Shiraz
Directed byFranz Osten
Written byWilliam A. Burton
Produced byHimansu Rai
StarringHimansu Rai
Enakshi Rama Rau
Charu Roy
Seeta Devi
CinematographyEmil Schünemann
Henry Harris
Distributed byBritish Instructional Films
UFA
Himansu Rai Film
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 Enakshi Rama Rau. 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. Due to the public's apathy towards silent films, a sound version was also produced in 1929. While the sound version has no audible dialog, it features a synchronized musical score with sound effects along with a theme song.[1]

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.[2]

Cast

Music

The sound version of the film featured a theme song entitled “The Song of Shiraz (An Oriental Reverie)” by Eric Valentine (words) and Harry Collman (music).[3]

Production

The film was shot in Jaipur.[2] 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).[4]

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".[5] The restored version subsequently played in a number of venues in India in late 2017.[6][7] The film was shown as part of the BFI London Film Festival's lineup at We Are One: A Global Film Festival in 2020.[8]

References

  1. ↑ The British Film Catalogue, 1895-1970 (1973), London: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5572-4, LCCN 72007861, OCLC 447306
  2. 1 2 Hoberman, J. (16 January 2019). "'Shiraz,' a Silent Spectacle of India, Returns" – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ↑ Wlaschin, K. (2009). The Silent Cinema in Song, 1896-1929: An Illustrated History and Catalog of Songs Inspired by the Movies and Stars, with a List of Recordings. United States: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.
  4. ↑ "Review: Landmark 1928 Indian silent film 'Shiraz: A Romance of India'". Los Angeles Times. 21 January 2019.
  5. ↑ "Inside the British Film Institute archives — and an Indian gem sparkles again". The Financial Times. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Shiraz: A Romance of India review – 90-year-old epic stands test of time". The Financial Times. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Kay2020-05-27T12:20:00+01:00, Jeremy. "We Are One global film festival announces line-up". Screen.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)


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