Film Forum

(1959) Architect Paul Hubschmid, en route to the (mythical) Eschnapur to build schools and hospitals, fends off a tiger that’s attacked Eurasian dancer Debra Paget (Broken Arrow, The Ten Commandments and erstwhile Elvis leading lady), then falls hard – but the maharajah who’s hired him may have other ideas. Dazzlingly shot in color on previously closed-to-the-public Indian locations, with Paget’s risqué snake dance (in an apparently glued-on costume) a highlight. Previously seen in the U.S. in a cut-in-half version, this is Lang’s completely restored epic. Lang’s return to Germany, via India, was also a return to a silent film he co-scripted with then-wife Thea von Harbou but didn’t get to direct. Total runtime of both films approx. 203 min.

A FILM MOVEMENT RELEASE

Reviews

“A sweeping adventure filled with tigers, snakes, romance and the camp-connoisseur favorite Debra Paget.”
– Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times

“Long before INFINITY WAR, IT, and KILL BILL came Fritz Lang's INDIAN EPIC - a yarn the auteur saw as too grand to be contained in a single film. These [films] deserve to be seen in their original form.”
– John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

“One of Lang’s most formal achievements. Above all, here are two films to be looked at.”
– Chris Petit, Time Out (London)

“An utterly glorious late testimonial and summative work from one of cinema’s titans.”
– Roderick Heath, Film Freedonia

“A clear precursor to the Indiana Jones series… Perhaps Lang's most open-aired use of color, and wonderful, late-period entertainment.”
– Jeffrey Anderson, Combustible Celluloid