Progressive Writers' Movement and Ghosts of Mars: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox_Film |

The '''''Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind''''' or '''Progressive Writers' Movement''' was a [[progressivism|progressive]] literary movement in the pre-partition [[British India]], consisting of a few different writers groups around the world.

name = John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars |

image =Ghostsofmars01.jpg |

imdb_id =0228333 |

writer =[[John Carpenter]]<br>Larry Sulkis |

starring =[[Ice Cube]]<br>[[Natasha Henstridge]]<br>[[Jason Statham]]<br>[[Pam Grier]]<br>[[Clea DuVall]]<br>[[Joanna Cassidy]]|

director =[[John Carpenter]] |

producer =Sandy King |

distributor =[[Storm King]] [[Screen Gems]] |

released =[[August 24]], [[2001]] ([[Theater]])<br>[[December 4]] [[2001]] ([[DVD]]) |

runtime =98 min. |

language =English |

music =[[John Carpenter]] |

awards = |

amg_id = 1:250566 |

budget =$28,000,000 |

}}

'''''Ghosts of Mars''''' (also known as '''''John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars''''') is a [[2001]] movie directed by [[John Carpenter]], which in its basic themes is similar to his earlier [[Assault_on_Precinct_13_(1976_film) | Assault on Precinct 13]].

The groups were [[anti-imperialist]]ic and [[leftist|left-oriented]], and sought to inspire people through their writings advocating equality and attacking social injustice and backwardness.

==Plot==

According to [[Dawn newspaper]], "Progressive Writers Movement in [[Urdu literature]] was the strongest movement after [[Sir Syed]]'s education movement. The progressives contributed to Urdu literature some of the finest pieces of fiction and poetry. Undoubtedly, they were the trend-setters for the coming generation of writers, and their role cannot be denigrated or denied." <ref>[http://www.dawn.com/2004/10/01/letted.htm#7 Progressive writers], [[Dawn Newspaper]], 1 October 2004</ref>

The movie is set in the mid 22nd century. The planet [[Mars]] has been [[terraformed]], allowing Humans to walk on the surface without having to wear pressure suits. The story concerns a police officer, Melanie Ballard ([[Natasha Henstridge]]) who is leading a small team to pick up and transport a prisoner named Desolation Williams ([[Ice Cube]]). Arriving at the remote mining town where Williams is being held, Ballard finds virtually all of the people missing. On investigating she discovers that the miners found an underground doorway which had been created by an ancient [[Martian]] civilization. When the door was opened it released "ghosts", disembodied spirits who possessed the miners.

* The [[Indian Progressive Writers' Association]] was set up in [[London]] in [[1935]].

* The [[Progressive Writers' Association]] was set up in [[Kolkata]] in July [[1936]].

* The [[All India Writers' Association]] was set up in [[Lucknow]] on 10 April [[1936]] under the leadership of [[Syed Sajjad Zahir]].

Violence ensues, as the now possessed miners commit acts of [[death]] and [[destruction]], as well as [[self-mutilation]]. <!--The self mutilation however may be merely the alien spirits attempting to alter their human bodies to look more like those of the aliens themselves (which are only partially seen very briefly).-->

==Writers==

Among the prominent members of the movement were:

* [[Dr M. D. Taseer]]

* [[Faiz Ahmed Faiz]]

* [[Sajjad Zaheer]]

* Prof [[Ahmed Ali]]

* [[Dr Nusrat Jehan]]

* [[Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi]]

* [[Ahmed Faraz]]

* [[Kaifi Azmi]]

* [[Krishan Chander]]

* [[Ismat Chughtai]]

* [[Rajinder Singh Bedi]]

* [[Ali Sardar Jafri]]

* [[Josh Malihabadi]]

* [[Majrooh Sultanpuri]]

* [[Makhdoom Mohiuddin]]

Ballard must fight off the attacking miners, escape the town, and if possible destroy the ghosts. Unfortunately all these tasks are complicated by the fact that killing a possessed human merely releases the Martian spirit, which immediately possesses another human. Eventually they decide to blow up a [[nuclear]] reactor, which kills the human hosts. All of Ballard's team are killed by the miners, leaving only her and Desolation. Not wanting the authorities to blame the massacre on him, he handcuffs Ballard to her bed and escapes the train, leaving her to return home. While she reccuperates at a hospital, the miners attack the city. Desolation returns with a pair of [[nickle]] plated [[uzi]]s and they team up to fight off the alien zombies, setting the film up for an unlikly sequel.

==References==

<references />

==Related articles==

* [[Pak Tea House]]

==Further reading==

* ''[http://www.urdupoetry.com/articles/art9.html Progressive Movement and Urdu Poetry]'', by [[Ali Sardar Jafri]]

* ''[http://www.dawn.com/2006/10/01/fea.htm Sajjad Zaheer and Progressive Writers’ Movement]''

* {{cite journal

| last = Zeno

| title = Professor Ahmed Ali and the Progressive Writers’ Movement

| journal = Annual of Urdu Studies

| volume = 9

| pages = 39–43

| date = 1994

| publisher = University of Wisconsin—Madison

| url = http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/09/10ZenoProfessor.pdf

| format = [[PDF]]

| id = ISSN: 0734-5348}}

==Production Notes==

* {{cite journal

| last = Mahmud

| first = Shabana

| title = Angāre and the Founding of the Progressive Writers' Association

| journal = Modern Asian Studies

| volume = 30

| issue = 2

| pages = 39–43

| date = May 1996}}

*Although Mars has a day/night cycle almost identical in length to Earth's, most of the movie is set at night. The only moment in which we see Mars during the daytime is in a flashback through the character of the scientist, when she talks about how she found and opened a "Pandora's Box" that let the alien spirits out.

* {{cite journal

| last = Malik

| first = Hafeez

| title = The Marxist Literary Movement in India and Pakistan

| journal = The Journal of Asian Studies

| volume = 26

| issue = 4

| pages = 649-664

| date = August 1967}}

*Much of the movie was filmed in a [[gypsum]] mine in New Mexico. The pure white gypsum had to be dyed with thousands of gallons of biodegradable red food dye to recreate the appearance of the Martian landscape.

* {{cite book

| last = Mir

| first = Ali Husain

| coauthors = Mir, Raza

| title = Anthems of Resistance: A Celebration of Progessive Urdu Poetry

| publisher = RST IndiaInk

| date = 2006

| id = ISBN 81869-3926-1 }}

==Trivia==

{{lit-stub}}

*Originally Courtney Cox was set to play Ballard but after her foot was run over accidently by her husband she was replaced by Natasha Henstridge.

*On a similar note, Jason Statham was originally set to play Desolation Williams. This film also contains Statham's first on screen kiss.

==External links==

[[Category:Indian literature]]

[[Category:Pakistani literature]]

*{{imdb title|id=0228333|title=Ghosts of Mars}}

[[Category:Progressivism]]

*[http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/pages/themovies/gm/gm.html Ghosts of Mars at theofficialjohncarpenter.com]

[[Category:Indian marxism]]

{{John Carpenter Films}}

{{2000s-horror-film-stub}}

[[Category:2001 films]]

[[Category:Mars in fiction]]

[[Category:American films]]

[[Category:English-language films]]

[[Category:Space adventure films]]

[[Category:Films directed by John Carpenter]]

[[Category:Science fiction action films]]

[[Category:Science fiction horror films]]

[[Category:Screen Gems films]]

[[Category:Ghost films]]

[[de:Ghosts of Mars]]

[[fr:Ghosts of Mars]]

[[it:Fantasmi da Marte]]

[[ja:ゴースト・オブ・マーズ]]

[[fi:Ghosts of Mars]]