I have a review of Christian Marclay’s Bollywood goes to Gstaad in the newest issue of The New Inquiry. It’s available here for $2; if you don’t already subscribe to TNI, you should!
“If you’ve seen any Bollywood films lately, you may be familiar with the “cut to Switzerland.” No matter what precedes it, when the music swells, it’s time for a quick costume change and an even quicker teleportation to an alpine dreamscape some 5,000 miles away. Perhaps the lovers—and it’s nearly always the lovers—run to each other in a springy, buttercup-studded meadow. Perhaps they’re in the mountains or sharing chaste almost-kisses by the lake under an impossibly clear sky. In the other filmi staple, a sudden torrential downpour sets the stage for a conveniently soaked sari and passionate almost-clench, but it’s always sunny in Switzerland.”
ETA: The piece is now available to read online here