Sita Sings the Blues

Plot

Sita Sings the Blues weaves together three parallel narratives: the ancient Indian epic of the Ramayana focusing on Princess Sita's unjust exile by her husband Prince Rama; a contemporary autobiographical story of director Nina Paley's own painful divorce; and humorous, educational commentary from three Indian shadow puppet narrators who explain the cultural and historical context. The film ingeniously uses 1920s jazz recordings by Annette Hanshaw to give voice to Sita's emotions, creating a powerful bridge between ancient India and jazz-age America. Through its innovative blend of animation styles, the film explores themes of love, betrayal, female suffering, and resilience across cultures and centuries. The narrative culminates in a powerful synthesis that demonstrates how personal pain can connect to universal mythic patterns.

Historical Background

Sita Sings the Blues emerged during a pivotal period in independent filmmaking and digital distribution, coinciding with the rise of Creative Commons licensing and growing debates about copyright law in the internet age. The film was created as traditional distribution models were being challenged by new digital technologies, and it became a landmark case for how independent artists could reach audiences directly. The early 2000s also saw increased interest in cross-cultural storytelling and the adaptation of traditional myths for contemporary audiences. Additionally, this period marked growing recognition of women's perspectives in animation, a field historically dominated by male creators. The film's release during the global financial crisis of 2008 also resonated with themes of loss and rebuilding that were particularly relevant to audiences of the time.

Making Of

Nina Paley created Sita Sings the Blues as a deeply personal project following her own divorce, during which she discovered the Ramayana and was struck by the parallels between Sita's story and her own experience. Working primarily from her home studio in New York, Paley taught herself Flash animation and spent five years crafting the film almost entirely by herself. The production process was marked by significant challenges, particularly regarding the music rights for Annette Hanshaw's 1920s jazz recordings. After spending considerable money on licensing fees and facing ongoing copyright complications, Paley made the revolutionary decision to release the film for free online under a Creative Commons license. This decision not only solved her distribution problems but also made her a prominent advocate for copyright reform. The film's innovative structure - weaving together three distinct visual and narrative styles - was developed organically as Paley sought to find the most effective way to tell her complex, multi-layered story.

Visual Style

The film employs a sophisticated multi-style visual approach that distinguishes its three narrative threads while maintaining overall cohesion. The Ramayana segments feature vibrant, stylized 2D animation influenced by Indian miniature paintings and traditional art, with rich colors and fluid character movement. The contemporary autobiographical story uses photo collage techniques combined with simpler, more direct animation, creating an intimate documentary feel. The shadow puppet narrators utilize actual shadow puppet techniques adapted for animation, providing a traditional Indian storytelling aesthetic. These visual shifts are not merely stylistic choices but serve to help audiences navigate between different time periods and narrative perspectives. The animation, created primarily using Flash software, demonstrates remarkable technical skill and artistic vision, particularly considering it was mostly created by one person. The visual transitions between styles are seamless and purposeful, enhancing the film's thematic exploration of connections across time and culture.

Innovations

Sita Sings the Blues represents remarkable technical achievements, particularly considering it was created almost entirely by one person using consumer-grade software. Paley's innovative use of Flash animation allowed her to create professional-quality animation without the resources of a major studio. The film pioneered new techniques for seamlessly integrating archival audio with new animation, maintaining the authentic quality of 1920s recordings while synchronizing them perfectly with newly created visuals. The multi-style animation approach was technically challenging, requiring Paley to master different animation techniques and ensure they worked cohesively within a single narrative. Perhaps most significantly, the film's distribution model - releasing for free online under Creative Commons licensing - was groundbreaking and influenced many subsequent independent filmmakers. The technical solutions Paley developed for combining photo collage, traditional animation, and shadow puppet techniques within a digital workflow demonstrated new possibilities for independent animation production.

Music

The soundtrack of Sita Sings the Blues is built around the 1920s jazz recordings of Annette Hanshaw, whose songs provide the voice for Sita throughout the film. These recordings, primarily from 1927-1929, include songs like 'Who's That Knocking?', 'Moanin' Low,' and 'Mean to Me,' which Paley discovered perfectly matched Sita's emotional journey. The soundtrack also features original music composed by Todd Michaelsen, who collaborated with Paley on the score. Additional tracks include traditional Indian music and contemporary compositions that bridge the cultural divide. The innovative use of Hanshaw's recordings creates a unique temporal collision, placing 1920s American jazz in ancient India, yet somehow making it feel perfectly natural. The sound design effectively integrates the archival audio with the new animation, maintaining the vintage quality of the recordings while ensuring clarity. The soundtrack became so integral to the film's identity that the copyright struggles over these recordings nearly prevented the film's distribution.

Memorable Scenes

• Sita's trial by fire (Agni Pariksha) animated in brilliant oranges and reds while Annette Hanshaw's 'Who's That Knocking' plays, creating a powerful fusion of ancient ritual and jazz-age emotion
• The three shadow puppet narrators explaining the cultural context of the Ramayana with humor and insight, breaking down complex mythological concepts for modern audiences
• The contemporary breakup scenes using photo collage of Nina Paley's actual emails and memories, creating an intimate documentary feel within the animated narrative
• Sita's exile into the forest with her two sons, animated in gentle greens and blues while Hanshaw's 'Moanin' Low' provides the emotional soundtrack
• The final sequence bringing all three narratives together in a powerful synthesis showing how personal pain connects to universal mythic patterns
• The opening sequence establishing the three parallel stories with different animation styles immediately showing the film's innovative approach
• The scene where Sita sings 'Mean to Me' to Rama, using 1920s jazz to express ancient emotions with surprising perfect fit
• The shadow puppets' explanation of why Rama exiled Sita, providing cultural context that Western audiences might miss

What Critics Said

Sita Sings the Blues received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, who praised its creativity, emotional depth, and innovative narrative structure. The film holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. Critics particularly highlighted how Paley successfully integrated three disparate narratives into a cohesive and emotionally powerful whole. The New York Times called it 'an imaginative tour de force,' while The Guardian described it as 'a triumph of personal storytelling.' Variety praised the film's 'inventive animation and clever juxtapositions,' and many critics noted how the use of Annette Hanshaw's music created an unexpectedly perfect emotional match for the ancient story. Some reviewers found the contemporary parallel story particularly moving, while others appreciated the educational value of the shadow puppet narrators. The film was frequently cited as one of the best animated films of 2008 and received particular praise for its feminist perspective on the ancient myth.

What Audiences Thought

Audiences embraced Sita Sings the Blues with enthusiasm, particularly after Paley made it available for free online. The film developed a strong cult following and has been viewed millions of times through various online platforms. Many viewers reported being deeply moved by the parallels between Sita's ancient story and Paley's contemporary experience, finding universal themes of love, betrayal, and resilience. The use of Annette Hanshaw's jazz vocals was particularly praised by audiences, with many discovering the singer for the first time through the film. Viewers appreciated how the animation made the complex Ramayana accessible and relevant to modern audiences. The film's open distribution model generated significant goodwill among audiences, who admired Paley's commitment to artistic freedom over commercial gain. Online communities formed around the film, with fans creating remixes, translations, and educational materials based on the work.

You Might Also Like