Delhi

Beautiful Technicolor tour of Delhi shot by the great Jack Cardiff

As much a showcase for Jack Cardiff's Technicolor cinematography as a portrait of Delhi, this film presents the city - and the period - as rarely seen before. After a brief historical and architectural preamble comes an extended sequence clearly designed to flaunt stunningly coloured saris among the gardens of the Red Fort. Then it's off to New Delhi to see how the British (in the form of architect Edwin Lutyens) showed the Indians how to build. Despite the colonial pomposity of the commentary, the record of New Delhi in the 30s is extraordinary - especially the scenes of Connaught Place that appear as a sea of calm and green lawns.