Thampu (The Circus Tent)
Govindan Aravindan / IN, 1978 / 129 min.
A travelling circus arrives in a remote Indian village. From their processional entrance through spellbinding performances to their final pack-down, circus life is captured in joyous, lyrical imagery. Once thought lost, now beautifully restored.
Shot in semi-documentary style, Aravindan worked closely with real circus people and artistes, travelling with them to the village of Thirunavaya on the banks of India’s Bharathappuzha river – and created one of Indian cinema’s most poetic triumphs.
Aravindan’s joyous, lyrical masterpiece links the transience of the travelling troupe with the inevitable mortality of life. Once thought lost, now beautifully restored, the film will enrapture audiences anew.
“The beautiful, meticulously restored print brings alive the magic created on screen by Aravindan’s observational eye” (National Herald India)
Restored by Film Heritage Foundation, The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna at Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd’s Post – Studios, Chennai and L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory in Bologna, and in association with Producer K. Ravindranathan Nair of General Pictures, and the family of Aravindan Govindan.
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Details
Director
Govindan Aravindan
Production year
1978
Country
IN
Original title
Thampu (The Circus Tent)
Length
129 min.
Subtitles
ENG
Format
DCP
Part of
Restored & Unseen
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