A Conversation with Sir Ben Kingley

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<B>Similar Genres</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/Movies20031Q/id1855.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/Movies200"><U><B>House of Sand and Fog</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/id1425.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/id1425.ht"><U><B>Celebrity Interviews</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> A Conversation with Sir Ben Kingley</div> <div> <IMG SRC="4666a260.png" border=0 width="362" height="550" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> For collectible movie items, enter the movie, actor, director, etc. in the box below</div> <div>  <HTML> <BODY> <script language="JavaScript1.1"> var eBayMP_partner = "711-1751-4022-33"; // Don't change any javascript below this line. var eBayRedirectURL = "http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/" + eBayMP_partner + "?loc="; function redirectEnter(form,url){ var eBayURL = url; 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src="http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/tr/711-1751-4022-36"> <IMG SRC="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/serve?bfmid=37920209&siteid=37746411&bfpage=468x60_pull_down_bor" BORDER="0" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" NOSAVE > <BODY> <HTML/>  </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="588"><div> A conversation with Sir Ben Kingsley</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="588"><div> No Acting Required</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div> <A HREF="mailto:george@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:george@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><U>By George O. Singleton</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Ben Kingsley is a gracious gentleman who wears the title of "Sir" with ease. I was in the second group of reporters to meet with him during his recent trip to Chicago to promote the film <B>"</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/Movies20031Q/id1855.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/Movies200"><U><B><U>House of Sand and Fog</U></B></U></A></FONT><B>." </B>After looking at us, the first words out of his mouth were, "This is very much a male contingent." When I told him that Pam and I review movies together and that she was at the office editing right now, he gave me a piercing glance and replied, "When you see a film together, you must have an intense and exhilarating debate? There are not many people that can do the same thing together, that's really nice." Clearly he's a man who speaks his mind and quickly gets to the point.</div> <bR> <div> I used this as a segue to ask how such a strong emotional performance was achieved in the aftermath on the courthouse steps with his son, Esmail, portrayed in the film by young actor Jonathan Ahdout (you will appreciate this discussion more if you have seen the film). Kingsley said, "…it was a bit of a struggle. During his audition Jonny brought to the room a great dignity. All of our hearts opened immediately. He has a profound love for his parents, who I know very well. </div> <bR> <div> "What also walked into the room was a particular type of life experience. He is well aware that his oldest sister and his mother were separated in the mountains between Iran and Pakistan when they fled their homeland. There was an argument that took place with the smugglers who were responsible for them because they hadn't been paid enough. They did not know if they would be abandoned in the mountains, shot…they did not know. </div> <bR> <div> "His family has bonded under extraordinary circumstances. Jonny presents an extremely rich intelligent young man, who is also a brilliant actor. I love confident kids. Although he stuck to me (during the filming) he was not afraid to make suggestions. I watched Jonny as a fellow actor flower before my eyes. His mom watched that scene from about 20 yards away and she was uncontrollable (emotionally).</div> <bR> <div> "Shock is shock. Your body goes into shock, regardless of it being real blood or fake blood. The mind sends powerful messages to all the various glands and secretions in the body. It's impossible trying to act it; it just happens. It's a very important question: no acting. At the same time, all my skills, all my craft hurl into that moment; I will try and let this grief flow. This was one of the most important scenes of my cinema career.</div> <bR> <div> "You do get to examine three versions of what three different families mean about home and family. One of the greatest things drama can do, at it's best, is to redefine the words we use every day such as love, home, family, loyalty and envy. Tragedy need not be a downer. I was reminded of just how much I love my kids.</div> <bR> <div> "The film is so wonderfully constructed. The audience saying `good for you, then, oh no,' thinking you have done the worse thing you could have possibly done a few moments later."</div> <bR> <div> Without doubt, this is one of the best movies of the year. It would be unfair to actors such as Kingsley, Russell Crowe, Sean Penn, Bencio del Toro, Denzel Washington, and a select group of others to say who among them is the best. Each of these actors can take a mediocre screenplay and elevate it to compete with the best. This marks the feature film debut of Vadim Perelman, who also shares writing credit. With Ben Kingsley in the mix, you have the making of a masterpiece. We care about ourselves and our families, and after seeing "House of Sand and Fog," hopefully, we may care more about others than we did two hours ago.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> George O. Singleton  © 2003</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="mailto:george@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:george@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>