Sita Sings the Blues

Amidst all my drafts, I just had to create a new post for this!

I was just browsing through the net when I came upon this site:
Sita Sings the Blues (http://www.sitasingstheblues.com)

I sat and watched the animated movie this afternoon, and thought that I should definitely put it up on my blog!

Sita Sings the Blues is a cute animated feature film, directed, produced, written and animated by Nina Paley. Nina Paley is an American cartoonist, best known for her comic strips such as Nina's Adventures and Fluff which were drawn by her, and often written by her as well. Her drawing talents naturally led to animated short films like Fetch!, The Stork and The Wit and Wisdom of Cancer, and now Sita Sings the Blues. Read her blog to know more about her works.

Sita Sings the Blues is a retelling of the Ramayana, evidently, from the title, based on Sita, Rama's wife. The story in the animation does miss a few elements from the original epic; such as the absence of Lakshmana, Rama's brother in the 14 years of Vanavas of Rama and Sita. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable piece of work with adorable illustrations, keeping the viewer intrigued and wanting for more. The movie also tells Nina's true story about how she was interested in the Ramayana. The story goes thus:

Nina and her husband are happily living in San Francisco. Her husband is sent to Trivandrum, India, for a six-month project, which is later extended to another year. Unable to withstand the pains of being separated from her husband, she moves to India to be with him, where she comes upon the epic, Ramayana. Later, she gets an assignment in New York, and while on that trip, her husband breaks of their marriage. Not wanting to go back to India or San Francisco, she moves to New York, and draws lines of similarity between her and Sita.

Strung along with Nina's story, is the story of Ramayana, in the form of a discussion between three Indian Shadow Puppets; and musical interludes containing blues songs by Annette Hanshaw.

The video file for the movie is available in several forms for downloading; the details are on the website. You can also watch it on Youtube, but I have also put in the playlist below for your convenience.

SITA SINGS THE BLUES: Youtube Playlist

Youtube Playlist Link: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=422DA8C3B574D836

Hope you have a wonderful time watching it, like I did; but remember, some facts are missing, however the focus is on Sita and her emotions tied up with melancholic music.

XOXO,

Purple Poise