Schatten der Zeit

A Bengali movie with English subtitles, directed by a German! It is set in the Jute mills of West Bengal where children used to be employed and exploited. The struggles of an ambitious Ravi, the protagonist, who saves money to get out of the system, how he realizes his ambitions and how he retains his humane nature in spite of his environment, forms the basis for an epic love story.

The acting is brilliant, the portrayal "international", so all adults should enjoy it. The production is highly optimized and gritty.

Some audiences may find it slow, but I thought it was well paced, the subtitles appropriate for people who know both languages.

A very recommended watch! Grab it on DVD if it doesn't come to a theater near you.

Florian must be thinking he is some sort of genius - but unfortunately he has not even grasped the basics of cinema - all the slickness and imagery cannot hide what is an absolutely regressive and atavistic screenplay.

Thanks to corneau, you are totally right. And to those who think this is a great film, my condolences to you all - you deserve only this much.

I worked on this film for a couple of days in the post-production stage of audio - ADR. I saw the film the night before i started on the work at the studio. I was very angry after seeing this film - but I could not say no to the work - it would have been unprofessional of me to do so at the last minute. I was relieved at the end of the two days of work and was happy to say goodbye to this film and it's maker.

this is pretty much what one would expect of a German film shot in India... especially one made by a German director as his first feature.

filled with "third world pathos", bathed in earth tones and warm colours, saturated with patronizing 'noble savage' ideas, the best thing one can say about "schatten der zeit" is that it is often picturesque. at the end of the day, calcutta is a very visually interesting place and juergen juerges a very fine cinematographer. all this is far from enough to save this movie, which is ultimately very offensive...

florian gallenberger is a very wealthy young German "aristocrat" (at least he claims to be) who achieved 'oscar' success with his short film "quiero ser", again set in a poor country and centered on the 'milieu of the miserable' to be found there. he has obviously decided this formula works for him, and decided to write a 'truly Indian' story set in calcutta (a city and country to which he had no connection beforehand). ultimately, people can and should do whatever they want, but I hope audiences don't choose to support such parasitical works with their money or attention... this film was deservedly a critical and commercial failure...

This excellently photographed film gives you a dreamlike atmosphere. two people , who seemed too be destined for each other are followed in their journey trough life.However in this life they are seemingly not mend to be together.thus , basically we follow their quest for each other. the film id entirely shot in India.and the two main characters are Indian.they speak an Indian language. this film gave me one of the greatest coloring i'v ever watched in a movie.sooo overwhelming , that it totally makes up for the somewhat predictable story-line.the other-worldly sequences leave ya mesmerized and glued tot y'r seat ! I am definitely curious towards other work by this young director.

This film is not made by Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen or Aparna.....but a German. But though a non-Bengali, he has caught the typical Calcutta milieu in all its shades. The young laborers of a jute mill become close to each other and their friendship and love ripens into old age. Circumstances and the vagaries of life takes them to face unexpected situations. The film not treated as a melodramatic potpourri, brings out the basic human sentiments and sensibilities in a fine weave of episodes and at times makes you participate in the probing and meandering streets of city of shades and hues.All the characters are true to life and the actors portraying them have brought them out convincingly. Rightly paced and well-timed incidents create a rare experience. Good to watch.