NipPierce Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) The 1929 black-and-white film "Prapancha Pash" is probably India's most famous silent film. It is over 85 years old and actually a British/German/English co-production. The actors are all Indian, the director (Franz Osten) is German and the writers are a mix of everything. Language in here is British, at least in the version I watched. Luckily it is not Hindi, because that way it would have been really difficult to understand for me. And I may have missed crucial parts, which would have been a pity as this is a pretty decent watch from start to finish. Yes the characters are either evil or good and there are no real shades in-between them, but that is not a major problem. The story is really simple for the most part and this helps the film a lot. Envious relative of kind prince wants to commit a murder in order to get power (and later also get the girl). Beautiful woman and prince fall in love. This film is really easy to follow and I liked the writing and acting here. Seeta Devi is gorgeous. Shame she did not manage to get a career in sound film. One big downside here is that the film is in black-and-white. You don't see the colorful palaces and bright costumes of the protagonists, which is quite a shame. As for the sound, you may listen to a decent melody that was added later on or watch it in silent as it was originally done. Whatevery you choose, go watch it. I am generally not the biggest silent film fan, but this one was a positive surprise and it is a shame there aren't many more famous silent films from Indian. Thumbs up for "Prapancha Pash".

Jackson Booth-Millard This Indian silent film featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I obviously wouldn't have known about it before reading the book, I watched it hoping it would deserve its place. Basically this is the story of two kings, the good King Sohan (Himansu Rai) and the evil King Ranjit (Charu Roy), who both share a passion for gambling, and are both vying for the affections of the same woman. Sohan and Ranjit are competing for the love of the beautiful Sunita (Seeta Devi), the daughter of Kanwa the Hermit (Sarada Gupta), the two decide to settle the fight and play a game of craps to determine who is the true love for Sunita, and who will marry her. The game is determined by a throw of dice, Sunita herself wishes to marry Ranjit, but he loses the game to the wicked Sohan, and as a forfeit Ranjit is forced to become his slave. However Sunita soon uncovers the truth of the crooked game that lost Ranjit his crown, and about Sohan's evil deeds, and it seems he has no chance of escaping punishment. In the end Sohan commits suicide, throwing himself off a cliff into the rapids below, and Ranjit and Sunita are reunited, sharing a passionate kiss and getting married. Also starring Modhu Bose as Kirkbar - King Sohat's Henchman, Tincory Chakrabarty as Kanzler Raghunath and Lala Bijoykishen as Raghunaths Sohn Beerbal. The rivalry between the two kings is interesting, the dice game is really a small factor, and the love story is fine, I found myself looking at the cool sights of India, with elephants and stuff, I admit it trailed in places, but it is a good example of early Bollywood, an alright silent epic. Worth watching!

wes-connors Re-titled a "Throw of the Dice" (and appropriately subtitled "A Romance of India") for American consumption, this late-term silent film was doomed to failure as it did not feature Greta Garbo or Charlie Chaplin in the non-speaking roles. But, its dreamy production values and international flavor played well in theaters not equipped for sound, and audiences in India were understandably receptive. The story begins in the Indian jungle, where pretty Seta Devi (as Sunita) has been secreted by a hermitic father.You will immediately see that hiding the fetchingly-attired Ms. Devi from society isn't going to last because the area also serves as tiger hunting grounds for two ruling cousins - "Good King" Charu Roy (as Ranjit) and "Bad King" Himansu Rai (as Sohat).In the opening hunt, the latter shoots the former "accidentally on purpose" with an arrow. The former unexpectedly recovers, due to the tender loving care provided by Devi. So, if he is to steal nubile young woman from Mr. Roy, Mr. Rai must take more drastic measures, which he does. The cousins' mutual affection for gambling advances the plot to predictable results. Irony exists in the line, "I know from your horoscope that gambling will bring you unhappiness." The film's main strengths are its beautiful locations, sets, and costumes. All of this will probably bore you, if you're not familiar with silent films.***** Prapancha Pash (8/16/29) Franz Osten ~ Seta Devi, Charu Roy, Himansu Rai, Modhu Bose

termitekeith Actors & Actresses from the silent movie era tend to overact by today's standards but the acting in this sweet little movie is commendably restrained especially for an "action/suspense type movie.The story is of two Indian kings, both avid gamblers who both fall for the same woman played by a functionally beautiful Seeta Devi. One of the kings has been secretly plotting to assassinate the other and take over his kingdom but his first attempt only wounds him. He is nursed by health by Sunita (Devi) & her father who is a man of medicine who has previously left the kings court to live in the forest because he is put off by the gambling.The entry of Sunita onto the scene escalates the stakes as the evil king uses various methods to eliminate the other & not only take his kingdom but take Sunita as well.The story is nothing special but as I said before the acting is reserved for a silent picture. Devi in particular is able to convey her feelings with a simple look or facial expression, an excellent display of subtle acting far different from the usual histrionics that you'd usually see from actresses at this time.Look for some excellent camera work at the beginning showing some of the local wildlife.