Der Tiger von Eschnapur
1959 Adventure / Romance
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Credits
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Summary
Chandra, the Maharajah of Eschnapur invites the architect Harald Berger to his country
to work on various building projects. There, Berger saves the life of a young woman,
Seetha, when her party is attacked by a tiger. Berger falls in love with Seetha,
not knowing that she is promised to Chandra. The Maharajah’s ambitious brother,
Prince Ramigani, intends to use this fact so that he can steal the throne...
Review
After a successful period in Hollywood, Fitz Lang returned to Europe to make an ambitious
romantic adventure film, of which this is the first instalment. (The second and
concluding part was Das
Indische Grabmal ). The scale of Lang’s ambition is apparent in the sumptuous
location filming and huge interior sets, but the absence of the director’s renowned artistic
sense is equally noticeable. The garish design, characterless performances and general
lack of atmosphere make this a very poor comparison with Lang’s earlier achievements.
In contrast to such timeless works as
Dr Mabuse, der Spieler (1922),
Metropolis
(1927) and M
(1931), this film feels badly dated, a horribly kitsch attempt to imitate Indian
culture without much in the way of charm and realism, and with certainly no great psychological
or narrative depth.
© James Travers 2007 Write a review for this film... |
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