Shiraz (film)

1928 film

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Shiraz

Swedish theatrical release poster

Directed by| Franz Osten
Written by| William A. Burton
Produced by| Himansu Rai
Starring| Himansu Rai
Enakshi Rama Rau
Charu Roy
Seeta Devi
Cinematography| Emil Schünemann
Henry Harris
Distributed by| British Instructional Films
UFA
Himansu Rai Film

Release date

* 26 September 1928 (1928-09-26) (United Kingdom)

Running time

| 118 minutes
Countries| India
United Kingdom
Germany
Full film

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Himansu Rai as Shiraz
* Enakshi Rama Rau as Selima/Empress Mumtaz Mahal
* Charu Roy as Prince Khurram/Emperor Shah Jahan
* Seeta Devi as Dalia

## Music

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

1. ^ The British Film Catalogue, 1895-1970 (1973), London: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5572-4, LCCN 72007861, OCLC 447306
2. ^ a b 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. ^ Kay, Jeremy (27 May 2020). "We Are One global film festival announces line-up". Screen.

## External links

[edit]

* Shiraz is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
* Shiraz at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Franz Osten

German films|

* The Night of Decision (1920)
* Orphans of Happiness (1922)
* The Terror of the Sea (1924)
* The Tragedy of a Night of Passion (1924)
* A Song from Days of Youth (1925)
* The Seventh Son (1926)
* Little Inge and Her Three Fathers (1926)
* The Villa in Tiergarten Park (1927)
* Break-in (1927)
* The Judas of Tyrol (1933)

Hindi films|

* Prem Sanyas (1925)
* Shiraz (1928)
* A Throw of Dice (1929)
* Jawani Ki Hawa (1935)
* Achhut Kannya (1936)
* Janmabhoomi (1936)
* Jeevan Naiya (1936)
* Mamta (1936)
* Miya Biwi (1936)
* Izzat (1937)
* Jeevan Prabhat (1937)
* Prem Kahani (1937)
* Savitri (1937)
* Bhabhi (1938)
* Nirmala (1938)
* Vachan (1938)
* Durga (1939)
* Kangan (1939)

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