The first part of a luxury diptych filmed in Technicolor in the realms of Rajasthan, “The Bengal Tiger” by Fritz Lang shares a very specific relationship with one of the adventures of agent 007…
Summoned to Eschnapur in India by Maharajah Chandra, architect Henri Mercier was given the task of building a hospital there. During his travels, he saves a young and beautiful dancer, Seetha, from the clutches of a tiger and falls in love with her. But the ruler also fell in love with her beauty. Blinded by jealousy, Chandra does not suspect that at the same time, a plot is tied to him in the palace. As his brother, Prince Ramigani, plans to overthrow him, and Seetha must become bait…
The first part of a lavish diptych filmed in Technicolor against the natural backdrop of Rajasthan, The Bengal Tiger forms one film in common with the Hindu Cemetery. In 1921, Fritz Lang wrote a screenplay in Germany with his wife Thea von Harbou Hindu tomb, a two-part silent film directed by Joe May, starring his wife Mia May and Conrad Veidt. In 1956, returning to Germany after twenty years of touring the United States, Lang continued with the script, and, this time, staged it himself.
Imagine that Bengal tiger shared DNA with… James Bond. Or, rather, one of Agent 007’s (mis)adventures; in this case the shutter released in 1983, Octopussy. Part of the film was shot in the magnificent Lake Palace or Lake Palace hotel, as it was previously called Take care Niwasnamed after the island on which it was built, placed on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, India.
Memory sequence…
In fact Bengal tiger historically the first Western film to be allowed to set up its camera in this heavily enclosed space at the time. Fritz Lang knew India well, having lived there. The filmmaker has managed to secure the full cooperation of the former Maharana (ruler) of Udaipur, who opened a venue for his team that had hitherto been barred to foreigners; let alone the West.
Once a royal residence that was later converted into a luxury hotel, this former palace has attracted many personalities, such as Vivien Leigh, Queen Elizabeth, Shah of Iran, King of Nepal and Jacqueline Kennedy. If you have a little extra cash on the side and want to treat yourself to a dream piece, through this way!
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