L'inde Fantôme Louis Malle, 1969 Choses Vues A Madras Part IV

Phantom India (1969) Documentary series by Louis Malle. This second episode concentrates on Madras currently known as Chennai.
Previous parts here:
Part I
• L'inde Fantôme Louis M...
Part II
• L'inde Fantôme Louis M...
Part III
• L'inde Fantôme Louis M...

[@gayatrikasinathuni94]

as someone learning bharatanatyam..their tat tai ta ha in the starting was so good! so strong and crisp..mine is all weak. that step hurts

[@vardhanarya]

you will learn it one day dear.

[@aryak8412]

True!!!!

[@littlestories4798]

Same here.. I thought I was doing good until I saw this video n realized a definition for goodness :-)

[@gayatrikasinathuni94]

@@littlestories4798 I know right! Exact same feeling

[@intothedark222]

EXACTLY!!! I was SHOOKETH looking at their postures, so strong. ❤

[@priyadarshinirabha]

Beautiful documentary! However, I would like to make a correction here. The student at 8:55 is my Guru Indira P.P Bora. She's from Assam, a state in the nort east of India (not Hassan). She is a prominent figure here and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri last year.

[@sriprakhyapochiraju9498]

Couldn't find her content on youtube...but I really want to know more....are there any links available that you could post here?

[@amandachetty1499]

Which style is this?? Kalakshetra?

[@sriprakhyapochiraju9498]

@@amandachetty1499 Yes, it's the Kalakshetra Bani

[@chithiraak]

@@sriprakhyapochiraju9498 Indira P P Bora Sathriya dancer from Assam

[@sriprakhyapochiraju9498]

@@chithiraak kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJWrqohtadqEZ5o Finally found her!!! Thank you so much!

[@rprasannakumar]

Man its so strange to look at the world how it was like years before your were born and became a part of it, looking at 1969 Madras from 2012 Chennai is really strange... its like knowing something that's not around you in its entirety anymore, ......

[@DIYERK72]

Reminds me of when we learnt Bharatanatyam. Our guru was relentless, and we also gave it our 100%. She would always say that if somebody woke us up in the middle of the night and played a piece of music we had already learnt, we should be able to do it perfectly. That is how much we practiced. I teach now, and believe me kids today would run if they had to go through the rigorous training we went through. I am for ever indebted to my guru

[@ns.kha29]

Madam invite me to your school, I am of this generation but I would love a guru like yours.

[@solarhoney]

its a sad pity that we are so quick in judging others ...people dont understand french sufficiently, or rely on inaccurate translations... Malle has only expressed the deepest respect and admiration of india. even before he died as a famous for the movies he made - he stated that for him, personally, his best work was these documentaries on india, and not the movies for which the world honoured him ! he died longing to be in india where he felt he had so much to learn, that the West never knew...

[@spock7945]

indeed sad, if true. although i'm not really aware of the dynamics of the socio-political life back then. or the motivations of the political class to get sooo triggered!

[@vijayabs2266]

This reminding my school days. After school me and my sister attend music college dance class. Amost 30 members in class practice bharatha natyam. My favourite dance master Pillai sir teached us dance. He was a great master.

[@LP-bf9oe]

Wow! This is real barthanatyam. I am never seen anyone dance like this before .

[@firebird3639]

So true about the foreigners missing the essence and doing mechanical and narrator not afraid to say it. Every action done in worship is transcendental.

[@rao8559]

Takes some time to get accustomed to a new artform.

[@adimentsu]

louis malle has tried his best to understand the indic way of living, i dont know why government back then felt so appalled by it, i guess its in our minds that sets us back and not to appreciate our own culture. the fact that for quite a long time we were belittled under imperialism. But yes after so many years a new generation has emerged who dont feel that way. its about sharing and we shall do it. I do thank louis malle for capturing his moments in India

[@rao8559]

I think the Indian government was more upset by his documentary on Calcutta than this .

[@vardhanarya]

@@rao8559 what was the issue ?pls explain. what did the govt do ?

[@elssa2tan]

I speak french fluently (being of Indian origin and living in Mauritius). The translation does not do justice to his narration. He is being so condescending towards our culture. It is utterly humiliating to listen to him. He is also being very subjective.

[@rao8559]

@@elssa2tan I understand French though not fluently and I asked a friend who is a French speaker to see if the subtitles match the narrative (in case PC editors changed it over the years). She said the subtitles are about 95% correct. I dont get where you are getting the view that he is condescending. As for subjective - yes , of course it is his personal opinion.

[@rao8559]

@@vardhanarya Calcutta back then was a byword for misery and poverty. Malle showed many positive facets of Calcutta but didnt shy away from the aforementioned and other disturbing and depressing realities of everyday existence among the poor. From Indian government POV this was a PR disaster. hence it was banned

[@simim111]

This brought me so much joy😭😭😭❤❤❤! I'm glad KZbin recommended this to me.

[@bannyaroy2497]

The only problem with the way the foreigner girls is dancing was that they were paying too much attention to how physically taxing it was rather than enjoying and paying attention to the artistry. Takes quite some time to switch your thinking

[@rao8559]

Well it is a very physically demanding dance. Just as you cant enjoy playing basketball if you are new to it and out of shape. After a few months of training , you can appreciate it on a new level. Same with martial arts. First comes the basic physical condtioning, then the artistry.

[@theblushstudio]

India never forgets to dance.. It's in our blood and breath

[@Account-user]

Reminds me of the time, when I used to learn Bharatnatyam... We used to practice our addhaus just like this.. I had to give up because of increasing academic pressure.. I miss Bharatnatyam a lot..

[@btman0008]

a historical footage indeed... thanks...

[@SKJagan-dh2ft]

Heartiest thanks to the person who made this lovely video available for me to watch

[@selvamthiagarajan8152]

These young girls ought to be in theirs 70s today. The youth and energy is immortalized in the video. Thank you Frenchman.

[@fabiennelenagard707]

This Frenchman was a famous film director.

[@srikumar4184]

Love the age old traditional! Flawless ease of flow!! 🙏

[@malamuddappa7071]

south indians never and ever forget or demise this classical dance like bhathanatyam, kuchipudi, kathakali, yakshagana,.. .......

[@sushmaravi2913]

India can never ever forget the tradition and culture… dance is in our blood ❤️

[@mridulkanti1995]

If all the indians convert to Islam then there willbe no dancing or any kind of tradition in India at all.

[@swaroop448]

In this art you can see beauty of God!!! you can enjoy and you can see i am taking breathe to see it

[@mohenrajs]

Thanks for uploading.... :)

[@potatowarrior747]

Bruh he dissed those foreigners so bad😂😂😂😭😂

[@kaliyugavideoentertainment4066]

Haha I’m a white person learning bhartanatyam I think this is hilarious

[@priyachoudhary9896]

I mean if you are being recorded for a documentary you won't be laid back chill but I get it...though some dancer tend to take solemn look while others revel in their pleasure of dancing

[@rao8559]

He was being a bit unfair to them. They are new to this after all. It is likely in a few years, they became professionals like any other Indian dancer.

[@amirat5440]

Straight up roasted them 😂😂

[@natyanandadancecompany9606]

They are renowned teachers now! It’s a long process to learn!

[@ragas93]

The description is quite poetic. Great video. Thanks.

[@AnuMadhubhashinie]

astounded and speechless.. love from Sri Lanka

[@misssujakannan]

Absolutely love the narration!

[@SKJagan-dh2ft]

Even practice sessions of indian classical dances are so good to watch. These foreign dancers r thounds of times better than lakhs of indian girls who have no intrest in indian classical music and dance

[@AA-vf8fs]

what a wonderful video...

[@loneliluna]

The narrator did a good job talking about the dance, the dancers etc. but he was very rude when talking about those foreigners who had put the effort to learn this difficult classical dance.

[@bhartipandit1311]

Nothing is beautiful than this❤️

[@simranradia2438]

omg the tat tai ta has at the beginning are flawless!!

[@HaseenaChandni]

This looks like yesterday's filming and not in 1969. Such good quality.

[@bpb1782]

This is ART.

[@Indiancrab]

merci Louis-....

[@adimentsu]

and yes i having a crush seeing those two girls dance, one in yellow and the other in red

[@elineprince1323]

It was filmed in the 1969 according to the intro, so they are atleast 60 years old now I guess,they are timeless,age is just a number, keep it up bro 👍

[@vardhanarya]

bro they are grand nannies today

[@kritisrivastava9393]

I thought the yellow one was Hema Malini 💛

[@Dhksksjjsjjs]

Dude! They are grandmas

[@rectotexto4586]

La narration est abominable ! Une prof de baratanatyam me disait qu'elle trouvait que Malle était étroit d'esprit, au sujet de ce film. Je le trouve aussi méprisant. Et il prononce "nyata" au lieux de natya(m).

[@KtorzZ]

Sublime

[@Zalmoksis44]

Oh yeah, let's put foregin beginners against advanced natives and let's bash the foreigners as caricatures. It's so objective and it makes for such a great "documentary".

[@anandisundar3270]

I would have died to learn...

[@cat_logue]

It hurts a lot that to see how our culture is unexplored.

[@prasna539]

i think the students are now in their 60 s and they are alraedy grandma omg i cant believe it

[@aravindhkumar2012]

inde du dance est tres bien :)

[@HareKrishnaHareRama101]

How racist the commenter is first thing he describes about the skin color 😳

[@rao8559]

Not racist to notice differences. Perhaps he is struck by how different she looks compared to Tamils

[@HareKrishnaHareRama101]

@@rao8559 The documentary is about dance not ethnic Explaining the dancers physical feature here is unnecessary and irrelevant

[@ns.kha29]

@@rao8559 right

[@rao8559]

@@HareKrishnaHareRama101 The documentary is about Indian culture and society in general of which arts such as dance are part of the narrative. He mentions that she is from another part of the country and hence looks different. He knows his audience better than you do. It is his documentary, he decides what is relevant and what is not, not you.

[@kumarsubra1]

Traditions are alive and cherishing and I know of no foreigners that are keeping it alive for us. This shows how ill informed his opinions are. Amazing quality of video though !

[@nmo3148]

what ill informed opinion?

[@minikaur4993]

There are russians who actually are keeping all dance forms of India alive. It's true.

[@sevehrsevehr6001]

@@minikaur4993 😂 They aren't keeping anything alive. Please!

[@anupamarao2736]

Yes, when he said that the dance form may die in India but will be kept alive by foreigners I laughed so hard 😂😂

[@minikaur4993]

@@sevehrsevehr6001 do you see how our countrymen are ashamed to embrace their own culture? I see it on a daily basis by strangers on internet and people in real life. I just said there are russians who practice our dance forms and keep it alive , that's all.

[@ajaycadambi]

Who is singing the Kambhoji Kshetrayya Padam?

[@dollylachhey745]

🙏💕

[@mohan1771]

Is it shooted in Madras Kalakshetra ?

[@bqrmsm7et686]

These documentaries are almost an instruction manual on manufacturing orientalist propaganda. He seems genuinely surprised that a refined art form such as Bharatnatyam could have originated in a place such as India. Then, having observed the recent post-independence resurgence of indigenous art forms like classical Indian dance -- he says the art-form is now bound to be corrupted like all artificially recreated traditions. Then, he says, even if the Indians fail to keep the art alive, foreigners will surely keep it alive. All throughout, there is a condescension for the Indic people themselves, that they are unfit stewards of their own traditions, that others need to step in and take over to save these otherwise fine traditions from their undeserving patrons. One can only imagine what a terrible effect this must have had on western mindsets regarding India over the decades.

[@narasimhadas]

BQrm SM7et I think most people dont know french and from that angle its more than a fantasitidocumenttary , though do agree with your claoms

[@spock7945]

huh! is that really so *+BQrm SM7et* ¿ to me it seems closer to how *+Joe* put it above. By the way: (and i am myself a desi en.wikipedia.org/wiki/desi ) Bharathnatyam and its predecessor forms from with it originated or evolved from after the Brit/Raj ban are as distinct as wolves are to dogs. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHuxkHSnp7OUr6c Bharathnatyam as is presently practices is a transgression (of sorts) from the Kuththan/kuththu from the Sangam period and the Sathir/Sadir dance form during the Chola period. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHLIdGOOeZeUoqs Bharathnatyam started devoting itself to Saivisjm and this example shows some of the depth of expression and devotion!

[@kprosshia4258]

Exactly. I got mad with his narration.

[@carnaticmusiclover1]

Agree with you, Joe Thomas. He wasn’t condescending at all, just an observer. And a very intelligent one at that. He says they couldn’t tear their eyes away. That in itself shows how deeply he loved India. In his later years, he mentioned that this series on India was his most favourite work. This coming from an academy award nominee. He was a profiling filmmaker and I have enjoyed this so much!

[@sevehrsevehr6001]

@@joethomas9230 Now we the patrons need a Joe to tell us how we must react to the R we are subject to. Please scurry along. He is being rude, and openly picking faults. This is no different to all the alien theories your kind have pulled up to explain the magnitude of our accomplishments. STOP censoring our sentiments. We are quite capable and evidently far more than you or your generations past, present, and future will ever be.

[@gonlyhlpz]

At 11:16 that girl's (now probably grandma) expressions were so beautiful.

[@mayurb6534]

No more

[@khannahhaasan9582]

Sorry?

[@kcjnu]

11:16

[@karanpandey1349]

Maybe it's the translation, but what I noticed frequently throughout this documentary was how the West is often fixated on race and appearance. Even in a documentary film about art and dance they couldn't stop themselves from mentioning it. Notice how the narrator specifically pointed out the "fair skin" and "Asian features" of one dancer and then for the Tamil dancer he used the word "Purebred". Like, what was that? Purebred is a term used for cattle and pets, not for humans! He would've easily described her beautiful facial appearance, her big innocent eyes or her shiny complexion, if his intention wasn't to just highlight the distinction between "fair" and "dark" skin. Also, in the beginning he mentions that currently Bharatanatyam was going through a renaissance, which wasn't a good thing as it would guide India to follow it's ancient practices, as if that's embarrassing. And twice he mentions how foreigners can't integrate into the Indian society as they don't belong here. I feel the narrator was just projecting his own thoughts about immigration. Perhaps he believed that people (especially from poor countries) shouldn't immigrate to his nation because they don't "belong" there. Integration into a new country depends on an individual's readiness to accept the new nation as their own. Entitled Europeans can never see themselves integrate into India because of their superiority complex where they always see themselves as the Masters or VIPs and the Indians as their service providers. My rant might be completely uncalled for and born out of complete misunderstanding of the narration, but it is true for a lot of such vintage "documentaries" these western nations filmed about the "exotic" and "mystical" country of India.

[@taval8389]

Which institute is this?? Is it still functioning??

[@mohan1771]

Madras Kalakshetra... Yes very much functioning

[@lokloknoknok1362]

the tamil girl dances better

[@highlyindian4162]

Indian girl was dancing well. She has it.

[@ramachandrahanuman148]

Which year was it ?

[@tomholland2104]

Does anyone know the song in 8.05min, what rag? Tal?

[@kritisrivastava9393]

I thought the yellow one was Hema Malini💛

[@ritasahu2819]

That's amazing wow can anyone plz tell the name of the girl in yellow saree she is so beautiful wow

[@abhaymishra30]

Mam sorry to inform you but this documentary is like 50 years old

[@anganathakur5018]

Indira P.P Bora

[@kalabhumi]

Charolastra The latest photo of the ‘girl in yellow’ saree is Padmashree Indira PP Bora

[@bandanabarman8394]

Yes she is from Assam. My guru Padmashree Awarded Indira p.p Bora.

[@ritasahu2819]

Where can i get her more videos

[@dipuovelil]

Almost all his views are far away from truth that's why this was banned and even BBC was banned India from filming for few years after this documentary was released

[@vasavijagarapu]

Correction....Bharatanatyam and many arts lost glory bcoz of British rule...

[@jiminstinyhands7776]

i feel like those foreigners didnt even try lmao the rest of the dancers were great tho

[@khalidz1000]

+jimin's tiny hands The 'foreigners' are still deeply devoted to kalakshetra and the dance form. I know because one of them, Katherine Kunhiraman, has been teaching for forty years. Katherine and her husband, the late K P Kunhiraman, dedicated their lives to the art, and it is not an easy life. If you knew any better, you would know what courage and devotion it takes to live that kind of life.

[@nmo3148]

westerners tend to be stiff in the hips, deep squatting from childhood creates a different level of flexibility, seriously.

[@rao8559]

Give them a break. They are probably novices who did their best. I think the narrator was being a bit unfair to them. Though he is correct to say that art form probably comes naturally to Indians. However it is not impossible for foreigners to pick it up as get more organically immersed in Indian culture.

[@rao8559]

@@nmo3148 yeah probably true. Also the colder climates tend to make you stiffer.

[@k1r4z.]

@@nmo3148 what about the Japanese girl then bruh? İt was literally because they were literally beginners... Pretty normal that they aren't good as the advenced natives and also they were raised in a different culture.

[@Praneetha9985]

Which language does the commentator speaking?

[@sureshpraneeth]

FRENCH

[@BNat604]

Ajay Cadambi Vasantha Teacher

[@krvnaick2022]

I HAVE SEEN NUMBER of foreign girls coming to LEARN BHARATH NATYAM,.But for. most of them the need is a CAPSULE course, by living in hot Chennai and goback as if they did a post masters degree, diploma course in Classical dances of India. The reality that.most successful young dancers of India spend their time right from their pre.teen years and even if they attained status and popularity they practice for hours every day. FOREIGN GIRLS USUALLY LOOKING MORE GROWN UP FOR THEIR AGE HAVE MORE STIFF LIMBS AND LACK BODY FLEXIBILITY.THEY DO NOT THE LANGUAGE OF THE SONG FOR WHICH THEY DANCE AND HENCE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS(BHAVAS) AND SIGNS( MUDRAS) LOOK MECHANICAL. THEY ARE MORE STRONG THAN INDIAN GIRLS AND HAVE.MORE STAMINA.BUT FOR ABHINAYA BODY LANGUAGE IS MORE IMPORATNT. SUCH THINGS CAN BE ACQUIRED ONLY BY LIVING WITH THE TRAINING FOR DECADES. INFORTUNATELY EVERYBODY IS VICTIM OF COMMERCIALISATION. DANCERS prefer to PERFORM KATHAKALI USING PLASTIC MASK THAN HAVING TRADITIONAL FACIAL MAKE UP..OR CHUTTY.!

[@Elsa_fr]

The comment about the japanese and the american girls is so insulting.

[@vimeopictures5170]

Chennai women still looks the same in 2021 😂😂😂

[@kathatarang8418]

Yes and she is still gorgeous😍

[@vardhanarya]

what is her name pls tell

[@LavenderValley777]

This video is like Indians are forgetting their traditional dance and we foreigners came to rescue their traditions... It's those foreigners who robbed my country in many ways... We still have our traditional dance and music going on.. no need to have helping hands from West .

[@rao8559]

???