in behavior though he stresses that they must go to Mosque to study and worship. His oldest is to be wed in an arranged marriage to a woman he hardly knows. He runs out in the middle of the ceremony in fear, embarrassing his family especially his father who disowns him. This sets the tone of the movie. His kids are English-born and want to live like their friends in their working-class neighborhood but George wants to raise them as traditional Muslims, despite opposition from his wife, Ella, who only wants the kids to be happy. She tries to help them avoid run-ins with their father who despite his cheerfulness is quite an ogre when angered. The kids range in attitude and indifference toward George's attempts to introduce them to the traditional ways.
This is a decent introduction to immigrant life in the UK especially since it's set during a time when there was political strife over immigration of non-whites into Britain. Though it's an effective comedy, it also touches on the frustration immigrants of any culture go through to hold onto or reject their identity. The only thing marring this movie is a domestic violence scene that may bother some. Still a very good movie worth seeing.
Amazing Talent (Late OM Puri Ji)...RIP
malikyounismalik27 January 2018
OM Puri was an alumni of National School of Drama where he learned theater acting . The great Indian actors Naseer ud Din Shah and OM Puri were very close friends and met in the same institute. OM Puri was from underprivileged family and had a weak English while as Naseer was opposite to that.
I was really fascinated with the OM Puri's charater in this particular movie. He used to challenge himself by taking role like this where English was not his strength. He plays a Pakistani father role who has come to Britain in search of fortune and married a Brit women. The whole family affair is worth to watch especially OM Puri playing Muslim Pakistani father role...This is movie worth to watch....
Very good, but hardly the next Full Monty
sge13 October 1999
I've just seen a special showing of what is being touted as the next Full Monty, East Is East. And it was very good, but not quite as good as they would have you believe. It is packed with some great jokes and acting, but it has a tendency to vear uneasily between There's Something About Mary-esque humour and grim drama. Aside from this, it is a very witty film and ought to do very well.
east is east
a-k-c10 January 2008
The movie "East is East" mainly shows the difference between Parkistani and European families.One of the main characters George Khan is the father of the family which clarifies this difference the most.He is cleaved between the love to his family and teaching his children the Parkistani life. But this isn't so easy easy it seems, because nearly every member of his family has his own way to dispute the Parkistani life. This is already point up at the beginning,when the oldest son "Nazir" runs away from his wedding,by the reason that he is gay. As well his brother "Tariq" is the rebel of the family, he fights against that, what his parents want him to do. Also Saleem another son, is a art student,what is against his fathers idea to become a Ingeneur. Maneer seems to be the only child of the seven, which stands behind his father. So it is shown, that nearly everybody of the Khan family isn't a perfect Parkistani. In fact of that, it isn't an astonishment, that at the end of the film happens a big conflict with George Khan ,where everybody fights against them, till the very surprising end. I think the film is great to show the difference of the Asian culture in the family aspect.There is a good suspense and every time there happened a new mistake , which shouldn't happened in a Parkistani family!
A GREAT LITTLE GEM
Mitch-3824 October 2001
Excellent film of interracial family, traditions versus the contemporary and chartering somewhere in the middle ground. I was somewhat dubious about the way EAST IS EAST was touted as a comedy, seemingly about horny teenagers and adolescent rebellion against parental authority. I thought, Oh Lord, the Americans have a lock on this type of flick, and now the British want in, too. Then, I saw Om Puri's name as the lead. I have been a longtime fan of this amazing actor, and thought, well it's worth a look.
Wow! What a captivating, interesting and at times, humorous film. I found it unpretentious and unflinching, and marvelously human, which is where the humor rested. The mingling of cultures, and those becoming an amalgamation of the two, lead to uproarious clashes sometimes. The wishes, well in this case, the demands of the draconian father for his children, and the reality in which they live clearly head for confrontation. The screenplay by Ayub Khan-Din is a great slice of life; it's certainly wasn't hard to tell that he might have culled some of the notions included from life experience. It's not meant to be exacting, as some have criticized. No more so, than Laura Ingalls Wilder's "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" was meant to be a strictly historical factoid on pioneering life in the early western US. It's meant as a slice of it, of one persons vision or interpretation.
EAST IS EAST is extraordinary, a marvel to watch, and one that simply gets better with each viewing. Don't miss this one. Highly recommended.
Wow! What a captivating, interesting and at times, humorous film. I found it unpretentious and unflinching, and marvelously human, which is where the humor rested. The mingling of cultures, and those becoming an amalgamation of the two, lead to uproarious clashes sometimes. The wishes, well in this case, the demands of the draconian father for his children, and the reality in which they live clearly head for confrontation. The screenplay by Ayub Khan-Din is a great slice of life; it's certainly wasn't hard to tell that he might have culled some of the notions included from life experience. It's not meant to be exacting, as some have criticized. No more so, than Laura Ingalls Wilder's "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" was meant to be a strictly historical factoid on pioneering life in the early western US. It's meant as a slice of it, of one persons vision or interpretation.
EAST IS EAST is extraordinary, a marvel to watch, and one that simply gets better with each viewing. Don't miss this one. Highly recommended.
Great recreation of 1970s England
DesbUK26 March 2011
At 90 minutes, East is East doesn't outstay it's welcome. The film won the 1999 BAFTA for Best British Film and began life as a play at London's Royal Court two years earlier. It's a comedy drama set in Salford in the very grim North of England 1971. And if you're in a working class Anglo-Pakistani household it's doubly so. The Khans live in a back-to-back terrace house with an outdoor toilet (the production design here is terrific, it really does make the past a foreign country)and run the family chip shop.
The film recalls another English movie from 1969 called 'Spring and Port Wine' - the northern working class family, the children wanting to break away from the grip of a tyrannical father. The father is George, played splendidly by Om Puri, the Pakistani father of a family who he doesn't realise are English: they're sausage and bacon eating English, with sons who booze and go to discos and one of whom has a white girlfriend and responds to the prospect of an arranged marriage with "I'm not marrying a f**king Paki".
The whole cast is excellent - especially Archie Punjabi and Jimi Mistry - with Linda Bassett quite outstanding as Ella, George's English wife. She looks as if she's had 7 children. She's beaten up by George at one point, but remains devoted to her family throughout. She's a gem.
The film recalls another English movie from 1969 called 'Spring and Port Wine' - the northern working class family, the children wanting to break away from the grip of a tyrannical father. The father is George, played splendidly by Om Puri, the Pakistani father of a family who he doesn't realise are English: they're sausage and bacon eating English, with sons who booze and go to discos and one of whom has a white girlfriend and responds to the prospect of an arranged marriage with "I'm not marrying a f**king Paki".
The whole cast is excellent - especially Archie Punjabi and Jimi Mistry - with Linda Bassett quite outstanding as Ella, George's English wife. She looks as if she's had 7 children. She's beaten up by George at one point, but remains devoted to her family throughout. She's a gem.
It just doesn't get much better than this
MIKE-128019 June 2000
Call me biased but British comedy is unbeatable for it's freshness and depth of character. In the ranks of British comedy east is east is in the top rank. While making serious comment on the community and personal problems of race mix in working class england around 1970 (has anything changed?) this film extracts so much humour. I am just in awe of the talent on both sides of the camera. Don't miss this masterpiece
Never the Twain Shall Meet
JamesHitchcock13 February 2014
"East Is East" can be seen as a return to the tradition of "kitchen sink realism", which was responsible for so many fine British films in the fifties and sixties. It has a number of similarities with one of the last of those films, "Spring and Port Wine". Both films are set in industrial towns in Lancashire (Salford here, Bolton in the earlier film). Both are set in the same period, the late sixties/early seventies. And both are centred upon a strict, autocratic father who finds his authority being challenged by rebellious children. There are, however, two major differences. One is that the action of "Spring and Port Wine" took place around the time it was made, whereas "East Is East" is a period piece, made in 1999 but set in 1971. It relies heavily on nostalgic period detail, featuring the fashions, pop music (The Hollies), television ("The Clangers") and even toys (spacehoppers) of the era, although there are a couple of errors. Enoch Powell, for example, is seen on television referring to Alec Douglas-Home as Conservative Party leader (he resigned from that office in 1965) and there is a reference to the half-crown, a pre-decimal coin which ceased to be legal tender after 1969.
The other major difference is that "East is East" revolves around the question of race, something that was quite absent in "Spring and Port Wine". The father in this case is Zahir "George" Khan, the Pakistani Muslim owner of a fish-and-chip shop, who has lived in England since 1937. He is married to Ella, a white British woman, and they have seven children, six sons and a daughter. (There may, in fact, be some doubt about the legitimacy of their marriage under English law; we learn that he has a first wife still living in Pakistan, from whom he has never been formally divorced).
The film starts with the oldest son Nazir refusing to go through with an arranged marriage, leading Zahir to disown him. (We later learn that Nazir is in fact gay). With the exception of Maneer, who is a devout Muslim, the remaining children, who were born and grew up in Britain, see themselves as British rather than Pakistani, and resent their father's insistence that they should follow Pakistani customs of dress, food and religion. Some of them, for example, go so far as to drink alcohol and eat pork, but always behind their father's back. It should be noted that Zahir does not always follow his own precepts; he is generally known as "George", but has given all his children Muslim names and his sons Abdul and Tariq have to hide from their father the fact that among their English friends they are generally known as "Arthur" and "Tony". (Nazir goes by the name "Nigel"). Similarly, although George has himself married a white woman he would be horrified to know that Tariq has a white girlfriend.
There have been a number of other recent comedies about the Asian immigrant communities in Britain and their relations with the indigenous British community- "Anita and Me" and "Bend It like Beckham" are two other examples which come to mind- but "East Is East", based on a play by Ayub Khan-Din, himself of Asian ancestry, takes a harder, more critical, look at Asian culture, especially at practices such as arranged marriages. Rafe Crompton, the central character of "Spring and Port Wine" had, for all his strictness as a father, a basic decency and kindness which enabled the Crompton family to stick together when threatened by crisis. George, by contrast, is an overbearing domestic tyrant who bullies his children and beats his wife when she tries to stand up for them. He even assaults the normally loyal and obedient Maneer. He resents the racist attitudes of his English neighbours, but displays similar prejudices himself, against Hindus ("cow-worshipping bastards!") and even against his fellow-Muslims from East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was then known. ("Bengali baboons!") Imagine the furore which would have been unleashed had epithets like these been uttered by a white character. At times he resembles not Rafe Crompton but an Asian version of Alf Garnett, the monstrous anti-hero of "Till Death Us Do Part".
Ayub Khan-Din took his title from a poem by Kipling, "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet". Kipling's theme was the differences between Eastern and Western culture, so the title is appropriate to a film on the same theme, although since Kipling write these lines East and West have indeed met in all sorts of ways he never dreamed of. In the context of the film, in fact, the implication is that when East and West do meet there should be some two-way cultural exchange, a suggestion that it is in nobody's interests for immigrant communities to try and live in some sort of monocultural ghetto, rejecting Western influences, as George is trying to.
"East Is East" is sometimes described as a comedy, and there are certainly a number of amusing scenes, such as the ones in which George- who clearly has not learned his lesson following the debacle with Nazir- tries to arrange marriages for Abdul and Tariq to the two daughters of a Pakistani family from Leeds, despite the fact that the girls are fat and ugly, their father rude and arrogant and their mother a monstrous snob. If it is a comedy, however, it is a rather bleak and bitter one; George is a deeply unpleasant individual and we are left uncomfortably aware that attitudes like his could all too easily lead to tragedy. If we laugh at him, it is a very uneasy form of laughter indeed. 7/10
The other major difference is that "East is East" revolves around the question of race, something that was quite absent in "Spring and Port Wine". The father in this case is Zahir "George" Khan, the Pakistani Muslim owner of a fish-and-chip shop, who has lived in England since 1937. He is married to Ella, a white British woman, and they have seven children, six sons and a daughter. (There may, in fact, be some doubt about the legitimacy of their marriage under English law; we learn that he has a first wife still living in Pakistan, from whom he has never been formally divorced).
The film starts with the oldest son Nazir refusing to go through with an arranged marriage, leading Zahir to disown him. (We later learn that Nazir is in fact gay). With the exception of Maneer, who is a devout Muslim, the remaining children, who were born and grew up in Britain, see themselves as British rather than Pakistani, and resent their father's insistence that they should follow Pakistani customs of dress, food and religion. Some of them, for example, go so far as to drink alcohol and eat pork, but always behind their father's back. It should be noted that Zahir does not always follow his own precepts; he is generally known as "George", but has given all his children Muslim names and his sons Abdul and Tariq have to hide from their father the fact that among their English friends they are generally known as "Arthur" and "Tony". (Nazir goes by the name "Nigel"). Similarly, although George has himself married a white woman he would be horrified to know that Tariq has a white girlfriend.
There have been a number of other recent comedies about the Asian immigrant communities in Britain and their relations with the indigenous British community- "Anita and Me" and "Bend It like Beckham" are two other examples which come to mind- but "East Is East", based on a play by Ayub Khan-Din, himself of Asian ancestry, takes a harder, more critical, look at Asian culture, especially at practices such as arranged marriages. Rafe Crompton, the central character of "Spring and Port Wine" had, for all his strictness as a father, a basic decency and kindness which enabled the Crompton family to stick together when threatened by crisis. George, by contrast, is an overbearing domestic tyrant who bullies his children and beats his wife when she tries to stand up for them. He even assaults the normally loyal and obedient Maneer. He resents the racist attitudes of his English neighbours, but displays similar prejudices himself, against Hindus ("cow-worshipping bastards!") and even against his fellow-Muslims from East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was then known. ("Bengali baboons!") Imagine the furore which would have been unleashed had epithets like these been uttered by a white character. At times he resembles not Rafe Crompton but an Asian version of Alf Garnett, the monstrous anti-hero of "Till Death Us Do Part".
Ayub Khan-Din took his title from a poem by Kipling, "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet". Kipling's theme was the differences between Eastern and Western culture, so the title is appropriate to a film on the same theme, although since Kipling write these lines East and West have indeed met in all sorts of ways he never dreamed of. In the context of the film, in fact, the implication is that when East and West do meet there should be some two-way cultural exchange, a suggestion that it is in nobody's interests for immigrant communities to try and live in some sort of monocultural ghetto, rejecting Western influences, as George is trying to.
"East Is East" is sometimes described as a comedy, and there are certainly a number of amusing scenes, such as the ones in which George- who clearly has not learned his lesson following the debacle with Nazir- tries to arrange marriages for Abdul and Tariq to the two daughters of a Pakistani family from Leeds, despite the fact that the girls are fat and ugly, their father rude and arrogant and their mother a monstrous snob. If it is a comedy, however, it is a rather bleak and bitter one; George is a deeply unpleasant individual and we are left uncomfortably aware that attitudes like his could all too easily lead to tragedy. If we laugh at him, it is a very uneasy form of laughter indeed. 7/10
Astonishing!!!!
richwgriffin-227-17663523 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I just saw this incredible ensemble movie - I was most struck by the amazing ensemble acting by the entire cast, mostly unknown to me (Archie Panjabi is an emmy winner for her role on "The Good Wife", and I have seen Linda Bassett in a few movies). I absolutely hated the father - he reminded me of my late father, who was also a bully who was enraged by his lack of ability to control others completely - Om Puri gives a ferocious performance - I would be curious to know what the actor felt about his part, did he see him (as I do) as a villain or did he see him as "right"? I found Linda Bassett's role a bit infuriating: those women who stay with their abusive disgusting husbands no matter what. I loved how rebellious the kids were, yet they stayed stuck under this tyrant's thumb. But they could escape into British culture, the neighborhood, school, music, culture that was not Pakistani. The gay son was certainly stereotypical but I still found it daring - it's rare to see a happy gay couple (who also appear to be "married") in movies from before 2000. Meena's dance is wonderful and fun. Damien O'Donnell's direction makes me wish he could make more movies (I've also loved "Rory O'Shea Was Here", which was originally titled "Inside I'm Dancing", but his other few films don't seem to have made it over here) - his direction is incredibly self-assured and brilliant, it was his feature film debut (he had made short films and commercials previously). I especially loved the feel of the film, the production design, the street - interestingly, it was filmed at Ealing Studios, 40 years after the last of the Ealing films were produced there. While this film can get my blood boiling - I wished somebody would run the father over with a car or do anything to get him to STOP his bullying disgusting behavior. (Why is he married to her? It's a real mystery. If he's so "Pakistani", why isn't he married to a Pakistani woman?) But that's what's so great about this movie: it can be simultaneously infuriating AND fascinating! I absolutely loved this movie!!!
Another film showing the Evil of Religion.
CharltonBoy22 November 2000
East is East is a very entertaining film about a Pakistani/English mixed race family living in Manchester in the 1970's and how when the Father tries to force his sons into an arranged marriage and how it almost rips the family apart. The film starts with the eldest son running away from an arranged marriage and the father saying that he is now dead because he has disgraced the family .It then goes on to show the everyday family life of a mixed race family. They seem to be happy living in a small terraced house with no money but they had each other. Some of the scenes are very funny and the acting in parts is outstanding. Later on the Pakistani father changes. He tries to arrange a marriage with two more of his sons to two misfit girls from a family from Bradford. The boys find out and for obvious reasons rebel against their father which leads the him beating his wife and one of his sons. My feeling on the film is that it shows how religion ( any religion) just splits people up and causes nothing but grief . While religion waves the banner of Love all it does is bring the Hate out in people. 7 out of 10.
Serious subject matter, but handled a bit irresponsibly
omarazam21 May 2001
Though the subject matter is interesting and relevant, I didn't like the absurdly unrealistic character portrayal of the father. I am familiar with the demographic that this movie was trying to depict, and this paints a throughly unredeeming picture of a dysfunctional family. Nothing goes right in this family, from the sibling relationships, to intrafamily communication, to religious education, to anger management... Not to say that some of these issues don't exist in some Pakistani families living in Britain, but the fact that this is a rare glimpse into this population, the viewer can be easily misled into thinking that these backwards-ass families are the norm.
Also, it is transparent that the screenwriter has a bone to pick with a character like the father in this movie, because the father is portrayed as one-dimensional, and hypernegativestereotypical in every way (manipulative, self-centered, violent, grammatically challenged, vulgar, and overall not too savory) and it portrayed almost comically.
There is so much positive, vibrant, and beautiful in the Pakistani culture, and I'm not just talking about the clothing, as it was portrayed here. Most families are much stronger than what they have become in Western society. I wish this film would have had included some of these aspects and not so much ugliness passed off as slapstick.
Also, it is transparent that the screenwriter has a bone to pick with a character like the father in this movie, because the father is portrayed as one-dimensional, and hypernegativestereotypical in every way (manipulative, self-centered, violent, grammatically challenged, vulgar, and overall not too savory) and it portrayed almost comically.
There is so much positive, vibrant, and beautiful in the Pakistani culture, and I'm not just talking about the clothing, as it was portrayed here. Most families are much stronger than what they have become in Western society. I wish this film would have had included some of these aspects and not so much ugliness passed off as slapstick.
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