Panorama of Calcutta (1899)

This is one of the earliest films to be shot in India - it was filmed in 1899.

The film apparently shows the Kolkata (Calcutta) ghats as seen from the perspective of a boat travelling along the Hooghly river, a tributary of the Ganges.

However, although the film's title states that this is Calcutta, the footage was in fact shot in the holy city of Varanasi (also on the Ganges). The filmmaker from the Warwick Trading Company clearly had a short memory or a limited sense of geography. (Robin Baker)

This film is included on the BFI DVD of Jean Renoir's 'The River' - http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_106.html

You can watch almost 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• BFI
• calcutta
• kolkata
• india
• boats
• river
• ganges
• hooghly
• hindu
• varanasi
• benares
• victorian
• raj

[deepvaidyaa]

ITS BANARAS NOW VARANASI IN INDIA

[BFIfilms]

Thanks for your message. The text about the film explains that the footage is of Varanasi and not Kolkata. However, 'Panorama of Calcutta' is the title that the film has been known by for 109 years, even if it's woefully inaccurate!

[pyancha]

It is not Calcutta--it's BENARAS!!

[BFIfilms]

Thanks for your message. As you'll see from the text about the film, it was misidentified by the film production company back in 1899.

[GreekChild]

Simply amazing.

[jajaborduniyay]

I am a Bengali man and u can't imagine how much I am touched to see my forefathers in this film.

[puketinho]

I could see some satelites dishes in 1899

[lichtbroeder]

In the film Little Buddha, a Tibetan monk gestures at a busy market and temple scene in Nepal and tells a boy that in 100 years, everyone that he sees before him will be dead. He was speaking not morbidly, but of impermanence. This film in a small way has made "immortal", average people living their lives, and our shared mortality, as well as our living, beating hearts, connect us to them in 1899, as surely as if they were still on this earth.

[williamsonproduction]

Whatever the place it may be, Calcutta, Banaras or Varanasi, it is India. At least we get to know the way of living in that time and how people used to live in those time, exactly 100+ years ago in India. See other BFI movies and it is a treasure trove that we Indians have got online. BRAVO BFI.

[stonewtube]

Nothing much has changed. Looks the same today as it did back then....

[twyborn29]

@dipakghosh1 - do people never read the information that goes with the film??? It tells you that this is varanasi but that was mistakenly described as calcutta over 100 years ago!!!

[sappho01]

@jajaborduniyay Are you now? In which case you would have realised this film was not even shot in Bengal, let alone Calcutta.

[viklondon]

thats great

[dipakghosh1]

Its Varanasi (Benaras), the eternal city of the Hindus. Its not Calcutta.

[dipakghosh1]

Its not Calcutta, but Varanasi (Benaras), the eternal city of the Hindus on the banks of the Ganga(Ganges).

[elolof]

fantastic!