A Throw of the Dice

An Indian cast, a German director, and a mix of European and Indian financing came together to create this delicious 1929 silent romantic adventure, an adaptation of a story from the epic Hindu poem "The Mahabharata." A handsome king falls for the beautiful daughter of a hermit on a hunting trip, while his cousin and rival plots to kill him. The hermit, once a respected teacher in the royal court, fled the corruption of the social world to protect his daughter from the influence of these "men from the world," but he too falls victim to the plots and schemes, and his daughter (Seeta Devi) is caught in the middle of these two kings: the kindly and trusting Sohan (Himansu Rai), whose naiveté is matched only by his gambling addiction, and the sinister Ranjit (Charu Roy), who lusts for his cousin's kingdom (and his bride) and preys upon Sohan's weakness for the dice to get both. But the real joy of this film is the magnificent production, which opens on spectacular jungle imagery of animals fleeing the oncoming hunting party (except for the tigers, which take their time as if they could barely be bothered by the intruding humans) and moves on to spectacular palace sets. Franz Osten, a veteran of Germany's UFA studios, is a dynamic director with an eye for spectacular imagery and romantic visions, and a gift for visual storytelling and energetic pacing. The story never feels rushed even as the film seems to drive forward at a breathless pace.

Kino's disc features the recent restoration undertaken by the BFI, and is accompanied by a vivid and involving new score by Nitin Sawhney, who combines Indian themes and vocal textures with a European symphonic sound to create a memorable, dramatic accompaniment. It does what all good scores should do: It pulls you deeper within the story and the imagery. The only caveat I have is that the disc appears to have been mastered from the British PAL master, which leaves the image flow subtly but distractingly uneven and jerky in some sustained shots. Features a video interview with the composer, stills and a booklet with notes on the film and filmmakers.