India Song

50th anniversary screening of the film in a digitally restored print in collaboration with the French Institute of Greece.

Directed by: Marguerite Duras
Starring: Delphine Seyrig, Michel Lonsdale, Mathieu Carrière, Claude Mann
Duration: 120 minutes
Year of Production: 1975

Summarizing the best screenplay and directorial attempt of writer Marguerite Duras as a story of love and passion set in 1930s Calcutta during the monsoon season might not be the most representative way to describe it. For if love and passion are the film’s main themes, they simmer more than they openly manifest.

Through an unusual narrative thread, a detached and sensual vocal narration, the writer-director crafts a story where the actors are placed and “used” as mannequins within a frame. This reflects Marguerite Duras’s literary style brought to the screen. She adds bold direction that disarms conventional cinematic mechanisms and exposes the viewer to something akin to living paintings. The resulting universe is enchanting and magical, as well as exotic - though never visually depicted - inviting us to imagine India, its humidity, and a world of passion and madness. Loukas Katsikas