BFI is set to release Franz Osten’s newly restored Indian silent classic, SHIRAZ, in a Dual Format Edition on 26 February, 2018.
The BFI National Archive‘s new 4K restoration premiered at the BFI London Film Festival last October and features a stunning new score from Anoushka Shankar.
Shot entirely in India, featuring lavish costumes and gorgeous settings, Osten’s sumptuous drama imagines the sweeping love story of the 17th-century princess Mumtaz Mahal and the subsequent construction of the iconic Taj Mahal in her honour.
Special Features:
- Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
- Restoration Demonstration (2017, 3 mins)
- Temples of India (1938, Hans M Nieter, 10 mins): Indian travelogue featuring beautiful colour footage of the Taj Mahal shot by Jack Cardiff
- Musical Instruments of India (1944, 12 mins): public information film made by the Government of India to promote Indian arts and culture
- Illustrated booklet with essays by Bryony Dixon, Simon Broughton and Gautam Chintamani, and full film credits
Technical Specifications:
Country: Germany, India, UK | Year: 1928 | Image: Black and White | Running Time: 106 mins | Language: Silent with English intertitles | Original Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 | BD50: 1080p | Frame Rate: 24fps | Audio: PCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/24-bit); 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48kHz/24-bit) | DVD9: PAL | Frame Rate: 25fps | Audio: PCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/16-bit), DTS 5.1 surround audio (48kHz/16-bit)
