Les dés tragiques

Actors & Actresses from the silent movie era tend to overact by today's standards but the acting in this sweet little movie is commendably restrained especially for an "action/suspense type movie.

The story is of two Indian kings, both avid gamblers who both fall for the same woman played by a functionally beautiful Seeta Devi. One of the kings has been secretly plotting to assassinate the other and take over his kingdom but his first attempt only wounds him. He is nursed by health by Sunita (Devi) & her father who is a man of medicine who has previously left the kings court to live in the forest because he is put off by the gambling.

The entry of Sunita onto the scene escalates the stakes as the evil king uses various methods to eliminate the other & not only take his kingdom but take Sunita as well.

The story is nothing special but as I said before the acting is reserved for a silent picture. Devi in particular is able to convey her feelings with a simple look or facial expression, an excellent display of subtle acting far different from the usual histrionics that you'd usually see from actresses at this time.

Look for some excellent camera work at the beginning showing some of the local wildlife.

I'm sure that most people (myself included) had no idea that an Indian cinema existed before the films of Satyajit Ray. A THROW OF DICE or PRAPANCHA PASH to give the film its Indian title was one of several films made by the team of German film director Franz Osten and Indian actor Himansu Rai (an earlier example of a Merchant-Ivory type collaboration). It was completed in 1929 right on the cusp of sound but is a bona fide silent.

The story comes from the Indian epic THE MAHABARATA and tells of two kings, one good the other wicked, who vie for the hand of a beautiful woman. Producer Rai cast actor Rai as the wicked king and then he and director Osten made the film on an epic scale with plenty of extras, beautiful locations, and even lots of elephants. The film was successful at the time but with the coming of sound it was quickly forgotten.

The British Film Institute restored the film in 2006 and asked composer Nitin Sawhney to compose a new score for it. The work was premiered outdoors in London in 2007 and made quite an impression. Now Kino International and the BFI have released it on DVD for a wider audience to see. Filmed in sharp black and white with no color tints, THROW OF DICE looks great although you can tell that it's been conflated from at least a couple of prints.

The new score by Sawhney is lavish and it sounds great. It's an East-West amalgam (mostly West) that on occasion I found at odds with what was going on during the film. I would have liked a more fully Indian sounding score to help keep me focused on what's happening and to keep me emotionally involved. There's a lengthy interview with the composer on the DVD and he explains his reasons for his choices. I understand them but the Hollywood portions of the score took me out of the movie and that's too bad. The beauty of a silent film though is you can turn down the volume and create your own soundtrack.

Despite my reservations concerning the new score, I found the film a joy to watch especially actress Seeta Devi who is classically beautiful. If you're a silent film buff then here's a real touch of the exotic. The Germans were interested in Indian settings for years during the silent era (Joe May's THE INDIAN TOMB for example) but this is the real thing. Another high quality release from Kino International who are now known as Kino Lorber...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

From the very beginning the visuals are absolutely phenomenal, rivaling many pictures that followed in subsequent decades. The rich jungle landscapes play a part in that excellence, hand in hand with the natural lighting and the many scenes of wildlife that serve as establishing shots. But the production design has much to do with the splendor before us: the costume design is plainly alluring, as is set decoration. Outside the jungle, filming locations like Sohat's palace or Ranjit's kingdom are just as eye-catching. The great number of extras and trained animals lend further to the spectacle, to say nothing of the readily evident charisma of the primary cast. 'A throw of dice' would be a worthy view simply for the fact of the feast for our eyes.

Still, the imagery is only half the movie, and it has substantial value otherwise. The plot moves quickly, but never so much as to overwhelm. There's a measure of directness that accompanies the brisk pace, though still the screenplay leaves just enough room for the cast to exercise their craft. The performances reflect a hint of nuance that's unexpected in these circumstances, and welcome. Seeta Devi, Charu Roy, and Himanshu Rai are superb, bringing Sunita, Ranjit, and Sohat to life with range and personality that defies the straightforward approach to the screenplay. At that: it's not a terribly complicated story on hand, yet the elements of drama, intrigue, trickery, conflict, and romance are finely balanced and written well to hold our attention, and be genuinely exciting in the execution. And it all builds to a conclusion that's not just satisfying, but rewarding.

The only particular detraction I could make is the music of the 2006 restoration and re-release. True, I haven't the means to compare the original score of the 1929 premiere. And yes, considered of itself, I think the compositions are quite good. Yet there's a sense of anachronistic disparity between the pristine sound of 2006 and the imagery of nearly 80 years prior that it accompanies. The two parts just don't quite fit together, no matter how swell they are of their own accord.

Yet this is ultimately a minor concern, and otherwise, 'A throw of dice' is outstanding and highly enjoyable. It's a shining example of how, without any need of sound or verbal dialogue, silent films can still stand toe to toe with "talkies" of the past 90-odd years or more. The movie tells a compelling story, with great performances, wrapped up with arresting sights to greet our vision - and it does so in well under 90 minutes. Black and white silent pictures comprise a niche genre these days, but there are plenty that very much remain deserving to seek out and watch again, or even for the first time, and this is one of them by all means. 'A throw of dice' is one magnificent gamble that's well worth taking.

Re-titled a "Throw of the Dice" (and appropriately subtitled "A Romance of India") for American consumption, this late-term silent film was doomed to failure as it did not feature Greta Garbo or Charlie Chaplin in the non-speaking roles. But, its dreamy production values and international flavor played well in theaters not equipped for sound, and audiences in India were understandably receptive. The story begins in the Indian jungle, where pretty Seta Devi (as Sunita) has been secreted by a hermitic father.

You will immediately see that hiding the fetchingly-attired Ms. Devi from society isn't going to last because the area also serves as tiger hunting grounds for two ruling cousins - "Good King" Charu Roy (as Ranjit) and "Bad King" Himansu Rai (as Sohat).

In the opening hunt, the latter shoots the former "accidentally on purpose" with an arrow. The former unexpectedly recovers, due to the tender loving care provided by Devi. So, if he is to steal nubile young woman from Mr. Roy, Mr. Rai must take more drastic measures, which he does. The cousins' mutual affection for gambling advances the plot to predictable results.

Irony exists in the line, "I know from your horoscope that gambling will bring you unhappiness." The film's main strengths are its beautiful locations, sets, and costumes. All of this will probably bore you, if you're not familiar with silent films.

***** Prapancha Pash (8/16/29) Franz Osten ~ Seta Devi, Charu Roy, Himansu Rai, Modhu Bose

Prapancha Pash (Throw of the Dice) (1929)

** (out of 4)

Royal cousins King Sohat (Himansu Rai) and King Ranjit (Charu Roy) share a love of gambling but soon the two fall in love with the same woman (Seeta Devi) and eventually place a bet, which will determine which one she goes with. This British/Indian/German production has some terrific things in it but in the end the story and characters just left me way too cold to fully enjoy the picture. I'll start with the positive things and you have to mention the downright beautiful cinematography. I was really shocked to see how marvelous this film looked as it appears each shot took hours to make sure everything was correct so that they could get all the details on the frame. Another major plus is the wildlife scenes at the start of the movie as we get to see various creatures in their habitat. The costume design is also marvelous and it really makes you seem as if you're right in India during the particular time that this film takes place. Yet another major plus are the locations. You can't help but look at this film with your eyes wide open as the locations just jump off the screen and that beautiful black and white print is really, really sharp. Every single frame of this film is beautiful to look at but sadly the story is really lacking. The basic plot has one of the cousins being an evil, no good SOB but you have to wonder how so many people could be stupid to what he's doing. I could understand one, two or maybe even three people falling for this bad idea of his but for everyone to do so? Another problem I had is that I didn't care for either cousin so it was hard to root against the bad one and cheer for the good one. I also didn't care too much for the woman they were in love with so that was yet another problem. I must admit that I didn't care for anything in this film story wise and I thought it really dragged down everything else that the film has going for it.