(NB: In 1996 my wife and I spent some time in Milton Keynes and Stony Stratford, just a short ways north of Luton. Good, interesting story with lots of humor and a focus on family values. In this case it jjust happened to be Springsteen.
Bruce springsteen blinded by the light movie#
This movie is not a tribute to Springsteen, it is simply a tribute to anyone who gets inspired by the words of others to redirect their lives and get on a path of achievement. Part of the story is his winning a writing contest and earning a paid trip to Monmouth College, in New Jersey, which gave him an opportunity to explore Springsteen's stomping grounds. Another boy at school loans him a cassette tape of Bruce Springsteen music and those lyrics indelibly change his outlook. And also to get a distance away from his overbearing father. The boy is a school nerd of sorts, choosing to study and have aspirations to go to college, to study to be a writer. This is a story inspired by author Sarfraz Manzoor and his experiences as a Pakistani boy growing up in Luton. It is set in 19 Luton, England, just a ways up the M1 from London. My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library. Given that the Boss can be notorious in allowing clearance for his music to be used in movies, in effect this film had his blessing and I was surprised he did not end up with a Producer credit. The film contains twelve Springsteen songs including an unreleased song that he originally wrote for the first Harry Potter film but was unused. What lets the movie down is the well worn cliche of the Asian son and father having differences when it comes to growing up. Javed, a young lad of Pakistani origin and his friend Roops, a sikh are inspired by the Boss's music and find meaning in their lives. The film also shows that Springsteen's songs cuts across class, nationality, race and religion. These albums had songs which resonated with blue collar workers in the USA that were facing job insecurity and young people heading towards a life of uncertainty. It is a fertile ground to incorporate Bruce Springsteen songs, particularly from albums such as The River and Darkness in the Edge of Town. Blinded by the Light is a feel good movie with undercurrents of the political and economics circumstances of the 1980s. They only seemed to have existed in London at that time. It is notable that this film is set in 1987 but the yuppies have yet to get to places like Luton. No jobs, no money and fascists wanting to blame immigrants. Life in Luton during Mrs Thatcher's 1980s was not too different from many other towns. They must have hated it as they only stayed there for a few months and soon returned up north. My parents used to talk about living in Luton. When a college friend introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed finds the Boss's music talks to him directly and it enables Javed to find his own voice.
Bruce springsteen blinded by the light professional#
His dad would like Javed to have a professional job where he can earn good money, Javed wants to write instead but he thinks no one would be interested. Javed grew up in a traditional Pakistani family, his dad works in a car factory and is soon to be made redundant. Blinded by the Light is about Javed (Viveik Kalra) a teenager who has started college in 1987 in the town of Luton which is facing industrial decline and the rise in racism. It could use less and achieve more.īased on the semi autobiographical by journalist Sarfraz Manzoor. It needs to consider his fair weather fans and play only his hits from that era. For his fans, there could never be too much. Sometimes, his music overwhelms the story. The question is incorporating his music seamlessly into the story. The soundtrack here has plenty of other 80's music. At least, it's not a movie of one artist. The other underlying theme is Bruce Springsteen. Maybe Eliza's parents can grow in character to represent a victory of sorts. The old WWII vet has already provided some of momentum. After the graffiti, I would have liked the white neighbors to come and clean it up. The underlying racism adds the flavor although I would prefer a more obvious victory to wrap up that part. It's done well enough and it's mostly done in a charming fashion. Its standard story is both a curse and a blessing.
Indeed, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha has dealt with much of this subject matter as far back as Bend It Like Beckham. At its core, this is a traditional coming-of-age story. Soon, he's using the music as inspiration for his life. He is introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen by Sikh student Roops. Javed has a demanding and controlling father in the traditional family but he has more passion in writing which is nurtured by English teacher Ms. In 1987, Javed Khan and his Pakistani Muslim immigrant family move to Luton in Thatcher's England.
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