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Bookmark this pageThe Song of Ceylon (1934)
Director: Basil Wright
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Stigmatised by leftist critics as a hymn to imperialism, Wright's complex documentary essay is much, much more ambiguous. The lyrical, evocative imagery is pushed and prodded into functional service by a subtle multi-layered soundtrack. Overt criticism was hardly possible in a film sponsored by the Ceylon Tea Board, but Wright radically declines either to romanticise Ceylon's pre-colonial past or to celebrate the 'progress' brought by British imperialism.Author: RMy
Cast & crew
Director: Basil Wright
Producer: John Grierson
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 40 mins
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