The Fall (2006), d. Tarsem Singh revolves around an eight-year-old girl called Alexandria and Roy, who are both patients in a hospital in Los Angeles. The movie is set in the 1920s in Los Angeles with actors of mixed origin. The Fall is a story within stories, a movie in which most parts are narrations between Roy and Alexandria. Most of the actors are Indians, bringing in the Indian culture. The Indian attires and some of the movie scenes are set within the Asian environment, such as the desert and buildings that symbolize Asian culture.[1]. The title is also a metaphor for most of the things going on in the movie. Although it is a narration and very few things are said by the characters, it is pretty easy to pin up the plot and the theme of the movie to follow its plot. Using this movie, we are going to check on how architecture is used and if it has any cultural implications for Asian culture.
The movie, directed by Tarsem Singh, begins with a young girl called Alexandria who is admitted to the hospital with a fractured arm. There is also Roy, who is admitted to the same hospital with a fractured leg. However, he is very depressed and thinking of committing suicide after losing his girlfriend to another man. Roy and Alexandria become friends with Alexandria, whose stories give him more reason to live. Alexandria is also seen with several oranges, which eat throughout the story. At some point in the movie, she is seen throwing an orange at the priest, and when the movie ends, she is also seen throwing oranges at a man who has just died.[2]. Alexandria and Roy grow so close and fond of each other that she is at Roy’s bed most of the time. They get along well, and there is a time Roy asks Alexandria to help him commit suicide. Although it is an indirect request, Alexandria declines. Roy continues telling Alexandria stories whiles she imagines them; he tells a story of an unjust governor, Governor Odious, who was being hunted by five men to seek revenge against him. As Roy narrates the story, it seems Alexandria has met all these men in real life. This story is meant to coerce Alexandria to help him commit suicide; after he narrates a story, he stops and asks her to get him morphine if she wants him to finish the story. In the end, Roy begins killing all the characters in the story, which agitates Alexandria as she claims it is her story too. Then Roy tries to have the crew stranded in the desert without water so they can die, but Alexandria responds by putting herself into the story and releasing the stranded crew from the desert.
The Fall is set up in Los Angeles and seems to be a sad movie since it comprises people admitted to the hospital and killings out of revenge. Its setup begins with someone in a palm tree commonly found in the Asian region. Although the movie is played in Los Angeles, there are traces of Asian culture. For instance, several buildings have embraced Asian architectural designs. Most of the buildings that we have seen in the movie have a symmetric style.[3]For example, the house next to the palm tree at the beginning of the movie has a symmetric architectural design; the four corners in it show the use of symmetry. Asian architects embrace gardening as part of construction; in the movie, there is a pro-nature character in the story. At one point, we showed him a charming garden with all forms of vegetation tied to catch insects. Most Asian buildings also have a dome at the top of the building, which is evident in the several buildings in the movie. There is also evidence of an enclosed open space called Siheyuan by the Chinese; this architectural style has several implications in this cultural setup. The enclosed open space allows the heat to rise and warm the rooms and creates space for cold air to get into the building.[4]. They also serve as meeting places in case they are constructed for commercial purposes. With high and low temperatures in Asian countries, this style is important for regulating temperature. In the movie, this open courtyard is evident in the building where the five crew goes to lay ambush on the rebellious governor. The open space acted as a retreat space for the opponent team while it also allowed the other side to attack them without a way out to escape. Asiatic architectural designs are also present in the movie, showing images of their sculpted gods and goddesses in the buildings.
Within the movie, the actors use scrolls as a surface of writing, which corresponds with when the movie was filmed, as there were no books by then. Tall pillars or towers are also used; for example, the governor’s wife uses the tall pillar to kill herself. After watching the movie, it is clear that in the 1920s, when the movie was being shot, there were regions ruled by governors who most embraced the dictatorial method of ruling.[5]. Since this movie is based on the theme of love, it seems that back then, people believed in true love; love is ailing Roy until he contemplates suicide. However, the movie could have been more interesting if it was not narration but let all the characters speak for themselves. Although Roy is hospitalized and the plan he has is not acceptable, his voice is a bit inaudible, and it strains to hear him. From my experience with the movie, I do not think I would watch it again, for my expectations were not met. Lastly, the movie title corresponds with the happens, for example, the Fall of Alexandria from a tree that broke her hand, the Fall of Roy’s relationship with his girlfriend, the Fall of the governor’s wife, which killed her and the Fall of the governor’s reign.
Bibliography
Weber, Nicolas. “Cross-Cultural Exchange and the Colonial Imaginary. Global Encounters via Southeast Asia ed. by H. Hazel Hahn.” Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 94, no. 2 (2021): 210-212. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/842116/summary
Mowla, Qazi Azizul, and ATM Masood Reza. “Stylistic Evolution of Architecture in Bangladesh from a Colony to a Free Country.” https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Qazi-Mowla/publication/292143592_Stylistic_Evolution_of_Architecture_in_Bangladesh_From_a_Colony_to_a_Free_Country/links/6177fb0a0be8ec17a93166b5/Stylistic-Evolution-of-Architecture-in-Bangladesh-From-a-Colony-to-a-Free-Country.pdf
Rosengarten, Albert. A handbook of architectural styles. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1898. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xPkk5rtbS20C&oi=fnd&pg=PP27&dq=asiatic+architectural+styles&ots=-wgbOoj6S_&sig=poDhmoQqsCb-rY7BKZh5Mm1Bsig
YouTube. n.d. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRRrrePA5AE.
[1] YouTube. n.d. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRRrrePA5AE.
[2] YouTube. n.d. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRRrrePA5AE
[3] Rosengarten, Albert. A handbook of architectural styles. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1898. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xPkk5rtbS20C&oi=fnd&pg=PP27&dq=asiatic+architectural+styles&ots=-wgbOoj6S_&sig=poDhmoQqsCb-rY7BKZh5Mm1Bsig
[4] Mowla, Qazi Azizul, and ATM Masood Reza. “Stylistic Evolution of Architecture in Bangladesh from a Colony to a Free Country.” https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Qazi-Mowla/publication/292143592_Stylistic_Evolution_of_Architecture_in_Bangladesh_From_a_Colony_to_a_Free_Country/links/6177fb0a0be8ec17a93166b5/Stylistic-Evolution-of-Architecture-in-Bangladesh-From-a-Colony-to-a-Free-Country.pdf
[5] Weber, Nicolas. “Cross-Cultural Exchange and the Colonial Imaginary. Global Encounters via Southeast Asia ed. by H. Hazel Hahn.” Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 94, no. 2 (2021): 210-212. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/842116/summary
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