There's something about the sight of elephants making their way through urban traffic, or panoramic views of fairy-tale palaces and temples, or the multitudinous flutter of brightly-colored silk saris that evoke a sense of wonder in Westerners. The vast cultural, religious, ethnic, and linguistic mix that is India comes alive in this concise video that manages to touch on Indian history from the first agricultural settlements 8,000 years ago through last century's independence, with special attention given to the social and religious impact of the Bhagavad-Gita, Buddha, and Mohandas Gandhi. Cities and sights include Jaipur, New Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Bihar, Madras (where no one appeared to be wearing madras plaids), Mysore, the Ganges River, Calcutta, the Pushkar camel fair, Cochin, Bombay, and the Golden Temple at Amritsar. Unfortunately, the video lacks maps showing where these places are located on the sub-continent, and the total lack of on-screen place names will leave many North American viewers wondering, “Now where is that fabulous castle?” Too, it was rather disappointing to have many expansive exterior views of the Taj Mahal and Golden Temple, but no closer (much less interior) views. Still, this is an attractively priced video that covers a lot of territory, in all senses of the word and is therefore enthusiastically recommended. Aud: H, P. (R. Reagan)
India: A Tribute
(2001) 61 min. $24.95. The Tribute Series (tel: 310-444-9255, <a href="http://www.tributeseries.com/">www.tributeseries.com</a>). PPR. Color cover. December 17, 2001
India: A Tribute
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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