Katie: My Beautiful Face ()

Bharosa ()

Khushi (2011)

AKA:
खुशी >> Nepali

Kanyadan (2011)

AKA:
कन्यादान >> Nepali
Kanyadaan >> Nepali

About:
Kanyadan is a 2011 Nepali Film Named Same as a big hit of 1991 directed by Manohari Singh.

Starring:
Biraj Bhatt
Dhiren Sakhya
Arjun Karki
Ranjana Sharma
Kanchan Regmi
Srijana Basnet
Jayakishan Basnet
Shobit Basnet

Director: Shobit Basnet

Mission Paisa (2008)

AKA:
मिशन पैसा >> Nepali

Starring:
Nikhil Upreti
Amir Gautam
Nisha Adhikari
Suraj RD

Director: Simos Sunwar

True Women For Sale (2008)

Synopsis:
The story revolves around two women in the grassroots of Hong Kong society, struggling to survive and haunted by demons in their respective pasts. The literal translation of the Chinese film title is "I do not sell my body, I sell my uterus". In fact it deals with one woman who indeed sells her body but strives to improve herself and one woman who views herself to be of higher status than the street walkers, but in reality is also selling herself by marrying someone and becoming pregnant just to become a Hong Kong citizen. The two women live in the same apartment building and share some interactions on screen; however, their stories do not necessarily intermix. The movie takes place in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong circa 2000.
Lai Chung-Chung (Prudence Liew) is a cocaine-addicted yet good-natured street walker who is fast approaching a "destiny call" made by a fortune teller advising her that in the year 2000, she would finally pay off all her debts from her previous life and will turn over a new leaf. To prepare herself for the life-changing event, she works hard to save up for a dentistry process to clean her badly decaying teeth and gums from years of cocaine use. After witnessing Lai heroically save a child from being hit by a van, freelance photographer Chi (Sammy Leung) thought that Lai would make a good human interest story for a magazine and starts to photograph Lai while having his girlfriend, journalist Elaine (Toby Leung) interview her. During Elaine's interview with Lai, it is revealed that Lai has had a troubled past with her mother and younger sister.

Maya Namara (2002)

AKA:
माया नमार

Starring:
Rajesh Hamal
Sanchita Luintel
Amit Dhungana
Ramit Dhungana (Debut)

Director: Madan Ghimire

First Love (2010)

AKA:
फस्ट/फर्स्ट लव/लभ

Synopsis:
This movie is directed by Simosh Sunwar of 'Mission Paisa' fame. The movie introduces Reecha Sharma who is acting for the first time in big screens.

Starring:
Aryan Sigdel
Karma
Vinay Shrestha
Nisha Adhikari
Reecha Sharma (Debut)

Director: Simos Sunwar

Смокинг (2002)

Kailangan Kita (2002)

Synopsis:
New York-based celebrity chef Carl Diesta (Aga) is coming home to the Philippines after being away for seventeen long years to marry his fiancee, supermodel Chrissy Duran, in her hometown of Albay province in the Bicol region. With Chrissy still being held up somewhere in Europe for a photo shoot, Carl has to meet her family by himself and instantly impresses everyone except for Chrissy's father, Papay Rogelio. Here Carl gets to meet Chrissy's other sister - Lena (Claudine). Through Lena, Carl has now come to terms with his forcibly forgotten identity - both as a son and as a Filipino. Lena has also awaken a love in Carl that he has never felt before.

Tibet: The Story Of A Tragedy ()

Slogan:
Free Tibet !!! Long Live Dalai Lama !!!

Life of an Enlightened ()

Synopsis:
Enlightenment (spiritual), a final blessed state free from ignorance, desire and suffering, the knowledge that we are all cosmically united as a race of humans unrelating to race, creed, or any other man made dividing lines

Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation",[1] but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual understanding or a fundamentally changed consciousness whereby everything is perceived as a unity.

Some scientists believe that during meditative states leading up to the subjective experience of enlightenment there are actual physical changes in the brain.

In New Age Christianity, enlightenment is obtained by direct infusion from the Sacred Rays. The Sacred Rays are continuous streams of energy, consciousness, love and data from the Godhead that are color coded into 12 different frequencies. This energy is above gamma rays and not observable by current science. Nevertheless, these Rays can supposedly be caught by the higher self's five different chakras, and then absorbed into the meditator's more physical bodies, and retained within the 7 lower chakras, or the seven churches of John's Revelation. There are 12 human chakras in this system, total.
There are also 12 petals on the heart chakra in this system. Specifically, these 12 petals are also designed to catch and hold the 12 sacred energies of enlightenment. The theory goes that as the energy from the 12 Sacred Rays accumulates in the chakras and petals, the higher-self will eventually become activated.
This, in turn, allows the enlightened individual to displace and transcend the selfish ego and quickly develop supernatural abilities, including the fruits and the gifts of the Spirit, perfect peace, the realization of the unity of all things, raise kundalini, and develop the siddhas of Hinduism.

Hinduism also uses similar ideas, moksha being a representation of freedom from desire and other worldly passions. For Hindus as for Buddhists and Jains, enlightenment ends the cycle of reincarnation. Souls are held to enter many different bodies through the course of their existence. In each of the lives they lead, they develop spiritually. The ultimate goal of this spiritual development is the liberation from the system of earthly suffering. The concept of spiritual enlightenment in Buddhism and Hinduism is related to but distinct from ideas such as salvation and transcendence associated with Christianity.

Enlightenment is not accomplished by intellectual insight, dogmatic beliefs, or physical works in this method. It is more a product of dedicated meditation, surrender to Spirit and absorption of God's grace, as contained in the Sacred Rays. This long process ultimately transforms "the old man" into "the new man". It is also considered to be the "New Birth" by New Age Christians.

Tibetan Lounge ()

Synopsis:
Sogyal Rinpoche (Author, Narrator) / John Cleese, Peri Eagleton, Susan Skipper (Narrators)
Sogyal Rinpoche's acclaimed spiritual classic is widely regarded as one of the most complete and authoritative presentations of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings ever written.
A manual for life and death and a source of inspiration from the heart of the Tibetan tradition, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying provides a lucid and inspiring introduction to the practice of meditation, to the nature of mind, to karma and rebirth, to compassionate love and care for the dying, and to the trials and rewards of the spiritual path.
More than two million copies have been printed in 30 languages and 56 countries. It has been adopted by colleges, groups and institutions, both medical and religious, and is used extensively by nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals.
What is it I hope for from this book? To inspire a quiet revolution in the whole way we look at death and care for the dying and the whole way we look at life, and care for the living. -Sogyal Rinpoche.

Yogis Of Tibet (2002)

Synopsis:
For the first time, the reclusive and secretive Tibetan monks agree to discuss aspects of their philosophy and allow themselves to be filmed while performing their ancient practices.

Starring:
Jeffrey Gibson ... Himself - Narrator

Director: Jeffrey M. Pill

China: The Roots of Madness (1967)

Synopsis:
China: The Roots of Madness; National Security Council. Central Intelligence Agency. (09/18/1947 - 12/04/1981); ARC Identifier 616322 / Local Identifier 263-69. This film covers China's political history including Mao Tse-tung, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Nationalist - Communist victory. Made possible by a donation from John and Paige Curran.Producer: National Archives and Records Administration; Creative Commons license: Public DomainTV documentary. An introduction to the complex state and cultural ambivalence of China. The programme covers a period of one hundred and seventy years. The visuals include lithographs and line drawings from the early 1800's, still photographs from mid-century, early footage from Burton Holmes, Pearl Buck, Reuters newsmen and current footage. Experience the American Journey through our country's visual heritage in this historical recording provided by the National Archives of the United States. This film covers China's political history, including Mao Tse-tung, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Nationalist-Communist victory. From the Central Intelligence Agency Securities and Exchange Commission.

On 1 January 1912, the Republic of China was established, heralding the end of the Qing Dynasty. Sun Yat-sen of the Kuomintang (the KMT or Nationalist Party) was proclaimed provisional president of the republic. However, the presidency was later given to Yuan Shikai, a former Qing general, who had ensured the defection of the entire Beiyang Army from the Qing Empire to the revolution. In 1915, Yuan proclaimed himself Emperor of China but was forced to abdicate and return the state to a republic when he realized it was an unpopular move, not only with the population but also with his own Beiyang Army and its commanders.

After Yuan Shikai's death in 1916, China was politically fragmented, with an internationally recognized but virtually powerless national government seated in Peking (Beijing). Warlords in various regions exercised actual control over their respective territories. In the late 1920s, the Kuomintang, under Chiang Kai-shek, was able to reunify the country under its own control, moving the nation's capital to Nanking (Nanjing) and implementing "political tutelage", an intermediate stage of political development outlined in Sun Yat-sen's program for transforming China into a modern, democratic state. Effectively, political tutelage meant one-party rule by the Kuomintang.

The Sino-Japanese War of 19371945 (part of World War II) forced an uneasy alliance between the Nationalists and the Communists as well as causing around 20 million Chinese civilian deaths.[35] With the surrender of Japan in 1945, China emerged victorious but financially drained. The continued distrust between the Nationalists and the Communists led to the resumption of the Chinese Civil War. In 1947, constitutional rule was established, but because of the ongoing Civil War many provisions of the ROC constitution were never implemented in mainland China.

Territories currently administered by two states that formally use the name China: the PRC (in purple) and the ROC (in orange).Post Civil War (1949present)
Main articles: History of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China on Taiwan. After its victory in the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China (CCP) led by Mao Zedong gained control of most of Mainland China. On 1 October 1949, they established the People's Republic of China as a Socialist State headed by a "Democratic Dictatorship" with the CCP as the only legal political party, thus, laying claim as the successor state of the ROC. The central government of the Chinese Nationalist Party led by Chiang Kai-shek retreated to the island of Taiwan that it had occupied at the end of World War II, and moved the ROC government there. Major armed hostilities ceased in 1950 but no peace treaty has been signed. An estimated 36 million died during the Great Chinese Famine of 195861.

Beginning in the late 1970s, the Republic of China began the implementation of full, multi-party, representative democracy in the territories still under its control (Taiwan, and a number of smaller islands including Quemoy and Matsu). Today, the ROC has active political participation by all sectors of society. The main cleavage in ROC politics is the issue of eventual political unification with the Chinese mainland vs. formal independence of Taiwan.

After the Chinese Civil War, mainland China underwent a series of disruptive socioeconomic movements starting in the late 1950s with the Great Leap Forward and continuing in the 1960s with the Cultural Revolution that left much of its education system and economy in shambles.

Drama on the Life of Milarepa ()

AKA:
གྲུབ་ཆེན་མི་ལའི་རྣམ་ཐར།

Synopsis:
Milarepa is generally considered one of Tibet's most famous yogis and poets, a student of Marpa Lotsawa, and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu (Bka'-brgyud) school of Tibetan Buddhism.
In a superhuman effort, he rose above the miseries of his younger life and with the help of his Guru, Marpa the Translator, took to a solitary life of meditation until he had achieved the pinnacle of the enlightened state, never to be born again into the Samsara of worldly existence. Out of compassion for humanity, he undertook the most rigid asceticism to reach the Buddhic state of enlightenment and to pass his accomplishments on to the rest of humanity. His spiritual lineage was passed along to his chief disciples, Gambopa and Rechung. It was Rechung who recorded in detail the incidents of Milarepa's life for posterity. The narrative of his life has thus been passed down through almost a millennium of time and has become an integral part of Tibetan culture. Milarepa extemporaneously composed innumerable songs throughout his life relevant to the dramatic turns of events of himself and his disciples in accordance with an art form that was in practice at the time. These songs have been widely sung and studied in Tibet ever since and have been recorded as the Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa. His faithful devotion, boundless religious zeal, monumental forbearance, superhuman perseverance, and ultimate final attainment are a great inspiration today for all.

The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross ()

Synopsis:
A monumental documentary on the crusades produced by the History Channel entitled "Crusades: crescent and the cross"

Cracking the Maya Code ()

Synopsis:
The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind a riddle: an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script carved on stone monuments and painted on pottery and bark books. Because the invading Spanish suppressed nearly all knowledge of how the script worked, unlocking its meaning posed one of archaeology's fiercest challenges. Until now.

Lost King of the Maya ()

Synopsis:
In an ancient Mayan arena, enemies of notorious King Yax KÕuk Mo square off in a ball game that appears much like modern soccer. But in this fateful contest, winners liveÑand losers lose their heads.

Lost Treasures of Tibet ()

Synopsis:
Mustang (moo-stahn), one of the last outposts of Tibetan culture, is so isolated and protected that no Westerner set foot inside its borders for centuries. But in the early 1990s, this untouched society set high in the Himalayas opened its borders for the first time, exposing an ancient worldÕs dazzling sacred relics long damaged by the elements and neglect.

The Forbidden Kingdom - Lo Monthang (1998)

Director: Ed van der Kooy

Subhakamana ()

AKA:
शुभकामना

Starring:
Karishma Manandhar
Shrikrishna Shrestha
Jharana Bajracharya
Bijaya Giri
Mohan Mishra
Sikha Tamang
Ramesh Adhikari

Director: Ujjwal Ghimire

Asian Dollhouse ()

Dirty Stories, dirty presentations !!!

The American (2010)

Synopsis:
Alone among assassins, Jack is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Pavel that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde, is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues romance with local woman Clara. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

Starring:
George Clooney
Paolo Bonacelli
Violante Placido

Director: Anton Corbijn

The Brøken (2008)

AKA: The Broken Synopsis: In London, the radiologist Gina McVey organizes a surprise birthday party to her father John McVey with her boyfriend Stefan Chambers, her brother Daniel McVey and his girlfriend Kate Coleman. On the next day, she sees herself driving a car on the street and she follows the woman to her apartment, where she finds a picture of her father and her. While driving back, she has a car crash and loses parts of her memory; further, she believes Stefan is another man. Gina decides to investigate what is happening and unravels a dark reality. Starring: Lena Headey Ulrich Thomsen Melvil Poupaud Director: Sean Ellis

Circle of Eight (2009)

Synopsis:
Jessica moves into a loft on the eighth floor of a Los Angeles apartment building called The Dante. The other tenants all seem friendly at first, but when she starts witnessing horrible deaths, she must team up with her neighbor Evan (Doom) to solve the mystery -- and uncover her own connection to the place.

Johnny Mad Dog (2008)

Synopsis:
A cast of unknown performers are used in this drama about child soldiers fighting a war in an unnamed African country.

Big Wednesday (1978)

AKA:
Tag der Entscheidung

Synopsis:
Matt Johnson, Jack Barlow, and Leroy Smith are three young California surfers in the 1960s. At first reveling in the carefree life of beaches, girls, and waves, they eventually must face the fact that the world is changing, becoming more complex, less answerable by simple solutions. Ultimately the Vietnam war interrupts their idyll, leaving them to wonder if they will survive until "Big Wednesday," the mythical day when the greatest, cleanest, most transcendent wave of all will come.

Starring:
Jan-Michael Vincent
William Katt
Gary Busey

Director: John Milius

Straw Dogs (1971)

Synopsis:
A young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment.

Starring:
Dustin Hoffman
Susan George
Peter Vaughan

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Status: Single (2009)

Starring:
Rufa Mae Quinto
Paolo Contis
Alfred Vargas
Rafael Rosell   
Mark Bautista   
Jon Avila

Director: Jose Javier Reyes

Loft (2005)

Starring:
Miki Nakatani
Etsushi Toyokawa
Hidetoshi Nishijima

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

An Education (2009)

Synopsis:
A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.

Starring:
Carey Mulligan
Peter Sarsgaard
Alfred Molina

Director: Lone Scherfig

A Single Man (2009)

Synopsis:
A story that centers on an English professor who, after the sudden death of his partner tries to go about his typical day in Los Angeles.

Starring:
Colin Firth
Julianne Moore
Matthew Goode

Director: Tom Ford

The Book of Eli (2010)

Synopsis:
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Starring:
Denzel Washington
Mila Kunis
Ray Stevenson

Directors: Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes

Bloody Birthday (1981)

AKA: Ein blutiger Geburtstag >> German Synopsis: In 1970, three children are born at the height of a total eclipse. Due to the sun and moon blocking Saturn, which controls emotions, they have become heartless killers ten years later, and are able to escape detection because of their youthful and innocent facades. A boy and his teenage sister become endangered when they stumble onto the bloody truth. Starring: Lori Lethin Melinda Cordell Julie Brown Director: Ed Hunt

That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010)

Synopsis:
After the passing of her mother and the suicide of her 15-year old sister, Britain-based Ruth Edscer travels to Mumbai, India, to try and locate her father, Arjun Patel. She manages to find employment with a massage parlor where she not only earns a wage but charges Rs.1000/- for a illicit services from her affluent male clients. She has been made aware that she cannot be hired unless and until she is granted a official work permit, so regularly attends the Foreigners Registration Office to extend her stay, while making herself familiar with the culture and 'donations'. Challenges follows after a confrontation with a gangster, Chittiappa Gowda, who not only assaults her but also takes away her savings, as her boyfriend, Prashant, owes him money. While getting even with Prashant, she finds out that her father had changed his name, is now known as Benjamin, and maybe residing in Versova.

Starring:
Kalki Koechlin
Naseeruddin Shah
Gulshan Devaiya
Divya Jagdale
Kartik Krishnan
Kumud Mishra
Prashant Prakash
Shivkumar Subramaniam

Director - Anurag Kashyap

Born Innocent (1974)

Synopsis:
A constant runaway is given over to the care of the state and finds herself in a remand centre for girls. She is soon caught between the uncaring bureaucracy, the sometimes brutal treatment from her peers and her own abusive family, and only one care worker sees her potential to rise above her tragic circumstances.

Starring:
Linda Blair
Joanna Miles
Kim Hunter

Director: Donald Wrye

Mausoleum (1983)

AKA:
One Dark Night

Synopsis:
In this modest but well-wrought occult horror film, Susan Farrell innocently visits her family's mausoleum at the age of 10, and, due to an ancient curse on the first-born in her family, is possessed by a blood-thirsty demon. The demon does not manifest until two decades later, when Susan begins to dispatch one victim after another from the gardener to the delivery boy. The maid Elsie has some well-placed, down-to-earth comments on the weird and murderous ambience, and fortunately a good friend is a trained psychologist who, odd as it may seem, knows about demons, perhaps through a grad-level seminar. Since this film is not as graphically violent as many other '80s and '90s horror flicks, audiences hooked on unremitting gore will have to look elsewhere.

Starring:
Meg Tilly
Melissa Newman
Robin Evans

Director: Tom McLoughlin

Mausam (2011)

About:
There is another famous movie with the same name Mausam (1975).

Starring:
Shahid Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor
Anupam Kher
Supriya Pathak

Director: Pankaj Kapoor

Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989)

Starring:
Pavan Malhotra - Salim, the Lame (Langda)
Makrand Deshpande - Peera
Ashutosh Gowariker - Abdul
Rajendra Gupta - Aslam
Neelima Azim - Mumtaz
Vikram Gokhale - Salim’s father
Surekha Sikri - Salim’s mother
Sudhir Pandey - Prem

Director: Saeed Akhtar Mirza

Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai (1980)

AKA:
What makes Albert Pinto angry?

Starring:
Naseeruddin Shah
Shabana Azmi
Smita Patil
Om Puri

Director: Saeed Akhtar Mirza

Padatik (1973)

AKA:
The Guerilla Fighter

Starring:
Dhritiman Chatterjee
Simi Garewal
Bijon Bhattacharya

Director: Mrinal Sen

Interview (1971)

Starring:
Karuna Bannerjee
Ranjit Mullik

Director: Mrinal Sen

Khela (2008)

Starring:
Prasenjit
Manisha Koirala
Raima Sen
Akashnil Datta Mukherjee
Shankar Chakrabarty
Bharat Kaul
Haradhan Banerjee

Director: Rituparno Ghosh

In Search of Guru Dutt (1989)

Starring:
Abrar Alvi
Dev Anand
Kaifi Azmi
Shyam Benegal
Mani Kaul
Raj Khosla
Lalitha Lajmi
V.K. Murthy
Atma Ram
Waheeda Rehman
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Johnny Walker

Director - Nasreen Munni Kabir

Pakeezah (1972)

Synopsis:
A girl, whose mother dies of sorrow from her husband's family's rejection, grows up singing and dancing like her mother. She works as a dancing girl and is courted by a prince, but can think only of a man she has never met, who left her a message on the train. She dreams of him and cannot dance, becomes frightened and runs into the night

Starring:
Ashok Kumar
Meena Kumari
Raaj Kumar
Veena
D.K. Sapru
Kamal Kapoor
Vijay Laxmi
Jagdish Kanwal
Nadira
Pratima Devi
Altaf
Praveen Paul
Lotan
Chanda
Meenakshi

Directed by: Kamal Amrohi

Duvidha (1975)

AKA:
In Two Minds

Starring:
Ravi Menon
Raisa Padamsee
Hardan
Shambhudan and
The Inhabitants of Barunda village

Director: Mani Kaul

BBC - Sajha Sawal Eps. 202 (2011)

About:
Disaster Preparedness

गएको असोज १ गते नेपाल र सिक्किमको सिमाक्षेत्रमा गएको भुइँचालो बुढापाकाहरुले सम्झने १९९० सालको भुइँचालोपछिको ठुलो भुइँचालो थियो। त्यति क्षमताको भुइँचालो गयो भने निकै क्षति पुर्यारउँछ भनेर बिज्ञहरुले अनुमान गरे जस्तो बिध्वंसकारी चाँही भएन त्यो भुइँचालो। तर पनि यसले पुर्या एको क्षतिलाई कम आँक्न भने मिल्दैन। यसपटकको भुइँचालोबाट के पाठ सिक्न सकिन्छ ?
भुइँचालोजस्ता प्राकृतिक प्रकोपको पूर्व सूचना हुँदैन। तर पूर्व सावधानी र प्रकोपपछिको व्यवस्थापनले त्यसबाट हुने क्षति भने पक्कै कम गर्न सकिन्छ। आईतबार साँझको भुकम्पमा परि नेपालमा केहिको ज्यान गयो भने देशभरि सयौं घर भत्केका छन्, त्यसबाट भएको क्षतिको विवरण आउने क्रम जारी नै छ। भुइँचालो लगायत प्राकृति बिपद्का बेला हुन सक्ने जनधनको क्षति कम गर्न नेपाल सरकारसंग के तयारी छ ? आज हामी साझा सवालमा भुइँचालोको प्रभाव, त्यसपछिको व्यवस्थापन र दिर्घकालिन योजनाका बारेमा छलफल गर्दैछौं। छलफलमा हामीसँग हुनुहुन्छ: गृहमन्त्रालयका सहसचिव शंकर प्रसाद कोइराला, सहरी विकास तथा भवन निर्माण विभागका प्रमुख डा. महेन्द्र सुब्बा र भूगर्भविद् आमोदमणि दिक्षित।

Guests:Shankar Prasad Koirala
Date: 25.09.2011

Dhrupad (1983)

Synopsis:
A documentary story told through images, poetry and the Dhrupad; a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" (fixed) and "pada" (words). The term may denote both the verse form of the poetry and the style in which it is sung. Its great to see documentary filmed in this style, letting the subject tell the story, in this case the subject is the lyrical mystic music.

Dhrupad is the oldest genre of hindustani music and originally was sung in hindu shrines, however it later emerged to the mughal courts and then to the stage. This film investigates the oldest dhrupad tradition, the Dagarvani dhrupad. The Dagar family traces back its origin not to the legendary MiaN Tansen, royal court musician of the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542-1605), but to his guru Swami Haridas, who was a brahmin, later Dagars converted to islam, according without difficulties their faith with hindu spirituality. This is a documentary on dagarvani, the most influential dhrupad tradition. It features the representants of the older generation like Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar.

Exquisitely filmed technically flawless sound and image matched by a dazzling array of authentic performance. It's sheer a gem.

Starring:
Fariduddin Dagar
Zia Mohiyuddin Dagar.

Director: Mani Kaul

Siddeshwari (1990)

Synopsis:
The life of famous thumri singer Mrs. Siddheshwari Devi is portrayed In this film.

Starring:
Mita Vasisht
Muhar Biswas
Ranjana Srivastava
Shravani Mukherjee
Pandit Narayan Misra
Malviya
Anoop Misra
Raman Shankar Pandy

Director: Mani Kaul

Iti Mrinalini (2011)

Synopsis:
Mrinalini, an aging actress, writes a suicide note. As a performer, the first lesson she had learn was timing - the perfect moment for making an entrance or an exit on stage. On the stage of life, her entrance had been outside her control; but she wants to choose the moment of her exit at least. However, before taking the pills that will put her to sleep forever, she decides to destroy all her memorabilia - letters, photographs, newspaper cuttings, knick-knacks pertaining to the past - lest they fall into the hands of the press. She has been a victim of media attention all her life and wishes to be spared that at her death. As she looks through the old box that contains relics from her past, memories flood the night. Incidents that she had forgotten or had relinquished to the furthest corners of her mind now return to haunt her and, through these memories, an entire life is revealed - a life of loves lost and gained, friendships and betrayals, successes and failures, accidents and awards, agonies and ecstasies. Mrinalini relives her past, as night gradually turns to dawn. An ajaan starts up somewhere. Slowly early morning light fills the room. The moment has passed and the death she had wished for so intensely no longer seems a priority. Her German Shepherd comes and rubs its head on its mistress's feet and squeaks to be let out. Mrinalini smiles, tears up the suicide note and takes her dog out for a walk. A new day starts... a new life awaits her... a new beginning she has chosen.

Starring:
Konkona Sen Sharma
Aparna Sen
Rajat Kapoor

Director: Aparna Sen

Satah Se Uthata Aadmi (1980)

AKA:
An elevated Man

About:
He was born on 25 December 1944 in Rajasthan, India  and died on the 6 July 2011. 
Under "New Indian Cinema" at the end of 60s, Mani Kaul along with other directors like Mrinal Sen, Kumar Sahni began to set new trend of film making, much different from the traditional stories, script-writing and visualisation. Differentiating from the then running formula, masala, dramatic symmetries, he kept on directing only real time movies, which brings him to a different category of directors. He has won 4 critics awards for following films - Uski Roti (1970), Ashadh ka ek Din (1971), Duwidha (1975), Idiot (1991). Another national award for Siddheshwari (1990), a true story based on a female thumri singer. He made a documentary too; named Dhrupad (1983).

Synopsis:
Satah Se Uthata Aadmi is candidate alongside such other works as Chattrabhang and Maya Mrigaya as being one of the most obscure Indian films particularly in the contemporary DVD era. The film on the literature of Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh, a left-leaning Hindi author from India's turbulent '60s and '70s, recreates Muktibodh's literary settings quite effectively. However the concerns in both the form and content of the film, including lines from Muktibodh's iconic poem Andhere Mein are adapted by the director to create a work very much in line with his previous masterworks Uski Roti(1969) and Duvidha (1973). In fact the work can be studied as a combination of the two distinct approaches, that of the pure object in Uski Roti and its sensorial effect on a constantly changing society in Duvidha. Kaul starts by appropriating the events according to the text but gradually reduces the narrative signifiers until in the gorgeous factory sequences the spectator is confronted with the written text itself. Kaul had begun his studies in the austere form of Indian music, Dhrupad and used its leading vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar to render (Raga) Bilaskhani Todi. Kaul transforms this form of music into a cinematic idiom where the form emerges first through exacting (calculating) and then by approximations (improvising) A remarkable film by Mani Kaul.

Starring:
Gopi
Vibhuti Jha
Satyen Kumar
M.K. Raina

Director: Mani Kaul

Lemon Tree (2008)

Synopsis:
Up-and-coming Eran Riklis mediation on the situation with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict shifts away from these politicized images in the media and focuses not on abstract claims to land and security but, as more recent films have done so, on the ordinary people and the more prosaic and everyday issues resulting from these tensions: A middle-aged Palestinian widow named Salma Zidane, has the misfortune of not merely living in the volatile "Green Zone" -- a kind of no man's land sandwiched in between Israel and the Palestinian-occupied West Bank -- but being situated merely a few hundred yards away from the home of the Israeli defense minister and his wife. Under advisement from the Israeli secret service, the defense minister begins to perceive Salma's lemon grove as a direct threat to the safety of the nation, with its ability to function as a hiding spot for terrorists. Not long after, a court order surfaces, forcing Salma to accept government compensation for the destruction of the grove. She passionately refuses -- explaining that the plot of land and the trees have existed in her family for generations -- and hires a young attorney to take the case all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court if necessary.

Starring:
Director: Eran Riklis

The Memory of a Killer (2003)

Synopsis:
Vincke and Verstuyft are one of the best detective teams of the Antwerp police force. When they are confronted with the disappearance of a top official and the murder of two prostitutes, the trail leads to the almost retired assassin Angelo Ledda. Since Ledda starts showing symptoms of Alzheimer's, it's getting more and more difficult to complete his contracts. When he has to murder a 12-year old call-girl, he refuses and becomes a target himself. While Vincke and Verstuyft are chasing him and counting the corpses, Ledda is taking care of his employers.

Stars:
Koen De Bouw
Werner De Smedt
Jan Decleir

Director: Erik Van Looy

Omkara (2004)

Starring:
Upendra
Preeti
Jingyani
Shwetha
Menon

Director: Shivamani

Siddham (2009)

Starring:
Jagapathi Babu
Sindhu Menon
Kota Srinivasa Rao
Mukul Dev

Director : JD Chakravarthi

Sieg Im Westen (1941)

Synopsis:
Hitler's greatest military victory - the conquest of Holland, Belgium and France in the spring of 1940 - is graphically documented in this special Nazi feature.

Starring:
Harry Giese
Hermann Göring
Adolf Hitler

Directors: Fritz Brunsch, Werner Kortwich, Svend Noldan, Edmund Smith

Feldzug In Polen (1940)

About:

The first blitzkrieg, Hitler's invasion of Poland, is traced in this original Nazi propaganda film from 1940.

Der Fall Gleiwitz (1961)

Synopsis: Re-enacted true story of successful assault by Nazis, posing as Poles, on a German border radio station so that Hitler could "justify" thereby his invasion of Poland. Starring: Hannjo Hasse Christoph Bayertt Wolfgang Kalweit Director: Gerhard Klein

Michelle & Isabelle (2009)

Starring:
Michelle Landgraf
Isabelle Pilipp

Director: Michael Pilipp

Am seidenen Faden (2011)

Synopsis:
Im Leben des Computerfachmanns Tom gibt es nichts, worüber er sich beklagen könnte. Er hat einen wundervollen und gutbezahlten Job, mit Ehefrau Marleen läuft es bestens und Adoptivtochter Sophia macht sein Glück perfekt. Doch das alles ändert sich schlagartig, als er nach einem erfolgreichen Arbeitstag als Geisel genommen wird. Hilflos ausgeliefert muss er sich den Forderungen eines brutalen Psychopaten beugen, der sich selbst nur als "Geist aus der Vergangenheit" vorstellt. Dieser hält Marleen und Sophia als Geisel und droht ihnen etwas anzutun, wenn Tom nicht das tut, was er will. Die Forderungen werden zunehmend schwerer und Tom läuft Gefahr alles zu verlieren, was ihn ausmacht. Doch wie weit wird er gehen, um seine Familie zu retten, sein Leben nicht komplett zu zerstören und um herauszufinden, wer "The Ghost" ist und wie er ihn rechtzeitig ausschalten kann?

Ein Menschenschicksal (1959)

Synopsis:
The story of a man (Andrey Sokolov) whose life was ruthlessly crippled by World War II. His wife and daughters were killed during the bombing of his village, he spent some time as a prisoner, and his only son was killed in action only a few days before the victory.

Starring:
Sergei Bondarchuk
Pavel Boriskin
Zinaida Kiriyenko

Director: Sergei Bondarchuk

Der Weg ins Leben (1955)

Synopsis:
Film über das Wirken des großen sowjetischen Pädagogen A.S. Makarenko, bei der Umerziehung und Resozialisierung verwahrloster und zu kriminellen Elementen entarteter Jugendlicher in der Gorki-Kolonie, während der Zeit der imperialistischen Intervention und der anschließenden Wiederherstellungsperiode in Sowjetrussland.

Stars:
Vladimir Yemelyanov
Georgi Yumatov
Mikhail Pokotilo

Directors: Aleksei Maslyukov, Mechislava Mayevskaya
             ~ Albert Venohr

Das Lied vom Trompeter (1964)

Synopsis:
(In German) Spielfilm der DEFA nach der Lebensgeschiche des am 13. März 1925 von Polizeischergen der bürgerlichen Republik von Weimar ermordeten Kommunisten Fritz Weineck. Fritz Weineck, ein Arbeitersohn aus Halle, liebt die Musik -- sein Traum ist es, eines Tages ein Leben von ihr und für sie führen zu können. Als sein Freund, der Erste-Weltkriegs-Veteran Alfons, ihm eine Trompete schenkt, scheint Fritz diesem Traum ein Stückchen näher zu kommen. Als Fritz dann jedoch realisiert, dass die einfachen Arbeiter auch nach dem Sturz des Kaiserreichs verzweifelt um ihre Rechte kämpfen müssen, beschließt er, sein Instrument für politische Zwecke zu nutzen: Bei Versammlungen der kämpferischen Arbeiter dient ihm die Trompete als Signalhorn. Einen herben Rückschlag erleidet Fritz, als durch sein Verschulden ein Kamerad beim Kampf um ein Waffenlager getötet wird. Am 13. März 1925 avanciert er dann zu einem Helden, indem er den Genossen Thälmann bei einer Rede in Halle mit seinem Trompetensignal warnt und so vor der anrückenden Polizei rettet -- Fritz selbst aber wird von den Schupos niedergeschossen und verstirbt an Ort und Stelle.

Starring:
Horst Jonischkan
Erik Veldre
Doris Abeßer

Director: Konrad Petzold

Nackt unter Wölfen (1963)

AKA:
Nacked among Wolves

Synopsis:
As rumors reach them that the Allied armies are advancing on their concentration camp at Buchenwald, Polish prosoners renew their feeble hope for survival and freedom. When a group of prisoners is transferred from Auschwitz, a four-year-old child is smuggled into the camp in a valise. Born at Auschwitz, he is Jewish and will be killed if discovred. A group of prisoners decide to protect the child, from the searching Germans, and although the kapos cannot smuggle the boy out of Buchenwald, they manage to hide him---moving from one place to another within the camp as the Nazis comb it. Threats and torture by SS men fail to turn up the boy who becomes a symbol of the struggle between captives and captors.

Starring:
Erwin Geschonneck
Armin Mueller-Stahl
Krystyn Wójcik

Director: Frank Beyer

Waxworks (1924)

Synopsis:
The owner of a waxworks ask a young writer to create a back story for three of the museums most popular attractions: the wax figures of an exuberant late 8th century Persian caliph, Harun al-Rashid, the tyrannical Russian Tzar Ivan the Terrible, and Victorian legend, Spring-heeled Jack (also referred to, confusingly, as Jack the Ripper in the film, although the two are not one and the same).

Starring:
Emil Jannings - Harun al-Rashid, Caliph of Baghdad
Conrad Veidt - Ivan the Terrible
Werner Krauss - Jack the Ripper/Spring-heeled Jack
William Dieterle - The Poet

Directed by: Paul Leni & Leo Birinski

Scherben (1921)

AKA:
Shattered >> English

Synopsis:
This little picture is absolutely charming. There are few inconsistencies, and I would like to see a version where the "I am a murderer" scene is tinted red, as I understand it was in the original. Werner Krauss is spectacular as the bovine bourgeois, and Edith Posca, Lupu Pick's wife is extremely moving, especially in the scenes where she "throws herself" at the Paul Otto and when she vengefully confesses to her father (she reminds me of a cat in that scene). Too bad she didn't have many other acting roles ("Sylvester", also directed by Lupu Pick) is available only in Germany

Starring:
Werner Krauss
Edith Posca
Hermine Straßmann-Witt

Director: Lupu Pick

Fräulein Else (1929)

AKA:
Miss Else >> English

Synopsis:
Else, the light-hearted daughter of the Viennese lawyer Dr. Thalhoff spends a relaxing winter vacation in St. Moritz, when she receives a depressing message: Her father is in financial need, As he has lost his clients' money in the stock market. Now he faces prosecution. His only hope is the help of the wealthy art dealer, Mr. von Dorsday, who dwells also in St. Moritz. At the entreaty of her mother Elsa turns to the disgusting wealthy man. Dorsday is willing to help financially Else's father out of trouble, but on one condition: Else should show him naked. The young woman wrestles with her decision, finally made ​​love to her father fulfilling Dorsdays request. Wrapped only in a white fur coat, she goes to him. But before that Else has taken poison. Notice the Olympic Winter Games 1928 in St.Moritz during Film shooting.Else, the light-hearted daughter of the Viennese lawyer Dr. Thalhoff spends a relaxing winter vacation in St. Moritz, when she receives a depressing message: Her father is in financial need, As he has lost his clients' money in the stock market. Now he faces prosecution. His only hope is the help of the wealthy art dealer, Mr. von Dorsday, who dwells also in St. Moritz. At the entreaty of her mother Elsa turns to the disgusting wealthy man. Dorsday is willing to help financially Else's father out of trouble, but on one condition: Else should show him naked. The young woman wrestles with her decision, finally made ​​love to her father fulfilling Dorsdays request. Wrapped only in a white fur coat, she goes to him. But before that Else has taken poison. Notice the Olympic Winter Games 1928 in St.Moritz during Film shooting.

Starring:
Elisabeth Bergner
Albert Bassermann
Albert Steinrück

Director: Paul Czinner

Bride of the Monster (1955)

AKA:

Die Rache des Würgers >> German
Bride of the Atom >> English

Synopsis:
Dr. Varnoff captures twelve men for his experiment: to turn them into supermen using atomic energy. Newspaperwoman Lawton gets too snoopy for her own good.

Starring:
Bela Lugosi
Tor Johnson
Tony McCoy

Director: Edward D. Wood Jr.

Cabiria (1914)

About:

Silent Italian epic which introduced the prolific Maciste character and was an inspiration to other great silent films like Intolerance and Metropolis. Let me know if there's something else you'd like me to upload.

Synopsis:
During the Punic Wars in the third century B.C. the little girl Cabiria, and her nurse Croessa, are abducted during the confusion caused by an eruption of Mount Etna. Cabiria is sold in Carthage to be sacrificed in the temple of Moloch. Fulvio Axilla, a noble Roman spy and his giant slave - Maciste, rescue her and she ends up in the care of Queen Sophonisba. Ten years later, after many wars and alliances, Carthage falls to the Romans and Cabiria returns home with Fulvio.

Starring:
Italia Almirante-Manzini
Lidia Quaranta
Bartolomeo Pagano

Director: Giovanni Pastrone

Horror Express (1972)

Synopsis:
Aboard the trans-Sirberian express, an English anthropologist is transporting a frozen monster he unearthed in Manchuria.He believes may be the Missing Link. Horror strikes when during the trip the monster thaws out and starts to kill off passengers. Also released as Panic in the Trans-Siberian Train.

Starring:
Christopher Lee
Peter Cushing
Alberto de Mendoza
Silvia Tortosa
Julio Peña
Ángel del Pozo
Telly Savalas
Helga Liné
Alice Reinheart
José Jaspe
George Rigaud
Víctor Israel
Faith Clift
Juan Olaguivel
Barta Barri
Peter Beckman
Hiroshi Kitatawa
Vicente Roca
José Canalejas
José Marco
Allen Russell

Director: Eugenio Martín

Film Johnny (1914)

AKA:
A Film Johnnie >> English
Charlie at the Studio >> English
Charlie the Actor >> USA

About:
Charlie's fifth film enjoy.

Synopsis:
Charlie goes to the movie and falls in love with a girl on the screen. He goes to Keystone Studios to find her. He disrupts the shooting of a film, and a fire breaks out. Charlie is blamed, gets squirted with a firehose, and is shoved by the female star.

Starring:
Charles Chaplin
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
Peggy Pearce

Director: George Nichols

Jesus of Nazareth (1916)

Synopsis:

Originally released under the title From the Manger to the Cross in 1912, this is the re-edited version released in 1916, under the title Jesus of Nazareth. Shot entirely on location in Palestine.

Starring:
Robert Henderson Bland - Jesus

Director: Sidney Olcott

The Gold Rush (1925)

Starring:

Charles Chaplin
Mack Swain
Tom Murray

Frau im Mond (1929)

AKA:
Woman in the Moon >> English

Starring:
Gerda Maurus
Willy Fritsch
Gustav von Wangenheim
Claus Pohl
Gustl Gstettenbaur
Fritz Rasp
Tilla Durieux
Hermann Vallentin
Max Zilzer
Borwin Walth
Mahmud Terja Bey
Karl Platen

Director: Fritz Lang

Menschen, Jahre, Leben (1990)

AKA:
Men, Years, Life (1915-1918-1990) >> English

Uomini, anni, vita (1915-1918-1990) >> Italy

About:
Using images shot in Russia and Armenia from World War I to the 1930s and retrieved from a Soviet film archive, Gianikian and Ricci Lucchi constructed a meditative film about the status of Armenians as a people without a state. Inspired by the diary of Gianikian's father, People, Years, Life uses rare footage depicting the region's major historic events: the end of Tsarist Russia, violence in the Caucasus during World War I, the 1918 Armenian exodus from Azerbaijan. Gianikian and Ricci Lucchi's treatment of the material manipulates the speed of the images, adds color and music, and magnifies various parts of the image, so that the movement of bodies across the frame begins to carry the weight of exile, mourning, dispossession.

Director: Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi

Das wandernde Bild (1920)

AKA:

The wandering Image >> English
The moving Image >> English
L'image Vagabonde >> French

Starring:
Mia May
Hans Marr
Harry Frank

Director: Fritz Lang

BBC - Sajha Sawal Eps. 201 (2011)

About:
Food Adulteration

कतिपय गुँदपाक, दुध, मिठाई जस्ता धेरैले मीठो मानि मानि खाने चिजबिजमा खानै नहुने दुषित बस्तु मिसिएको भनि सरकारको खाद्य प्रविधि तथा गुण नियन्त्रण महाशाखाले प्रमाणित गरिसकेको छ। हजारौं उपभोक्ताको स्वास्थ्यमा खेलबाड गर्दै जानी जानी त्यस्ता सामान उत्पादन गर्ने उत्पादक र ब्यापारीहरुलाई कारबाही भएको छ कि छैन। किन त्यस्तो अखाद्य बस्तु मिसाएर खाने कुरा उत्पादन गर्न उत्पादकहरु रत्तीभर डराउँदैनन्?
दशैं आउनै लाग्दा बजार अनुगमनको काम बढेको देखिन्छ र त्यससंगै खानेकुरामा मिसावटको घटानाहरु पनि एकपछि अर्को सार्वजनिक भैरहेका छन। यस्तो बजार अनुगमन किन चाडबाडको बेलामा मात्रै बढि हुन्छ, के अहिलेको बजार अनुगमनको गति दशैं तिहारपछि पनि निरन्तर होला? मिसावट गर्ने, खाने नहुनै चिजराखेर खाद्यन्न उत्पादन गर्नेलाई पनि कारबाही गरिन्न भनेर धेरैले किन आशंका पाल्न परेको होला? यसपटकको साझा सवालमा यो विषयमा छलफल गर्न हामीसँग निवर्तमान गृहसचिव लीलामणि पौडेल, आपुर्ति मन्त्रालयका सचिव पुरूषोत्तम ऒझा, सभासद् र उपभोक्ता अधिकारकर्मी ज्योति बानियाँ हुनुहुन्छ।

(लीलामणि पौडेल गृहसचिवबाट सरूवा हुनुभन्दा अघिल्लो दिन रेकर्ड गरिएको कार्यक्रम भएकाले उहाँलाई गृहसचिवकै रूपमा प्रस्तुत गरिएको छ । यसबाट यहाँहरूमा हुन जाने असुविधाप्रति हामी क्षमाप्रार्थी छौं।)

Guests: Lilamani Poudel / Paudel, Puroshottam Ojha and Jyoti Baniya
Date: 18.09.2011

Asphalt (1929)

AKA:

Der Polizeiwachtmeister und die Diamantenelse >> Germany
Asfalto >> Italy, Portugal, Spain

Synopsis:

Else, played by Betty Amann, becomes the tragic hero of Asphalt as her character transcends her unhappy criminal life to redeem herself in an unfolding confession of true love.

As fitting with the harsh urban landscape of Berlin, Else begins as a gorgeous trickster when the story begins. Her high fashion clothes and perfectly ornamented makeup make her deserving to be peering over diamond cases while batting her eyes in want at the jeweler. We immediately experience the power of her female persuasion between the cuts between the almost possessed jeweler and her. She is good at what she does- seducing men- not stealing diamonds parse. She lies as she gets caught professing it was the first time, that she needed the money. Even when she meets Albert, played by Gustav Frohlich, she insists her luxurious apartment and belongings are not hers. She maintains her story and pristine female fatal composure until she flings herself into his arms and confesses to him, I like you. A close-up captures the couples passionate embrace.

Yet, it is the rare moments when Else thinks about Albert that we begin to see her character evolve. With most of her expression transcending from her sad eyes throughout the film. Her first smile in the film comes after she finds the passport photo of Albert in her apartment. Gazing at the photo she smiles comparing him to her criminal older and uglier boyfriend in a photo beside her. This is the first soft moment with this character and the smile is very contrast as well. She will stare and smile at his picture again in the nightclub, when she becomes compelled to return his passport and give him a gift of cigars, a scene that results to a confession of love from both Else and Albert.

It is when Albert is at Elses feet, begging for her to be his wife when she can no longer stand the differences between them. As he looks up to her in her white elegant dress and she runs away. She breaks away and exposes all her stolen goods from her criminal past. Her confession becomes a conduit metaphor for the criminal underworld of the city as she pleads with him, Dont go, dont let me go down. She is looking for mercy and seeking to be redeemed. She believes he can save her and this is motivation enough for her to confess.

In the closing scene, the director portrays Else in a dark suit voluntarily turning herself into the police. Her once flashy, teary eyes are humbled and filled with tears of compassion and love. This confession becomes an expression of her love and she rescues her lover from being accused of murder.

She is able to smile once again as Albert follows her and professes he will wait for her. The gorgeous closing shot shows Albert watching Else through a barred doorway as she goes off to jail or some dark underworld in the city.


Starring:
Albert Steinrück
Else Heller
Gustav Fröhlich

Director: Joe May

Der Bettler vom Kölner Dom (1927)

AKA:

The Beggar from the Dome of Cologne

Starring:
Henry Stuart
Elza Temary
Carl de Vogt

Director: Rolf Randolf

Der heilige Berg (1926)

AKA:

The Holy Mountain >> English

Synopsis:
The simple storyline is about Diotima, an inspirational dancer played by Leni Riefenstahl, and her love story with Karl, a tough mountain lover who, in the best German romantic tradition, finds the Absolute climbing the highest peaks. The greatness of the movie is in the winter mountain scenery and in the filming of ski competitions. Some of the filming was done in Upper Engadin, in Sils-Maria, a small Swiss village about 6 miles west of St. Moritz. In one scene it is clearly recognizable the Mount Margna and in a few others, the village of Sils-Maria is visible with the Hotel Alpenrose and the Chesa Zuan (both are still standing and look remarkably similar). Some other filming is probably from the nearby Val Fex, and there is also a beautiful view of the Silsersee with Maloja visible in the distance.  Considering the limited technical support available for winter alpine filming in 1926, it is remarkable that the photography is mostly crisp and engaging, and that it shows the peculiar light quality of Upper Engadin.   Riefenstahl's acting is fantastic but inevitably dated. She is expressive and intense, with a bit of influence from Weimar Expressionism. She outclasses all other actors, who appear unidimensional.  A movie strongly recommended, if only for the incredible quality of alpine photography and for the timeless Riefenstahl performance.

Starring:
Leni Riefenstahl
Luis Trenker
Ernst Petersen

Director: Arnold Fanck

An Orphan (1929)

AKA:

雪中孤雏  >> Chinese

Early Indian Cinema ()

Shiraz (1928)

AKA:
Grabmal einer großen Liebe >> German

Synopsis:
A historical romance set in the Mughal Empire. Selima (Enakshi) is a princess-foundling raised by a potter and loved by her brother, Shiraz (Rai). She is abducted and sold as a slave to Prince Khurram, later Emperor Shah Jehan (Roy), who falls for her, to the chagrin of the wily Dalia (Seeta Devi). When Selima is caught is Shiraz, the young man is condemned to be trampled to death by an elephant. A pendant reveals Selima's royal status and she saves her brother, marries the prince and becomes Empress Mumtaz Mahal while Dalia is banned for her machinations against Selima. When Selima dies (1629), the emperor builds her a monument to the design of the now old and blind Shiraz, the Taj Mahal. The film contains a number of passionate kissing scenes.

Starring:
Himansu Rai - Shiraz
Charu Roy - Emperor Shah Jehan
Seeta Devi - Dalia
Enakashi Rama Rao - Princess Selima
Maya Devi - Kulsam
Profulla Kumar - Kasim

Director: Franz Osten

A Throw of Dice (1929)

AKA:
Schicksalswürfel >> German
Prapancha Pash >> Hindi
Prapancha Pasha >> Hindi

About:
Franz Osten was one of the early Indian film director. He directed in a total of 57 films. He was born in Munich, Germany on 23 December 1876 as Franz Ostermayr. During living and shooting films in India he joined Germany's Nazi Party. He died on the 2 December 1956 in Bad Aibling, Germany. He mentored and starred Himanshu Rai, who later became one of the legendary name in the field of Indian Film Industry, later popularly called as Bollywood.

Synopsis:
Two rival kings addicted to gambling, Ranjit (Roy) and the evil Sohan (Rai), also vie for the same woman, Sunita (Seeta Devi), Kanwa the hermit's (Gupta) daughter. Ranjit loses his kingdom and his love and becomes Sohan's slave through a crooked game of dice.

Starring:

Seeta Devi   - Sunita
Himansu Rai - King Sohat
Charu Roy - King Ranjit
Modhu Bose - Kirkbar, King Sohat's Henchman
Sarada Gupta - Kanwa, Sunita's Father, the Hermit
Tincory Chakrabarty - Kanzler Raghunath
Lala Bijoykishen - Raghunaths Sohn Beerbal

Director: Franz Osten

Prem Sanyas: The Light of Asia (1925)

AKA:
Die Leuchte Asiens >> German

About:
A tale from India about the origin of the Buddha, Prem Sanyas depicts the story of Prince Siddhartha Gautama (portrayed by director Himansu Rai), the man who became the Buddha, as he journeys from privilege and seclusion to awareness of the inevitability of life's suffering, finally renouncing his kingdom to seek enlightenment.

Director:

In Nacht und Eis (1912)

AKA:

In Night and Ice

About:
Believed lost until February 1998, two months after the release of Titanic when a German collector realized that he had it in his posession.

Synopsis:
First Titanic Movie ever. Released only a few Days after the sinking of the Original Ship.

The first of it's kind. A true film/Titanic buff's collection treasure.

The ship started off on the Southampton docks boarding the doomed luxury liner and got a good introduction to what life was like on a ship at that time. What was offered for entertainment and general life on board. Then disaster strikes.

The film takes on a very interesting point of view from the point of impact with the iceberg, which focuses primarily on the radio operator and his tireless efforts to get assistance to the stricken vessel as soon as possible. He keeps at the key until the very end. The Captain clearly releases him from duty toward the end, but he stays and continues to struggle to find help even as the electrical power is failing around him.

Very little emphasis is given to the shortage of lifeboats, or the actual evacuation for that matter. Passenger panic is rarely seen, this being more than likely because the death factor was still so fresh in the minds of audiences in 1912, it centers more around the boiler room stokers, wireless operator, and the Captain...basically the bravery of the crew and the heroics of the story, versus the tragedy.

The film, as is the case with all historical films, is not without it's inaccuracies. But, given the time it was made (a few months after the actual Titanic's sinking and with differing reports on both sides of the Atlantic from surviving officers, passengers, and managers, the "facts" the filmmakers had to work with were few and far in between. So some "uneducated guesses" came into play. Like: Passengers sing in mass a final hymn, boilers explode with flames shooting out of the funnels, etc. But what movie has ever been without it's technical or historical errors? There will never be a "perfect film". But for it's time, 'In Nacht Und Eis' is a true masterpiece.

With a running time of about 35 minutes, double to that of most films of it's day, 'In Nacht Und Eis' captivated audiences of 1912 and left them spell-bounded.

It's silent with screen-text that appear ever-so-often, but in German. So if you know German, you might understand what's being said. For those, who dont understand German, the actors in this film had done an excellent job at visually showing every emotion very clearly so as could be undertood in any language.

A must see for Titanic and film history !!!


Starring:
Waldemar Hecker
Mime Misu
Otto Rippert

Director: Mime Misu