Jag Mandir (film)
Encyclopedia
Jag Mandir, sometimes known by its subtitle, The Eccentric Private Theatre of the Maharaja of Udaipur , is a 1991 documentary film
directed for television by Werner Herzog
. The bulk of the film consists of footage of an elaborate theatrical performance for the Maharana
Arvind Singh Mewar
at the City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan
staged by André Heller
.
to find performers for the show, including dancers, musicians, contortionists, and magicians. About 10,000 performers were located, and of these about 2,000 were chosen to appear in the show, which lasted several hours on a single day. Herzog's footage was filmed at the actual show, with some segments filmed in the rehearsals in the previous days.
Herzog's narration explains that the event was requested of the Maharana by a local wise man who saw the sinking of the city's palaces into the river as a sign that the local culture was deteriorating, and that the Maharana needed to stage the performance to reinvigorate interest in the various cultures represented. This story was invented by Herzog for the film, to "put it all into some context." The city's palaces are not actually sinking into the river.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed for television by Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
. The bulk of the film consists of footage of an elaborate theatrical performance for the Maharana
Maharana
Maharana is a variation on the Indian royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'Great king' in Hindi. It is composed of Maha- 'great' and the royal title Rana, a variation on Raja.-Salute states :...
Arvind Singh Mewar
Arvind Singh Mewar
"Maharaj Arvind Singh Mewar is the younger son of Late Maharana Bhagwat Singh ji Mewar .After the demise of Late Maharana Bhagwat Singh ji Mewar, his elder son, now Maharana Mahendra Singh ji Mewar was recognised as the Head of the Family in a public ceremony that took place in Udaipur...
at the City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan
Udaipur, Rajasthan
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
staged by André Heller
André Heller
Franz André Heller is an Austrian artist, author, singer and actor.- Biography :Heller was born in Vienna into a wealthy Jewish family of sweets manufacturers . His almost daily visits to the Café Hawelka were in his opinion a key element in the development of his literary orientation...
.
Production
The film was made at Heller's request. Heller explains in the film that he sent several colleagues throughout IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to find performers for the show, including dancers, musicians, contortionists, and magicians. About 10,000 performers were located, and of these about 2,000 were chosen to appear in the show, which lasted several hours on a single day. Herzog's footage was filmed at the actual show, with some segments filmed in the rehearsals in the previous days.
Herzog's narration explains that the event was requested of the Maharana by a local wise man who saw the sinking of the city's palaces into the river as a sign that the local culture was deteriorating, and that the Maharana needed to stage the performance to reinvigorate interest in the various cultures represented. This story was invented by Herzog for the film, to "put it all into some context." The city's palaces are not actually sinking into the river.
External links
- Profile of Jag Mandir on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...