Fritz Lang's Indian Epic Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Fritz Lang's Indian Epic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 13, 2020

Orientalism has become an increasingly disparaged term, not the least due to Edward Said’s late seventies opus bearing that name which made the perhaps obvious point that many artists who engage in so-called “ faux Eastern” approaches tend to be looking down on their subject. It wasn’t always so, of course, and Orientalism in music especially has tended toward loving homages, introducing orchestral colors, scales and harmonies which serve as the classical counterpart to the “exotica” craze of the late fifties in more popular music. But as commentator David Kalat freely “confesses” early in his commentaries on these releases, the “Orientalism” on display in Fritz Lang’s Indian Epic may strike some as decidedly more problematic. As Kalat gets into, not only is there the sight of caucasian actors portraying Indian folks, they often are adorned with the ironically termed “Egyptian” makeup that browns their skin. The whole depiction of Indian culture in both of the films comprising the Indian Epic is often whimsical at best, and downright historically inaccurate at worst. And while there’s a kinda sorta “fairy tale” ambience to much of the story, that still can’t probably completely excuse some of the ethnically charged subtext of the film, which includes some interesting if largely unexplored hints that a temple dancer named Seetha (Debra Paget, here dubbed into German by a very smoky voiced actress) may be a so- called “half breed”, with only one Indian parent.

Reviews of the two films included in this release can be accessed by clicking on the following links:

The Tiger of Eschnapur Blu-ray review

The Indian Tomb Blu-ray review

Fritz Lang's Indian Epic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Fritz Lang's Indian Epic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Fritz Lang's Indian Epic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplementary material on each disc in this set is detailed in the above linked reviews.

Fritz Lang's Indian Epic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As David Kalat also freely admits in his appealing commentaries, neither of these films is probably going to ever make it toward the top of all time greatest Fritz Lang outings, but they're both enjoyable in their own kind of weird way, even if some (notably native Indians) may find certain aspects politically incorrect. Video is largely solid, but audio encounters a few hurdles along the way, and the supplements are very enjoyable, for those considering a purchase.