
01 May 1925

Calcutta Topical No. 2
The race is on - for the Viceroy's Cup.
The River of Life and Death captures the slow time in the well-known Indian pilgrimage place of Benares, the act of purification by water, the burning funeral pyres, and the dandling snakeheads under the temple stairs.
Commentary (voice)

01 May 1925

The race is on - for the Viceroy's Cup.

05 Jan 1912

Scenes from a lavish pageant held during the royal visit to India, celebrating King George V’s coronation.

28 Feb 1921

The Duke rides an elephant as he ventures on safari in Bengal.

01 Aug 1933

Armoured elephants, sacred monkeys and a camel carriage from Rajasthan.

01 Mar 1909

The timber trade calls on animal help.

01 Jun 1917

A state welcome for a Handley Page aircraft arriving in Kolkata.

01 Aug 1922

Lady Pamela Lytton, wife of the Governor of Bengal, visits the grand marble Victoria Memorial in Calcutta.

29 Dec 1902

Aristocracy, army, elephants and more mark the start of the 1903 Durbar.

07 Jan 1903

Stately scenes in India, likely filmed during the 1903 Delhi Durbar.

01 Jun 1935

Amateur footage of a trip into the Himalaya.

11 Mar 2021

Varanasi is the Indian city where Hindus go to die. Stretching along the Ganges, Varanasi holds great spiritual significance because Hindu scriptutres say that anyone who dies there will attain moksha—liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Berlin-based director Dan Braga Ulvestad captures life and death in India’s heartland in this moving documentary filled with exquisite cinematic moments. By the River starts its narrative journey with the city’s “death hotels,” dedicated apartments where people wait to die, sometimes for decades, so they can be cremated on the banks of the Ganges.

01 Jan 1971

Explores the distinctive features of the major rivers of the continent, and discusses their contributions to the farming, recreation, transportation and hydroelectric power of North America.

10 Jan 1922

The future Edward VIII enjoys receptions, playing polo and hunting tigers on his royal tour.

10 Jan 1922

The future Edward VIII enjoys stunning mountain scenery on a visit to the Khyber Pass during his royal tour

01 Feb 1928

Romantic, atmospheric travelogue capturing some of northern India’s most iconic places – not least the Taj Mahal.

01 May 1946

Kathakali performance featuring the great Indian dancer Guru Gopinath.

01 Feb 1934

A doctor and party visit the villages of eastern Manipur in India's far north east.

01 Dec 1922

The Taj Mahal and shots of Jalandhar nestle between footage from Canada and Africa.

01 Aug 1929

Amateur film of the passage to India - complete with guest appearance by Gandhi.

01 May 1931

Amateur travelogue of the Kagan Valley and Darband, Pakistan.