The Song of Ceylon (Original title)
Date: 1934 (Release)Country: United KingdomDirected by: Basil Charles Wright
Shotlist: r.1 Part 1 - the Buddha. Scenes of dark jungle with glimpses of animals, ruined temples and tropical vegetation (180), devil dancers perform (270), commentary explains that then came Buddha. Pilgrims traversing the slopes of Adam's Peak from where it is believed that Buddha departed from Earth. The pilgrims reach the summit and sit down to rest, celebrating with chants and recitations in Buddha's honour (575), carving and statues of Buddha (646), the pilgrims greet the first light and watch the shadow of the Peak as it forms (732), the pilgrims go in procession round the shrine chanting (826), sacred bells ring (852), shots of statues of Buddha (866), shots of lakes and birds in flight (939). Part 2 - the Virgin Island. Villagers draw water from a well, women fill their water pots from the river (1052), elephant with her young standing in the river (1058), a priest, debarred from doing any manner of work, begs for food from a householder (1131), boy mounting and riding an elephant (1163), fishermen set out to sea in their outrigger canoes (1210), other fishermen cast their nets inshore (1312), washerwomen at work (1345), pottery making (1392), tree sawing (1420), latheworking (1454), man aided by his son builds a wattle-and-daub house (1520), fishing nets laid out on the beach (1554), women harvesting rice, rice beaten (1707), village children attend a dancing class (1930), villagers gossip and laugh (2032). r.2 Part 3 - the Voices of Commerce. View from a moving train of the countryside, railway track (56), elephants used for clearing trees for new roadways, elephants carrying granite stones (138), native boy prays in front of a cocoanut tree and climbs it (193), ship at sea (222), the native throws cocoanuts down from the tree, the cocoanuts are loaded onto a bullock cart, the nuts are taken and split open (327), wireless mast (342), details of steamers due for arrival posted up in shipping office (374), tea picking in a field (448), factory machines working (507), ships and tugs (513), tea crates loaded onto ships, liner pulls out of harbour (540), streets of Colombo, carts and lorries, people carrying goods, modern buildings (597). Part 4 - the Apparel of a God (618). Elephant riders return to the village (659), father chasing his child (679), fishing canoes return to the shore (709), tea plantation workers file back home (749), a native approaches some huge statues of Buddha and makes an offering of flowers to Buddha (1005), shots of the Buddha and other statues (1047), men and women walking along path to the ceremonial dancing floor (1060), a drummer begins beating his drum with his hands and dancing, dancers perform accompanied by the drumming and singing, the dancing becomes more frenzied (1377), shots of the dancers and statue of Buddha interposed (1433), final shots of tropical foliage (1475). The End (3507).Synopsis: The credit for the commentary is as follows: Robert Knox in the year 1680 [Knox was an English sailor with the English East India Company who was captured and held prisoner by the Sinhalese after the ship he was on was damaged. Although held as a prisoner, Knox lived in a very similar manner to the other Sinhalese and learnt to speak the language. Knox finally escaped after being held for over six years]
Genres: Travelogue, Documentary
Subjects: British Raj, Sri Lanka, Traditional dance, Children, Pilgrimages, Buddhism, Coconuts, Indian elephants, Tea (drink), Plantations, Adam's Peak, Colombo, Elephants, Mountains, Villages, Ethnology
Releases
Date: 1934Country: United KingdomRelease type: unknownFormat: Digital Betacam - Black and White - SoundRuntime: 40 mins Length: 3500 FeetLanguage: English
Date: August 2017Country: United KingdomRelease type: InternetFormat: not specified - Colour - SoundRuntime: 38 mins Dialogue (original): EnglishDistributor: BFIPlayer
Date: 2021Country: United KingdomRelease type: InternetFormat: ProRes QuickTimeAspect ratio: 4:3
Title: Reviews: The GPO Film Unit Volume 1: Addressing the NationAuthor: BROOKE, Michael Article type: DVD ReviewLanguage: English
In: Filmmakers' Newsletter v9 n1 November 1975 Pages: 17-21
Title: [Filmmakers' Newsletter - v9 n1 November 1975: no known title]Article type: InterviewLanguage: English
Description: Interview with Basil Wright.
In: Indian Film Culture n4 September 1964 Page: 20
Title: [Indian Film Culture - n4 September 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Cinema Quarterly v3 n2 Winter 1935 Page: Winter 109
Title: [Cinema Quarterly - v3 n2 Winter 1935: no known title]Language: English
In: Monthly Film Bulletin v1 n11 December 1934 Page: 98
Title: [Monthly Film Bulletin - v1 n11 December 1934: no known title]Language: English
In: Sight and Sound v3 n12 Winter 1934/35 Page: Winter 169
Title: [Sight and Sound - v3 n12 Winter 1934/35: no known title]Language: English
In:
Title: [ - : no known title]
Author: GRANT, Barry Keith Pages: xxviii, 570 pages
Title: Alternative empires: European modernist cinemas and cultures of imperialism
Author: STOLLERY, Martin Pages: vi, 266p.
Title: Documenting the documentary: close readings of documentary film and video
Author: GRANT, Barry Keith Pages: 488p.
Title: Escuela documental inglesa
Author: GIMENEZ, Manuel Horacio Pages: 72p.
Description: Published by: Editorial Documanto del Instituto de Cinematografia de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Contains scripts (in Argentinian) of "Song of Ceylon" and "The Undefeated". SONG OF CEYLON pp. 54-58 UNDEFEATED pp. 59-68
Date: 1934 (Release)Country: United KingdomDirected by: Basil Charles Wright
Shotlist: r.1 Part 1 - the Buddha. Scenes of dark jungle with glimpses of animals, ruined temples and tropical vegetation (180), devil dancers perform (270), commentary explains that then came Buddha. Pilgrims traversing the slopes of Adam's Peak from where it is believed that Buddha departed from Earth. The pilgrims reach the summit and sit down to rest, celebrating with chants and recitations in Buddha's honour (575), carving and statues of Buddha (646), the pilgrims greet the first light and watch the shadow of the Peak as it forms (732), the pilgrims go in procession round the shrine chanting (826), sacred bells ring (852), shots of statues of Buddha (866), shots of lakes and birds in flight (939). Part 2 - the Virgin Island. Villagers draw water from a well, women fill their water pots from the river (1052), elephant with her young standing in the river (1058), a priest, debarred from doing any manner of work, begs for food from a householder (1131), boy mounting and riding an elephant (1163), fishermen set out to sea in their outrigger canoes (1210), other fishermen cast their nets inshore (1312), washerwomen at work (1345), pottery making (1392), tree sawing (1420), latheworking (1454), man aided by his son builds a wattle-and-daub house (1520), fishing nets laid out on the beach (1554), women harvesting rice, rice beaten (1707), village children attend a dancing class (1930), villagers gossip and laugh (2032). r.2 Part 3 - the Voices of Commerce. View from a moving train of the countryside, railway track (56), elephants used for clearing trees for new roadways, elephants carrying granite stones (138), native boy prays in front of a cocoanut tree and climbs it (193), ship at sea (222), the native throws cocoanuts down from the tree, the cocoanuts are loaded onto a bullock cart, the nuts are taken and split open (327), wireless mast (342), details of steamers due for arrival posted up in shipping office (374), tea picking in a field (448), factory machines working (507), ships and tugs (513), tea crates loaded onto ships, liner pulls out of harbour (540), streets of Colombo, carts and lorries, people carrying goods, modern buildings (597). Part 4 - the Apparel of a God (618). Elephant riders return to the village (659), father chasing his child (679), fishing canoes return to the shore (709), tea plantation workers file back home (749), a native approaches some huge statues of Buddha and makes an offering of flowers to Buddha (1005), shots of the Buddha and other statues (1047), men and women walking along path to the ceremonial dancing floor (1060), a drummer begins beating his drum with his hands and dancing, dancers perform accompanied by the drumming and singing, the dancing becomes more frenzied (1377), shots of the dancers and statue of Buddha interposed (1433), final shots of tropical foliage (1475). The End (3507).Synopsis: The credit for the commentary is as follows: Robert Knox in the year 1680 [Knox was an English sailor with the English East India Company who was captured and held prisoner by the Sinhalese after the ship he was on was damaged. Although held as a prisoner, Knox lived in a very similar manner to the other Sinhalese and learnt to speak the language. Knox finally escaped after being held for over six years]
Genres: Travelogue, Documentary
Subjects: British Raj, Sri Lanka, Traditional dance, Children, Pilgrimages, Buddhism, Coconuts, Indian elephants, Tea (drink), Plantations, Adam's Peak, Colombo, Elephants, Mountains, Villages, Ethnology
Releases
Date: 1934Country: United KingdomRelease type: unknownFormat: Digital Betacam - Black and White - SoundRuntime: 40 mins Length: 3500 FeetLanguage: English
Date: August 2017Country: United KingdomRelease type: InternetFormat: not specified - Colour - SoundRuntime: 38 mins Dialogue (original): EnglishDistributor: BFIPlayer
Date: 2021Country: United KingdomRelease type: InternetFormat: ProRes QuickTimeAspect ratio: 4:3
Articles held in BFI Reuben Library
(7)
In: Sight and Sound v18 n12 December 2008 Pages: 85-86Title: Reviews: The GPO Film Unit Volume 1: Addressing the NationAuthor: BROOKE, Michael Article type: DVD ReviewLanguage: English
In: Filmmakers' Newsletter v9 n1 November 1975 Pages: 17-21
Title: [Filmmakers' Newsletter - v9 n1 November 1975: no known title]Article type: InterviewLanguage: English
Description: Interview with Basil Wright.
In: Indian Film Culture n4 September 1964 Page: 20
Title: [Indian Film Culture - n4 September 1964: no known title]Language: English
In: Cinema Quarterly v3 n2 Winter 1935 Page: Winter 109
Title: [Cinema Quarterly - v3 n2 Winter 1935: no known title]Language: English
In: Monthly Film Bulletin v1 n11 December 1934 Page: 98
Title: [Monthly Film Bulletin - v1 n11 December 1934: no known title]Language: English
In: Sight and Sound v3 n12 Winter 1934/35 Page: Winter 169
Title: [Sight and Sound - v3 n12 Winter 1934/35: no known title]Language: English
In:
Title: [ - : no known title]
Books held in BFI Reuben Library
(4)
Title: Documenting the documentary: close readings of documentary film and videoAuthor: GRANT, Barry Keith Pages: xxviii, 570 pages
Title: Alternative empires: European modernist cinemas and cultures of imperialism
Author: STOLLERY, Martin Pages: vi, 266p.
Title: Documenting the documentary: close readings of documentary film and video
Author: GRANT, Barry Keith Pages: 488p.
Title: Escuela documental inglesa
Author: GIMENEZ, Manuel Horacio Pages: 72p.
Description: Published by: Editorial Documanto del Instituto de Cinematografia de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Contains scripts (in Argentinian) of "Song of Ceylon" and "The Undefeated". SONG OF CEYLON pp. 54-58 UNDEFEATED pp. 59-68