UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA (UITM) MELAKA FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES DIPLOMA IN COMUNICATION AND MEDIA BROADCASTING

(BRO231)

MOVIE CRITIQUE

THE LADY

PREPARED BY: SHARIFAH NURISNADIA BINTI SYED MOHAMAD SHAHIDI (2011816784) // MMC1105B

PREPARED FOR: MISS WAN AZFAROZZA WAN ATHMAR DATE: 2ND AUGUST 2013.

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Introduction This movie is based on a true story of the famous Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi who fights for the rights of democracy of Burma. The movie shows the struggle of her trying to win back the country that had never done election for almost 20 years by using peace as a way of dealing with the authorities as her biggest weapon to win back all the support from her voters.

2.0

Analysing Theme "The Lady" is a portrait in moral and physical courage, a sort of analysis of what constitutes greatness. This movie is basically been surrounded by the bravery of Suu Kyi of fighting for democracy in Burma. Her difficulties and struggles are well portrayed in this movie of Suu Kyis long journey on becoming the next leader of Burma as following the footsteps of her late father, Aung San. Suu Kyi becomes a great woman because she has the opportunity and also because she rises to it but the demands of greatness, on a day-to-day basis, is not dramatic, but personal. In her case, it means enduring ghastly stretches of loneliness, away from her husband and children, unable to communicate with them by phone or letter making was shown well as to make this movie to be a more dramatic, touched movie that gives a good sense to the viewer to show them how hard Suu Kyi had sacrifice for her country in order to gain democracy back in Myanmar.

3.0

Analysing The Story 3.1 Plot 3.1.1 Beginning Aung San is the general in Burma and the father of Aung San Suu Kyi. Her father was asked to lead Burma to independence. This movie starts out with Aung San who tells her a beautiful story before he goes to work but soon afterwards, on 19 July 1947, he along with a group of his colleagues is assassinated by a group of armed men in uniform. Then the movie continue in the year 1998 showing Michael Aris, Suu Kyis husband who found out that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and

decide not to tell her wife who was back in Burma who he had not seen for almost three years. Then, the movie immediately starts a flashback back to ten years before the incident. It shows Suu Kyi happily with her family in Oxford, London but in 1988 itself, Suu Kyis mothers Khin Kyi poor health forces her to return to Burma where her father, Aung San, is still widely remembered. When she visits her mother in the hospital in 1988, she meets many of the people were wounded during the Tatmadaw's crackdown in the 8888 Uprising. She realises that political change is needed in Burma and is soon drawn into the movement to promote reform. 3.1.2 Climax She accepts the role of icon in support of self-determination by the Burmese people and devotes herself to activities in support of goals of greater political freedoms. Suu Kyi founds a political party named National League of Democracy and clearly wins the 1990 elections. However, the Burmese military refuse to accept the result of the election and moved to bring Suu Kyi under control. She and her family became separated when her husband and children were banned from Burma and she was put under a house arrest for more than a decade, together with her strongest supporting colleagues were been put to jail and treated badly. 3.1.3 Ending Yet their relentless struggling for Suu Kyi's recognition outside Burma is her guarantee she won't be forgotten and cannot disappear unnoticed. Due to her family's efforts, she becomes the first woman in Asia to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The ending of this movie is not a happy one as their separation continues because neither can Suu Kyi attend the ceremony nor can her husband, Michael Aris see her one last time before his early death.

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Characters

The protagonist of The Lady is obviously Aung San Suu Kyi herself that has mainly been the main character of this movie since basically this movie was somehow like a biography of her and the journey of her life. The selection of Michelle Yeoh as the actor for the role of Suu Kyi is well picked in my opinion since she does has a resemblance of Suu Kyi from her face and Michelle did well as for this character is really hard to work it out since there are many parts of her that needs to speak Burmese making it to be a challenge that she has concur well and gave a good show in this movie. Meanwhile, the antagonist character of this movie is Tan Shwe who was played by the actor Agga Poechit. Agga has successfully play the role of the mean, cruel politician in this movie as he shows that he was fearless to shot down anyone from his own army of soldier which shows the good acting skills of Agga that has convinced me in this movie that his selection to be Tan Shwe was right and also the most importantly that Agga does resemble a lot of the real Tan Shwe making it to be more convincing in The Lady. 3.3 Symbolism

The Lady is has many different elements that could be symbolised in this movie such as the flower in her hair, the calm melody of the pianos that was played by Suu Kyi herself and so on but in my eyes, as the soon as the movie starts until the end, the most promising element that was kept continuously throughout the movie was Aung San, Suu Kyis late father. This movie was about her fight against justice for her father, and there was a scene where a soldier had almost shot her in the head as how her late father was killed, she closed her eyes and then the flashback starts were it shows back her father and her both closing their eyes and it brings out the symbolism of her courage of Suu Kyi to run down military junta was basically by the strength of Aung San that runs in her blood. Moreover, many scenes that show the photo of her late father been carried by supporters during many rallies done by Suu Kyi herself, makes it feel like the job that she is trying to do had been blessed by her late father and it shows were she feels like she did well to make her father proud of her for accomplishing such wonderful changes in the country.

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Analysing Genre

This historical drama movie is showing the best, beautiful and the calmness of Suu Kyi in dealing with her life as the victim of democracy for the independency of Burma. In order to win her country back, many incidents occur that were categorised and been well known for Suu Kyis act of justice until she was the winner for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 making all these incidents are based on a true story incidents which best describe this movie as a historical drama genre.

5.0

Concluding Remarks

This movie has created a triangulation between the Union of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi and the concept of Democracy. As you can see from the movie how the principles of democracy were clearly ignored by the military government structured in Myanmar and how Aung San Suu Kyi, despite the threats in her life and the blurry future for a democratic achievement, she still continuously fight although she had almost gave up when the news of her beloved husband at that time was going through cancer, and yet she still fight against t h e r e p r e s s i o n c a u s e d b y h e r o w n g o v e r n m e n t . Also, the director, Luc Besson had cleverly put in action about the aspect of consideration of how the People of Myanmar believed that Aung San Suu Kyi is the catalyst of change that they should believe in that would alter the face of history forever. Despite Aung San Suu Kyis capability of staging a full-blown war against the government, she has always been true to her ideology of achieving democracy in ways that wouldnt require violence and it has clearly shown from the movie which is a good movie to watch as to gain knowledge on Burma struggle for freedom and how we Malaysian should be thankful for the peaceful country now we live in and that we all should cherish it well.

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References

C. Robbie (2011) The Lady, Review. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8982620/The-Lady-review.html A. O. Scott (2010) A Life and A Nation, Tightly Bound. Retrieved from http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/movies/the-lady-by-luc-besson-set-inmyanmar-stars-michelle-yeoh.html?_r=0 T. Ella (2012) The Lady; Self-sacrifice, For Her Countrys Sake. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2012/04/12/150297416/the-lady-self-sacrifice-for-her-countryssake