SHIRAZ (1928) is the second of three silent films that make up a truly remarkable trilogy. The other two are THE LIGHT OF ASIA (1927) and A THROW OF DICE (1929). They were a collaborative effort between an Indian producer/star, British financing, and a German director. All 3 movies were shot on location in India and had as their backgrounds India's 3 dominant religions; Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. The producer/star was Himansu Rai; initial funding was put up by England's Pro Patria Films, and the director was Franz Osten who lived in India from 1924-1936 and directed a dozen movies there.
THE LIGHT OF ASIA was about the life of Buddha. A THROW OF DICE was taken from the great Hindu epic THE MAHABARATA. SHIRAZ concerns the Mughal (Mogul) emperor Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal. Not surprisingly, this movie was a big hit with Western audiences because of its subject matter and is also a fascinating amalgam of Indian history and Western exotica. It tells the story of a humble potter and a legendary ruler who are in love with the same woman. Producer Rai plays the title character, Charu Roy the emperor, and Eurasian actress Senta Davi is a duplicitous rival. All 3 are in the other two films as well.
The Indian scenery, the pageantry, the costumes, and lots and lots of extras in the crowd scenes are all dazzling to behold (even in black & white). The story, though a traditional love triangle, is made more interesting by the exotic backgrounds. The acting by the 4 principals is straightforward and restrained by silent film standards which adds to the overall enjoyment. One criticism I have is that at 106 minutes the film is a little too long and it does build slowly but the emotional payoff at the conclusion is well worth the wait.
As a silent film enthusiast and historian, I was struck by the fact that there are literally no camera movements in the movie. The film is also edited in an antiquated way (for 1928) consisting of long shots, medium shots, close-ups and nothing in between. It's hard to believe that the director and the cameraman were German considering the look of Weimar Era cinema with its Expressionistic editing and highly mobile camerawork. This must have been a deliberate decision on the part of the filmmakers as there were no studio shots and they stuck to straight forward storytelling without embellishments so it would be easier to follow.
This BFI restoration comes 16 years after the third film of the trilogy, A THROW OF DICE, and it surpasses the high standards set by that release. What really adds to the atmosphere is the score composed for this release by Anoushka Shankar. Like the best Indian music it has a mesmerizing quality all its own and would make a great soundtrack CD. The one drawback with this release is that it does not come with the 2 special features which are listed on the cover but you do get both Blu-ray and DVD in this packaging. SHIRAZ is a must, especially for anyone interested in Indian cinema before Bollywood...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.