Joy! Sita Sings the Blues is streaming, free, online!
The indie animated sensation blends ’20s jazz music from Annette Hanshaw, the writer/director/animator Nina Paley’s autobiographical story of divorce, and the complicated saga of Sita and Rama from the Ramayana. It’s a brisk 82 minutes, covering everything from a monkeyman army to getting dumped by e-mail, and the inventively stylish animation manages to be both evocative and lovely.
Sita Sings the Blues has been a festival darling, but the licensing fees for Hanshaw’s music have been prohibitively expensive, essentially ruining the film’s chance of distribution. But copyright law is a many-headed beast, so public television stations can air the film without violating it — which is how Sita is going to find its widest audience, starting with New Yorkâarea airings next month.
Whatever the eyeball equivalent of "nom nom nom" is pretty much sums up how I feel about this movie. I was ensorcelled.
AGREED! This is a gorgeous film, and while it is dazzling on the big screen, I’m glad it’s at least available online.
Oh! I’m seeing this tomorrow! So glad that it’s getting some media coverage
The Title Music by Todd Michaelsen of the band My Pet Dragon is also quite beautiful and epic.
You can download the Soundtrack Music at: http://www.toddmichaelsen.com
I’m watchin it right now…