O Sepulcro Indiano

Second part of Fritz Lang's bizarre epic about Indian mysticism shot for television and cut into two features by the studio (the other part being The Tiger of Eschnapur); it's a brilliantly executed pulpy and humorous masterpiece, with breathtaking color cinematography and elaborate set design which rivals the underworld city in Metropolis. Lang really celebrates the artifice of film, and his uncanny sense for mise-en scene proves his mastery of the craft. It's certainly a strange work and perhaps a bit hackneyed, but one should keep an open mind and sink in to the vivid images and spectacular naive tale of power and magic.

Done with Hollywood by the mid 1950s, Fritz Lang returned to Germany and decided to remake THE INDIAN TOMB , a legendary German silent film from 1921 that he thought he was going to direct before producer Joe May (pronounced MY) decided to do it himself. Lang had co-written the script with future wife Thea von Harbou based on her novel. Just as in the case of the first film, the remake was epic in scope and was divided into two features THE TIGER OF ESCHNAPUR (TIGER OF BENGAL in 1921) and THE INDIAN TOMB. This time around the film was in color and definitely wasn't a silent. It runs 201 minutes only 10 minutes shorter than the original.

The movie was butchered for its American release (it was reduced to 90 minutes) and released here as JOURNEY TO THE LOST CITY. The film features a stalwart cast of German actors. The male lead, Paul Hubschmid, was in BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and billed as Paul Christian. The one exception is American actress Debra Paget. She was criminally underused in American movies and here she gets a chance to shine in the pivotal role of Seetha the temple dancer around which the film revolves. Her dances and costumes (or lack of them) are remarkably exotic and are a main highlight of the film. Paget did study dance before she became an actress.

Much has been made in other reviews of THE INDIAN EPIC about how cheesy some of the effects are (the Fakir's decapitated head is especially bad). I thought the Cobra was deliberately meant to be unrealistic and it's quite clear that no live tigers were harmed in the making of the movie. Ultimately the less than stellar effects are unimportant. What is important are the overall look of the film (the Temple set is amazing) and the way the episodic narrative moves along. It manages to draw you in despite its shortcomings. It's also an opportunity to watch a great director at the end of his career receive a first class homecoming in this expensive German production.

This new Blu Ray edition from Film Movement looks great but is problematic. First up it's not in Lang's original aspect ratio which crops some of the picture. More importantly, unlike the earlier DVD packaging by Fantoma, there is no English language version which will put off many viewers. The Fantoma DVDs are absolutely top notch and is how it should be done. Not only is the print beautifully transferred but you get the English dubbed soundtrack for those who can't abide subtitles (I prefer the German soundtrack as being less artificial). If you have to have Blu-Ray then this is the one to get. BTW, even though it's over 100 years old, THE INDIAN TOMB is still the better film...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

I was wary of purchasing Fantoma's 2-Disc Set of "Fritz Lang's Indian Epic" after being somewhat let down by the 1921 Silent original (co-scripted by Lang himself) and also its less-than-stellar reputation. For this reason, when the second part of the saga turned up on Italian TV a couple of years ago, I decided to check it out just the same so as to get an inkling of what to expect! I recall thinking it pretty kitschy and unworthy of Lang's enormous talent, but Fantoma's sale (through their website) of their entire DVD catalog a few months back made it an irresistible acquisition! Well, having now watched the entire saga (with dialogue and in color, as opposed to the rather static Silent version directed by Joe May - although hearing the Indian-garbed characters talking in German took some getting used to), I was pleasantly surprised by how genuinely engaging and sheerly enjoyable it all was! Though it was sold as an epic production (to the point of concluding ESCHNAPUR with the promise that Part II would feature greater thrills and even more spectacle) at a time when such films were all the rage, the saga was actually a pretty modest undertaking by eclectic (and prolific) German producer Artur Brauner. Despite the two films' exotic, handsome look (not least in the provocative dances of Debra Paget), the budgetary constraints were painfully obvious in the special effects department, especially the hilarious appearance of a 'ropey' cobra which is intended to 'test' (the scantily-clad) Miss Paget's faithfulness to the Maharajah!! All in all, even if these films hardly constitute Lang's greatest work (though he harbored an evident affection throughout his life for this particular tale, which was originally conceived by his former wife Thea von Harbou), they have great - and enduring - appeal for aficionados of old-fashioned, serial-like adventure stories tinged with romance and mysticism.

Even so, while I don't subscribe to that school of thought myself, there are some film critics (Tom Gunning, Jean Douchet and Pierre Rissient among them) who think very highly of Lang's Indian diptych - the first considering it one of Lang's towering achievements and the last two numbering it among the ten greatest films of all time!!

This is the first part of Lang's storybook romance between an architect/adventurer in India falling for an exotic temple dancer belonging to the Maharajah. It's an exotic B-movie with low-budget charm and expert craftsmenship, a throwback to old-time matinee adventures. Lang's gift for stylized storytelling is evident throughout. This is part one of two, THE TIGER OF ESCHNAPUR continues the story right where this one leaves it; so be sure to obtain both films.

I just watched this on DVD--I wasn't aware of two important factors when I did. One, that this was a remake of a 1938 film, and two that it was actually the last part of a typical Lang epic-length film! I wonder how both films were ever condensed into a mere ninety minutes for domestic release? What an extraordinary feat in itself!

I can see the influence on Speilburg and Luca quite clearly. This does have numerous external similarities to TEMPLE OF DOOM, as well as several motifs common to other Lang films.

There are some amusing blunders. The Priest talks about Allah, then a few scenes later, cautions that THE GODS will be displeased. Islam is monothestic!

There was a line uttered by the Priest: "There will be darkness over Eschanpur." That would have been a most intriguing title, nothing so bland as THE Indian TOMB, and would have also linked TIGERS OF ESCHANAPUR to this film. Both were released in that one 90 minute Americanized version, JOURNEY TO THE LOST CITY. As far as I could tell from this half, the city was far from "lost"! The Maharajah is proclaimed as RAJ of this state and that, master of the realms of Yadda-Yadda, and so on. I got out my map of India and was easily able to locate the areas he mentioned.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and recommend it highly, especially to those who love a good rollicking adventure. I intend to secure the rights and bring this to the screen, before all the tigers are extinct.