Next on the list is one of India’s earliest silent film successes called A Throw of Dice. It’s a fairy tale story of two kings who want to claim the love of a beautiful woman and use a game of dice to determine who will have her.
So the story is pretty simple- two cousins vie for the affection of a woman and use their skills as gamblers to see who will have her. Normally this would be the part where I go on a rampage of how sexist that plot is and how a woman should not be treated like a prize to be won but I won’t. Because that’s how fairy tales were during those times- to have the hero’s journey be about acquiring a prize or to suffer the consequences and end with a happily ever after. A woman’s beauty made them terrifying and unapproachable to men so the adventure they have to go through to win their hearts would be what would drive the story. I can’t believe that the film crew was German instead of Indian because they captured the country so well. The beautiful sets, the music, the costumes, the elephants. The setting makes this film visually entertaining.
Behold! The first kiss to be shown in an Indian film! How romantic! So watch this film if you like Indian fairy tales with dazzling sets and stunning cinematography.
Watch A Throw of Dice and comment your reactions:
Oh, For the Love of 1001 Films! 