In Eschnapur, a German architect saves the life of the Maharajah's favorite temple dancer and becomes Maharajah's friend but their friendship is tested when the architect and the dancer fall in-love, triggering the Maharajah's vengeful ire.
Debra Paget
Seetha
Paul Hubschmid
Harald Berger / Henri Mercier (in French version)
Walther Reyer
Maharadjaj Chandra
Claus Holm
Dr. Walter Rhode
Sabine Bethmann
Irene Rhode
Luciana Paluzzi
Baharani - Seetha's Servant
René Deltgen
Prince Ramigani
Valéry Inkijinoff
Yama
Jochen Brockmann
Fürst Padhu
In Eschnapur, a German architect saves the life of the Maharajah's favorite temple dancer and becomes Maharajah's friend but their friendship is tested when the architect and the dancer fall in-love, triggering the Maharajah's vengeful ire.
**_A German Architect goes to northwest India to meet the maharajah… and a dancer_** This is the first of Fritz Lang's duology referred to as his Indian Epic; the second part being "The Indian Tomb,” which was released later the same year, 1959. Both films were heavily edited down into a 95-minute movie for American audiences called "Journey to the Lost City" and released the following year, which heavily trimmed Debra Paget's iconic dance sequences due to the Hays Office. Anyone who likes adventure flicks such as “Princess of the Nile,” "Legend of the Lost,” "The Vengeance of She,” "Raiders of the Lost Ark,” "Octopussy" and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” should appreciate either installment of the Indian Epic, although the second part’s noticeably superior (as detailed below). They feature spectacular palaces, heroes, villains, rivalry, danger, swords, beautiful women, romantic passion, elephants, tigers, snakes, torches, caverns, dungeons, temples, honorable monks and all-around high adventure. Each includes a 3-minute dance scene by Debra Paget as Eurasian Seetha, both equally well done, but the sequence in “The Indian Tomb” features her in more revealing (non)attire. I prefer the sequence in this one, which was obviously borrowed from the same in “Princess of Nile” five years earlier. Debra's performances are just as good or better than Brigid Bazlen’s routine in "King of Kings" and Salma Hayek's in "From Dusk Till Dawn.” Believe it or not, Seetha’s servant, Bharani, is played by none other than Luciana Paluzzi, who went on to fame as Fiona in “Thunderball” six years later. Speaking of James Bond, there’s a tiger-fighting sequence in the last act in which Paul Hubschmid glaringly prefigures 007, three years before the suave Bond would make it to cinema with “Dr. No.” Unfortunately, I found this first part of Lang’s duology disappointing compared to the second part. It’s more subdued and all around less compelling, yet it clearly influenced “Temple of Doom” 25 years later. As such, I suggest watching “The Indian Tomb” seeing as how it's not absolutely necessary to view this film in order to enjoy that one since it includes a recap at the outset. If you enjoy that one, then catch this. However, if you’re adamant about seeing the entire duology then, by all means, see them in order. You’ll be pleased by how the entertainment value improves with “The Indian Tomb.” It runs 1h 40h (the same as the following film) and was shot Aug-Nov 1958 in Udaipur in northwestern India in the state of Rajasthan, areas that were normally barred from Western film crews up to that point. Interiors were shot at Spandau Studios in Berlin. "Octopussy" later used some of the same India locations. GRADE: B-
The enchanted story of Pinocchio.
A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.
When librarian Taylor Harris suddenly loses her job, she decides to visit her brother in a small town in Montana. There, she gets involved in the fight to help save her brother's hotel from tycoon Joel Sheenan, who wants to renovate it.
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a compass to help get him there.
A story about a seemingly unlikely couple who cross paths under life-threatening circumstances as though they are destined not only to meet but to save each other's lives. Not once, but twice.
The story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
In 1999, a woman's life is forever changed after she survives a car crash with two bank robbers, who enlist her help to take the money to a drop in Paris. On the way, she runs into another fugitive from the law — an American doctor on the run from the CIA. They want to confiscate his father's invention – a device which allows anyone to record their dreams and visions.
A nobleman vows to avenge the death of his father by the hands of pirates. To this end, he infiltrates the pirate band; Acting in character, he single-handedly captures a merchant vessel, but things are complicated when he finds that there is a beautiful young woman of royal blood aboard.
Wilbur the pig knows how important friendship is - he learned that from a spider named Charlotte. So when Wilbur meets Cardigan, a lonely lamb, Wilbur immediately makes him his friend.
A novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.