His book and those books that follow are quickly bought up by a now adoring public who revere him as a Pundit. A brief career in politics soon follows, only for him to discover that an adoring public can turn fickle. The film meanders along, as does this pundit's life. With first rate cinematography and stellar performances by the entire cast, this is a very good, though unusual, film. Those who are interested in other cultures will find this film of some interest. If you are not so inclined, deduct one star from my review.
We commented on the good acting, the scenery of Trinidad, their cultures and great contrasts with England and India. Yet we still had questions about the central personalities and the unique images of their change from "country-like common people" who suddenly matured into readers with a quickly developed background to give them remarkable powers of healing, judgment and wisdom. All in all, I have a temptation to pass the movie off to three friends who might have some interest in suggested Theology of their Hindu thinking about the spiritual gifts of Pundit in his ability to heal both body and spirit!
It may well be that leaving the story open-ended was intentional with potential results of allowing more questions for discussion and word-of-mouth advertising of such an engrossing story!
Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood
"The Mystic Masseur" is about a young scholar who decides to chuck his teaching job, only to author a book that eventually launches his career as a masseur, which is more than just someone who gives a rub-down--in this context, a masseur is something of a shaman healer. There is much that is good in this movie, but it has problems that keep it from getting a higher rating from me.
Good: The acting is all first-rate, and it is quite a funny movie in many spots. I especially love one female character who always has to interrupt her advice to the scholar with continual chastisement of her son--"'Ey boy, leave that parrot alone or I will hit you" in that lilting Trinidadian speech.
Bad: This is a movie that has passage of time in it. The masseur ages, his friend ages, the little boy grows up, but oddly enough, the masseur's wife has no old makeup and doesn't do anything to suggest that she has moved on in years like everyone else. Why is that? Another, more serious flaw is that the movie just stops, and the credits roll. The ending is not at all definitive enough--that's a big problem. In fact, it was only when I sat there looking at the credits rolling that I learned this was a Merchant Ivory film. Well, just goes to show that not every movie can be "Room with a View". There was nothing here to EVER make me wonder whether this film came from that team.
Final verdict? Could have stood a little massaging to make it into a better movie than ultimately it is.
