Shiraz (film)

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Shiraz
Shiraz (film).jpg
Directed byFranz Osten
Written by
Produced byHimansu Rai
StarringHimansu Rai


Seeta Devi
CinematographyEmil Schünemann
Henry Harris
Distributed byBritish Instructional Films
UFA
Release date
  • 26 September 1928 (1928-09-26) (United Kingdom)
Running time
118 minutes
CountriesIndia
United Kingdom
Germany

Shiraz (Shiraz: A Romance of India) (Das Grabmal einer großen Liebe in German) is a 1928 silent film, directed by Franz Osten and starring Himansu Rai and . It was adapted from a stage play of the same name by Niranjan Pal, and based on the story of the commissioning of the Taj Mahal – the great monument of a Mughul prince for his dead queen.

Plot[]

Shiraz (Rai) is a potter's son, who is brought up as brother to Selima (Rau), a girl of unknown but royal lineage who was rescued from an ambush in childhood. Shiraz falls in love with Selima as a young adult and when she is kidnapped by slavers and sold to Prince Khurram, Shiraz follows her to Agra, where he will risk a horrible death to protect her and one day design her great memorial.[1]

Cast[]

Production[]

The film was shot in Jaipur.[1] It was an Indian/British/German co-production, and the second of three silent films made on location in India by star and producer Himansu Rai. The others are Prem Sanyas (The Light of Asia, 1926) and A Throw of Dice (Prapanch Pash, 1929).[2]

Restoration[]

Shiraz was restored from original film elements by the BFI National Archive in 2017, and had its premiere as a gala screening at the 2017 London Film Festival, accompanied by a new score composed and performed by Anoushka Shankar. The Guardian's film critic Peter Bradshaw praised the film as " a startlingly ambitious epic weepie-romance".[3] The restored version subsequently played in a number of venues in India in late 2017.[4][5] The film was shown as part of the BFI London Film Festival's lineup at We Are One: A Global Film Festival in 2020.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Hoberman, J. (16 January 2019). "'Shiraz,' a Silent Spectacle of India, Returns" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ "Review: Landmark 1928 Indian silent film 'Shiraz: A Romance of India'". Los Angeles Times. 21 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Inside the British Film Institute archives — and an Indian gem sparkles again". The Financial Times. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Shiraz: A Romance of India review – 90-year-old epic stands test of time". The Financial Times. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  5. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  6. ^ Kay2020-05-27T12:20:00+01:00, Jeremy. "We Are One global film festival announces line-up". Screen.

External links[]


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