Indian Elephants and their Handlers

Indian elephants bathing and working

There's something very calming (despite, or perhaps because of some damage to the original nitrate film stock) about this well-shot 'interest' film of Indian elephants bathing and working. It's all clearly meant for display, and these elephants would probably be doing rather heavier work if the camera wasn't rolling.

The few seconds of waves on a rocky shore may have crept in from another film. The film was made by the French Éclair company and would have been distributed widely across Europe and probably North America - perhaps even further afield.