Black (2005)
2.35:1 (16x9 Enhanced)
Dolby Digital 5.1
Yash Raj Films, $8.99

The Indian film Black poses an interesting filmmaking question: how does one find visual terms to express the point of view of a character who cannot see or hear? Black tells the story of Michelle (Rani Mukherjee), a young girl who grows up deaf and blind and learns to communicate with the help of a dedicated instructor, Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan). When Sahai is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the roles of teacher and student are reversed, and Michelle must reach out to her former mentor, who is now almost totally helpless.

The first half of Black will seem familiar to anyone who has read or watched The Miracle Worker, which presents the story of Helen Keller and her relationship to her teacher. But visually, Black stands on its own. Whereas Miracle Worker director Arthur Penn and cinematographer Ernest Caparros chose to tell their story in spare black-and-white, Black director Sanjay Leela Chansali and cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran, ISC take the opposite approach, filling their film with lush, vibrant color.

Chansali also eschews Penn’s naturalism in favor of a highly melodramatic style that might strike some viewers as a bit forced, particularly in scenes in which Michelle’s progress seems ridiculously accelerated. The director’s sentimentality is redeemed by Chandran’s widescreen compositions and lighting, which lend the piece a profound emotional resonance.

The filmmakers’ technique is precise; each shot and cut adds to our understanding of the characters and their struggles. Utilizing a number of recurring visual motifs, the filmmakers create a work of beauty and poetry. The camerawork serves as a wonderful counterpoint to the film’s content, especially in the many scenes in which perfectly executed tracking shots comment ironically on the lack of stability in Michelle’s life.

When Michelle first learns the meaning of words, the imagery changes from muted colors to a bright, dynamic palette that perfectly expresses her mental and emotional awakening. The emotional range of the story is matched by the tonal range of Chandran’s lighting, which looks terrific on this DVD’s excellent transfer. The surround mix is terrific, too; sound designer Resul Pookutty impressively conveys the emotional state of a heroine who cannot hear by creating a layered aural design that tends to focus on a few prominent sounds.

In addition to a theatrical trailer and some TV spots promoting the movie, the DVD contains two making-of featurettes. The first of these, “The Color of Black,” offers an interview with Bhansali and his two lead actors, but it will prove frustrating for viewers who don’t speak Hindi because most of it isn’t subtitled. The second documentary, “The Making of Black,” is primarily in English and offers an illuminating look at the production of the film. Black is available only as an import, but it’s well worth seeking out.

— Jim Hemphill