Around India with a Movie Camera

Sandhya Suri’s documentary offers perspective on British colonial rule in India as captured on film, starting with the 1899 travelogue Panorama of Calcutta, India, from the River Ganges and stretching through the pre-independence 1940s. Much of the footage carries a sense of wonder, with exotically costumed locals and the formally dressed British looking on at the local culture and ecosystem. The British royal family shows up in a 1911 clip of King George V and Queen Mary visiting in their roles as Emperor and Empress of India, and in a 1920s visit by the then-Prince of Wales (and future King Edward VIII). Some of the silent footage is hand-colored, often in a whimsical manner that brings bright hues to the fruit-bearing trees while keeping the people in monochrome. Cultural stereotyping is on display in a 1914 experimental sound film, shot in a London studio, where an English song-and-dance performer in brownface hammily lip-syncs to the musical hall ditty "The Rollicking Rajah." While much of the footage is fascinating, Suri rarely identifies her clips by year, location, and filmmaker, making some of this otherwise interesting film a bewildering montage. A strong optional purchase. (P. Hall)