This film is part of Free
Murzapur
Life and death in the trading town of Mirzapur, where the river Ganges meets the highland ranges of India
Overview
Medical missionary Ronald Carpenter captured this short slice of life in Mirzapur City and District in Uttar Pradesh, central India. Mirzapur was established by the East India Company as a trading town to bridge central and eastern regions of India. Here we see a market trader, a woodsman, women washing their clothes and their children while nearby mourners bathe their dead in the holy river Ganges.
Flanked by woodland on all sides this is a lush place rich with vegetation. The vendor's vegetable store holds an array of foods for sale. The ox driven cart which carries a magnificent pile of chopped wood in an inverted pyramid style, defies gravity. We get a glimpse of an ancient temple as a man stands at the entrance of one while right at the end of the film we see a body being prepared for its last rites as a boat lingers on the shore of the Ganges. Tejinder Jouhal
Related
Temples of India Temples of India
Travelogue 1938 10 mins
Technicolor temple tour shot by the great Jack Cardiff
Sarnath, Benares & Santal Tribes Sarnath, Benares & Santal Tribes
Documentary 1934 27 mins Silent
Film of the Santhal tribe of North East India featuring Sarnath and Benares (Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh.
Taj Mahal, Local Indian Scenes and a cruise to Port Said: Colonel Alexander Personal Film 5 Taj Mahal, Local Indian Scenes and a cruise to Port Said: Colonel Alexander Personal Film 5
Amateur film 1944 8 mins Silent
Luscious colour photography of the Taj Mahal and a Mediterranean cruise to Port Said
Gwalior Gwalior
Interest film 1922 0 mins Silent
The Prince of Wales and the Maharajah of Gwalior ride an elephant in a grand procession
Street Scenes in India: Colonel Alexander Personal Film 1 Street Scenes in India: Colonel Alexander Personal Film 1
Amateur film 1935 9 mins Silent
From the arrival of a new viceroy to street markets, this amateur film captures the diversity of life in colonial India
Khalapur Carpets Khalapur Carpets
Promotional 1932 12 mins Silent
Indian carpets make their way to Montreal in this promotional film
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.