This film is part of Free
Madras Mylapore - Tank and Religious Processions
The thronging streets of Chennai in festive mood are captured by this lively amateur film
Overview
In festive season, the streets of Madras (now Chennai), capital of Tamil Nadu, thronging with people and vividly impressive religious floats, are caught on camera by this vibrant 16mm amateur film. The illuminations of the 'floating festival' at the close prove a challenge too far for the camera, but the images at least give us a sense of the spectacle.
Frustratingly, the name of the gifted amateur filmmaker who shot this film appears to be lost to us. The film wsa one of a considerable collection of amateur films donated to the BFI National Archive in the 1970s by the Centre of South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge.
Related
Villenour. (French India: Territory of Pondicherry) Villenour. (French India: Territory of Pondicherry)
Travelogue 1914 4 mins Silent
Gorgeously dreamlike colour images of (then) French India – present-day Puducherry
Uti 1925 Uti 1925
Amateur film 1925 15 mins Silent
Snapshots of colonial life around Tamil Nadu, plus a visit to the Toda tribe
Sir John Laing Missionary Films Madras & Ceylon Sir John Laing Missionary Films Madras & Ceylon
Amateur film 1947 18 mins Silent
Rare amateur footage of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka
Houseboating in Waltair Houseboating in Waltair
Amateur film 1926 13 mins Silent
The Uzielli family takes to the water in Visakhapatnam, southern India
Dancers at Trivandrum Gopinath Dancers at Trivandrum Gopinath
Amateur film 1946 7 mins Silent
Kathakali performance featuring the great Indian dancer Guru Gopinath, filmed in remarkable colour by ‘envoy of the Raj’ Clarmont Skrine
Cochin and Malarax Cochin and Malarax
Amateur film 1930 18 mins Silent
Amateur film capturing life and buildings in and around Kochi, in Kerala, south-west India.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
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.