Have you ever seen the movie Bride and Prejudice? It is a very entertaining Bollywood movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Not only does it transfer the characters and plot of the 19th century novel into a modern setting, but it places it in Indian culture. The result is a colorful, fun, and often amusing movie.
In the second half of the movie, Lalita (aka Elizabeth Bennett) travels to Los Angeles to visit a friend, and while there she and American William Darcy grow closer and continue falling in love. No scene better demonstrates the strange meshing of American and Indian culture that the movie possesses than the romantic montage that summarizes Lalita and Darcy’s time together in the U.S.
The first half is pretty standard, cheesy love montage stuff: staring across the dinner table, dancing around in a fountain, taking a tour of famous landmarks. The second half of the montage is where things take a bizarre turn. Imagine a beach scene, only instead of the usual shots of the couple running through the waves hand in hand, we get a full gospel choir, surfers swaying with their boards, and lifeguards doing background vocals. The montage ends in disturbing fashion, with the legions of robed choir members encircling and closing in on the seemingly oblivious couple. Yes, it is very strange. Is that what American culture boils down to? Gospel choirs, surfers, and lifeguards?
Despite the strange and humorous content of the movie, and this scene in particular, the movie is highly entertaining and well worth viewing, especially if you like musicals. There is plenty of singing and dancing to enjoy. This romantic montage will give you a taste of what the movie has to offer:
If you are interested in more fun movie montage resources, check out this article at cracked.com: “The ’80s Movie Montage Hall of Fame.”
Eclaire Fare 