The purpose for the Criterion Collection’s Eclipse Series, as far as I understand, is to make available overlooked films and 
filmmakers, works which would not likely otherwise be available on DVD but which have significant value. To that end, Louis Malle’s seven-part travelogue, Phantom India, perfectly satisfies that goal. Originally presented as a television documentary series, the six hours in which Malle and his small crew explored and observed many aspects of the impossibly large country and its diverse cultures are a revelation still, some 30 years after it was originally released. What makes the series so fascinating, though, aside from wondering if and how some aspects of Indian society have survived in the intervening three decades, is Malle’s own commentary (he narrates throughout) and how his internal dialogue serves as a parallel document of liberal French ideology in the late sixties. While certainly moved by the pervasive poverty, both urban and rural, the influence (if any) of communism and other outside political forces, and the human struggles of the relatively powerless, Malle is also drawn to any suggestion of the sexual mores which vary from tribe to tribe and region to region. More than anything, though, Malle’s eye is keen to the beauty of India in its many forms. The resulting imagery, both scenic and human, provides a feast for anyone who with a curiosity to understand our vast and mysterious planet.
Phantom India
May 5th, 2009 · No Comments
Tags: Capsule · Documentary · Foreign Language
Here are this morning’s Oscar-nominated films, alphabetically. The nominees for foreign language film and documentary feature are compiled at the end of the list. (Short format nominees are listed in a 
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet... Leave one in the space below.
Leave a Comment