''The Song of Ceylon'' is a 1934 British documentary film directed by

Basil Wright Basil Wright (12 June 1907, Sutton, Surrey – 14 October 1987, Frieth, Buckinghamshire, England) was a documentary filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher. Biography After leaving Sherborne School, a well known independent schoo ...

and produced by John Grierson for the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board. The film was shot on location in Ceylon (

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

) at the start of 1934 and completed at the

GPO GPO may refer to: Government and politics * General Post Office, Dublin * General Post Office, in Britain * Social Security Government Pension Offset, a provision reducing benefits * Government Pharmaceutical Organization, a Thai state enterpris ...

film studios in

Blackheath, London Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich and southeast of Charing Cross, the traditional ce ...

Plot

Ambitious documentary chronicling the cultural life and religious customs of the Sinhalese and the effects of advanced industrialism on such customs. The first part of the film depicts the religious life of the Sinhalese, interlinking the Buddhist rituals with the natural beauty of Ceylon. Opening with a series of pans over palm leaves, we then gradually see people journey to Adam's Peak, a center of Buddhist pilgrimage for over two hundred years. This is continually inter-cut with images of surrounding natural beauty and a series of pans of a Buddhist statue. Part two focuses on the working life of the Sinhalese, again continually stressing their intimate connection to the surrounding environment. We see people engaging in pottery, woodcarving and the building of houses, whilst children play. The third part of the film introduces the arrival of modern communications systems into the fabric of this 'natural' lifestyle, heralded by experimental sounds and shots of industrial working practices. Finally, in the last part of the film, we return to the cultural life of the Sinhalese, where people perform a traditional Kandyan dance. The film ends as it began, panning over palm trees.

Cast

Lionel Wendt Lionel George Henricus Wendt (3 December 1900 – 19 December 1944) was a pianist, photographer, filmmaker and critic from Sri Lanka. He was the leader of ‘43 Group, a collective of Sri Lankan artists. The Lionel Wendt Art Centre is a major ...

as Narrator (voice)

Critical response

Writing for ''The Spectator'' in 1935,

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

described the film as "an example to all directors of perfect construction and the perfect application of

montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 201 ...

", and noted that it "moves with the air of absolute certainty in its object and assurance in its method". (reprinted in: )

References

Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire Entry for ''Song of Ceylon''.

External links

Watch The Film Online at the Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire Website
*
Article on Basil Wright & Walter Leigh's use of sound in the film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song Of Ceylon, The 1934 films 1934 short films British short documentary films British black-and-white films Sri Lankan black-and-white films Films directed by Basil Wright 1930s short documentary films Sponsored films 1934 documentary films Black-and-white documentary films GPO Film Unit films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films