Slumdog Millionaire - Rating: 10/10.
Films can be great for tourism. Lord of the Rings made New Zealand the number one long haul destination.
Crocodile Dundee had earlier done the same for Australia.
Mama Mia has resulted in a surge of bookings for Greece. Does not matter where in Greece - just Greece.
Braveheart led to a boom in Scottish tourism despite the fact that Braveheart was filmed in Ireland, because of the more generous tax allowances.
A James Bond film has countries queuing-up; being featured in a James Bond film leads to an increase in visitors.
When the London River Authorities refused permission for the river chase at the opening of the Bond film The World is not Enough The British Tourist Authority contacted the Minister in charge of Tourism, it was Robin Cook, and he over-ruled the River Authority and that river chase was filmed. It was also to encourage people to visit the Dome, as the Dome featured heavily.
Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, and Gloucester Cathedral have benefited greatly from their Harry Potter connections.
Slumdog Millionaire will do absolutely nothing for Indian tourism. In fact I would go so far as to say it will discourage people from going to India. It shows poverty on an unimaginable scale.
That does not mean that you should not go and see Slumdog Millionaire, you should. It may only be January but without doubt if you see only one film this year, see Slumdog Millionaire.
This film has already won the Golden Globe for Best Picture and been nominated for BAFTAs and Oscars.
The film is about Jamal Malik an 18-year-old boy from the slums of Mumbai, who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of Who wants to be a Millionaire. One question away from 20 million Rupees, (which is actually ÃÂã293.000) when the programme breaks for the night - doesn't it always - and Jamal is arrested and accused of cheating.
In flashback he tells how he knows the answers.
This is not a film for the faint-hearted, there are some harrowing scenes and you will never be rude to an Indian call center worker again.
Director Danny Boyle, who also directed Millions written by Liverpool author Frank Cottrell Boyce, knows how to get stunning performances from children. He has managed to get sensitive performances with out sinking into sentimentality.
What Jamal sinks into at the start of this film will have you horrified and laughing, not something that is easy to achieve but Danny Boyle has managed it. His film Trainspotting featured "the worst toilet in Scotland", 5 star luxury compared to this toilet.
Trainspotting did not do a great deal for Scottish tourism. I spot a trend here.
If this film was made featuring an 18-year-old from a "Sink Estate" , from which there are many to choose in Britain, the script would be peppered with foul language. Danny Boyle and script writer Simon Beaufoy, also a Golden Globe winner, have produced a great film without doing this, for that alone they are to be complimented.
Slumdog Millionaire is not 50/50 it is a100% great film. Just ask the audience. Phone a friend and arrange to go now.
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