The Song of Ceylon
The Song of Ceylon | |
---|---|
Directed by | Basil Wright |
Produced by | John Grierson (producer) |
Written by | Robert Knox (sailor) (commentary, excerpt from "An Historical Relation of Ceylon") |
Starring | See below |
Narrated by | Lionel Wendt |
Music by | Walter Leigh |
Cinematography |
Basil Wright John Taylor |
Edited by | Basil Wright |
Release dates |
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Running time | 38 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Song of Ceylon is a 1934 British documentary film directed by Basil Wright and produced by John Grierson for the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board.
The film was shot on location in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) at the start of 1934 and completed at the GPO film studios in Blackheath, London.
Digitized versions of the film are available to watch online on YouTube and via the Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire website. See the links below. The YouTube version is low quality in comparison to the version on the Colonial Film site. A DVD version of the film is available from the British Film Institute as part of their award winning GPO DVD series.
Plot summary
Ambitious documentary chronicling the cultural life and religious customs of the Sinhalese and the effects of advanced industrialism on such customs.
The first part of the film depicts the religious life of the Sinhalese, interlinking the Buddhist rituals with the natural beauty of Ceylon. Opening with a series of pans over palm leaves, we then gradually see people journey to Adam's Peak, a center of Buddhist pilgrimage for over two hundred years. This is continually inter-cut with images of surrounding natural beauty and a series of pans of a Buddhist statue.
Part two focuses on the working life of the Sinhalese, again continually stressing their intimate connection to the surrounding environment. We see people engaging in pottery, woodcarving and the building of houses, whilst children play.
The third part of the film introduces the arrival of modern communications systems into the fabric of this 'natural' lifestyle, heralded by experimental sounds and shots of industrial working practices.
Finally, in the last part of the film, we return to the religious life of the Sinhalese, where people dress extravagantly to perform a ritual dance. The film ends as it began, panning over palm trees.
Cast
- Lionel Wendt as Narrator (voice)
References
- Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire Entry for Song of Ceylon.
- Screenonline Entry for Song of Ceylon.
External links
- Watch The Film Online at the Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire Website
- The Song of Ceylon at the Internet Movie Database
- The Song of Ceylon is available for free download at the Internet Archive