Oddball Films presents The
Idea of India, a program of films
exploring the many facets of Indian culture from science to spirituality, from
art to anthropology, from ritual to religion and more. The program focuses on
the fascinating, all-encompassing and yet contradictory concepts of Indian
culture and its people. Films feature a diverse selection of films examining
various aspects of Indian life from the 1930s to the present day featuring rare
home movies, seldom screened ethnographic films, made-in-India docs,
award-winning portraits of Indian culture and footage of present day religious
rituals. World renowned cultural scholar, and Bay Area resident Huston Smith
examines India’s extraordinary leap of consciousness that birthed the concept,
“You are God.” in India and the Infinite (1979), exploring both the paradoxes and extremes,
the sensuality and asceticism in India, Juggernaut: A Film of India (1969) reveals a nuclear India through the eyes of
her people as they watch the journey of a convoy carrying a calandria, the
70-ton heart of a nuclear reactor to Rajasthan, Bombay Movies (1977) follows mega Bollywood star
Vinod Khanna as he introduces American audiences to cinema, Indian-style, The
Dam at Nagarjunasagar (1972) is an eye-popping profile of the 30,000
people who constructed the world’s largest masonry dam in Andhra Pradesh, Drums of Manipur (1952) is a rare look at the music and cultural festivals
of tribal Manipur, located in the mountainous regions of Assam, The March
of Time: India’s New People (1952), a
revealing portrait in contrasts of contemporary Indian society 5 years after
independence, Kathakali: Dances of India (1948) is a precious film showcasing the temple dances of
Southern India. The program also includes rare Kodachrome home movies of the
holy city of Varanasi and
legendary filmmaker S.N.S. Shastry’s I Am Twenty (1967), a verite look at over a dozen Indians and their
thoughts after 20 years as a nation. Also: Clips from Heritage of India (1930s) featuring the Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory built in the 17th
Century, the touristy curio Mystic India (1942) and South Indian temple festival footage shot live
in Kerala in 2011.
Date: Thursday, March 8th at 8:00PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco.
Admission: $10.00 - Limited Seating RSVPs to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415.558.8117
India
and the Infinite
(Color, 1979)
Images
gathered from Kashmir to Varanasi to Mumbai combine with the poetic narration
of renowned historian Dr. Huston Smith (author of the classic Religions of Man) to underscore how so much in
Indian culture, from the most mundane daily ritual to temple ceremonies,
carries the promise of spiritual awakening. India and the Infinite explores India’s many religions
- Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity and, of course, Hinduism –
its love of ritual and what it symbolizes, its great art and architecture, and
the extraordinary leap of consciousness that birthed the concept, “You are
God.”
Exploring
both the paradoxes and extremes, the sensuality and asceticism present in this
remarkable culture Smith, one of the most eloquent and accessible writers on
the history of religion and culture brilliantly conveys the seemingly
impossible task of giving viewers a concept of what India is truly like-from
the inside out. Winner of the Cine Golden Eagle, 1979
Juggernaut:
A Film of India
(Color, 1969)
India is
a nation for whom tradition dictates the details of everyday life. Its culture
is rooted in the past yet it must deal with the problems of today: hunger,
disease, poverty and overpopulation. India is revealed through the eyes of her
people as they watch the journey of a convoy carrying a calandria, the 70-ton
heart of a Canadian nuclear reactor, to Rajasthan, passing over roads specially
strengthened and through city walls torn down to make way. A thought-provoking
and unforgettable commentary on the nature of India.
Bombay
Movies
(Color, 1977)
The
entire output of the American film industry is the merest trickle in comparison
with India, where the original Moguls release many times more films each year
than the Americans can ever dream of. Studios in Bombay’s Hollywood, Bollywood,
churn out a smorgasbord of musicals and exploitation films on a daily basis,
serving the needs of India’s vast moviegoing public. Follow mega-star Vinod
Khanna as he introduces American audiences to cinema, Indian-style.
The Dam at Nagarjunasagar (Color, 1972)
A
profile of the construction of the world’s largest masonry dam built across the
Krishna River, Nagarjuna Sagar,
Andhra Pradesh in central India focuses on the daily tasks of the 30,000 men,
women, and children involved in this colossal 14-year project. Directed by Gene
Searchinger and narrated by Ossie Davis.
Drums
of Manipur
(B+W, 1952)
Today
Manipur is at war with itself and India and deep divisions run through this
state. This is a rare and naïve look at the music and cultural festivals of
Manipur, a tribal state located in the mountainous regions of Assam, India. A
long lost view of a state like no documentary, textbook or feature film will
ever provide.
The
March of Time: India’s New People (B+W, 1952)
A
newsreel study in contrasts of the new Indian society in transition 5 years
after independence. The film
features an interview with Peter Hopkinson, March of Time cameraman, about
India. Footage examines the lifestyle of the Maharajas including the Maharaja
of Jaipur, Sir Sawai Man Singh Bahadur and his lavish lifestyle, relatives,
polo playing, airplanes and cars. These scenes are contrasted with the
lifestyle of a poor family of untouchables near Madras –including domestic
scenes, basket making, schooling and
religion. The `new industrialists' are also featured including the Tata
family and the Parsees of India.
Finally we examine the Indian film industry on the set of a feature film
and the life of a religious Brahmin and his religious ceremonial observance.
Kathakali: Dances of India (B+W, 1948)
A
remarkably precious film showcasing the Kathakali temple dances of Southern
India. Kathakali, one of a myriad of Indian dances consists of a visually
bizarre and stunning series of complex gestural dances utilizing the face,
eyes, mouth, lips and the entire body to create a stunning theatrical range of
human emotion.
Indian
Home Movies (Color,
1950s)
Rare
Kodachrome home movies of the holy city of Varanasi and much more
I
am Twenty
(B+W, 1967)
The 1960s saw an explosion of documentary filmmaking in India.
Films like I Am Twenty and India ‘67, took as their subject the 20 year old
nation. These films were innovative in their structure and searching in the
questions they asked of their country, years after Nehru’s grand experiment in
government.
For decades Indian audiences had been "informed and
educated" through didactic narrated documentaries. In these films the
Indian citizens finally speak from the screen. S.N.S. Sastry’s I Am Twenty was structured around interviews with young people who were born in 1947 when
India attained her freedom. The film made a tremendous impact because the young
people whom Sastry interviewed on camera came out with force and exuberance.
They expressed their feelings with candor. Young men with uncertain futures
questioned bitterly: "Is it freedom to starve and go naked?" "Well I
don't love my country... and even if I did, to whom should I speak of my love?" This note of
dissonance, an element of doubt was something new to the officially sanctioned
Indian documentary. These films were made by independent filmmakers who were
politically active and, like the government, recognized the power of the medium
to bring change. Filmmakers like S.N.S. Shastry and Pramod Pati made
experimental short films that were political both in their subject matter and
in their opposition to the default government perspective.
Plus! Clips from Heritage of India (1930s) featuring
the Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory built in the 17th Century,
the touristy curio Mystic India (1942) and South Indian temple
festival footage shot live in Kerala in 2011.