Films:
Friday 30 2.00pm
The Courtyard Hereford
Mughal-e-Azam (U)
Director: K Asif
Starring: Dilip Kumar,
Madhubala, Prithviraj Kapoor
India, 1960, 2 hours 53 minutes,
B/W & colour, subtitles
Set in the 16th century, this timeless classic is the tale of the doomed love affair between the Mughal Crown Prince Saleem and the beautiful court dancer, Anarkali. The fervour and intensity of their love leads to a war between the prince and his father the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, which threatens to bring an empire to its knees. The film took over fifteen years to make (and involved a complete change of cast), the cinematography is superb, mostly black and white, with some songs shot in colour. It is greatly enhanced by Naushad's rich music and contains perhaps the most erotic sequence in Hindi cinema where Dilip Kumar and Madhubala are shot in close up, Madhubala's beautiful, iconic face motionless in ecstasy as Dilip Kumar watches in adoration.
Indian Film Season