Legong was first distributed in the United States in 1935 by DuWorld Pictures Inc. and outside the U.S. by Paramount International. Legong and the follow up travelogue drama Kliou, the Killer (considered a lost film) were the last mainstream silent films to be released in the US. This is only partially true. Sign in to see videos available to you. He is on his way when he sees Poutou's sister Saplak bathing and is smitten. Altogether, an educational and cultural experience as well as simply a pleasure to watch the two films set in exotic locations with native peoples playing the roles. Subduing his color camera to inviting browns and pastel tints, the Marquis sets his native lovers against the rice fields, the shadowy lagoons, the pounding surf and the mountains of that island of which Paul Morand has written that it is absolutely irresistible to college boys and women of 40." Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2005. 56. Legong was produced and directed by Gaston Glass and Henry de la Falaise for Falaise's wife Constance Bennett's Bennett Pictures Corporation, and was filmed entirely on location in Bali from May to August 1933, using an all-Balinese cast. The New York Times' reviewer found it "a pleasant venture in the filmic literature of escape... a pretty tale, and the photoplay recites it simply and with faith. Legong: Dance of the Virgins is a 1935 drama travelogue silent film, one of the last feature films shot using the two-color Technicolor process, and one of the last silent films shot by a major Hollywood studio. Part of the appeal was likely the bare-breasted young actresses that appear throughout the film: American censors of the time tended to be more lenient with toplessness in films purporting to be cultural studies, and the women were not white. At one time advertisements promoted the film in large letters as "NUDITY WITHOUT CRUDITY: A FILM FOR ALL AUDIENCES!" From Milestone comes LEGONG: DANCE OF THE VIRGINS and it constitutes a major discovery. The native performers are so natural it's as if there were no camera there at all. The film ran into major censorship problems upon its release due to the fact that the women characters were topless. This excellent information-packed DVD comprises 3 films altogether, each relating to the other and offering something special. ; Milestone Film & Video. Legong: Dance of the Virgins 1935 [Bali India] Naturism documentary video. Legong is the last surviving silent film shot by a major Hollywood studio (Paramount), and was also one of the last films to use the two-strip Technicolor process. The crew was helped by Roosevelt, Denis, and Walter Spies to gain access to local villages and people willing to act in the film. Legong was an American exploitation film (of a type often referred to as a "goona-goona epic") similar to Isle of Paradise (1932), directed by Charles Trego, and Goona Goona or Love Powder (1932) directed by Andre Roosevelt and Armand Denis. It is a refined dance form characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions. The film opened in New York City on October 1, 1935 at USD$5.00 per ticket ($84.20 in 2012 dollars). "Bali... a garden of Eden with dozens of ‘Eves’! Legong: Dance of the Virgins is worth preserving and seeing in its own right, but its historical importance makes it even more so. Travelling or based outside United States? If your taste runs to the exotic or you are looking for something different then look no further. Her father is delighted with Poutou's choice and wants to help her to conquer Nyoung's heart. It's beautifully integrated with the flow of the film, and gives it a timeless quality (the original soundtrack is westernized and dated). LEGONG was made by Henry de la Falaise, a French nobleman who was once married to Gloria Swanson and who was then married to Constance Bennett whose film company produced it. The DVD release includes an alternative soundtrack composed by Richard Marriott and I Made Subandi and performed by Gamelan Sekar Jaya[2] and Club Foot Orchestra. Gamelan Sekar Jaya is raising funds for Legong - Dance of the Virgins on Kickstarter! The film was beautifully photographed and featured an all Balinese cast. Legong was successful enough that it was re-released several times. Legong: Dance of the Virgins was filmed entirely on location in Bali in 1935 by the Marquis Henry de la Falaise, World War I her, the ex-husband of movie star Gloria Swanson and the current spouse of screen siren Constance Bennett. The film is a tragic tale of love denied — Poutou, a respected Legong dancer, falls in love with young musician, Nyoung. While the film shows the traditional gamelan accompanying the dancers, there is no gamelan music in the original music track. It is to be her last temple dance and Potou is very happy until she finds the note and learns of the betrayal. The film is a tragic tale of love denied — Poutou, a respected Legong dancer, falls in love with young musician, Nyoung. Legong: Dance of the Virgins 1935 vintage naturism video [Bali India]. [3] The new score mixes Balinese and Western musical traditions. What makes LEGONG different and so fascinating to watch is the incorporation of Balinese dancing and costumes into much of the film. But since most people are probably only going to watch it once, I would STRONGLY recommend turning on the alternate soundtrack with the gamelan orchestra. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. When Nyoung chooses Saplak, Poutou drowns herself. UCLA deserves high praise for the major restoration work done on this movie which included using 3 different prints to come up with the one used for this release. The score is quite unique in that it uses heavy violin ostinato with shouting over the top of it during scenes depicting crowds and cockfighting. The film is a guna-guna epic (Goona-goona epic) - a mixture of a film-lecture on travel, a stock footage of exotic traditions and customs and a story about love and betrayal. The second film by director Henry de la Falaise, "Kliou the Killer" was filmed in Vietnam and similarly revolves around simple village life, this time the problem being a man-eating tiger that stalks the villagers. She goes to the bridge and sees the pair together and commits suicide. I found the two strip technicolor interesting and a pleasure to watch. While nudity may have been part of the film's appeal, it also received recognition at the time of its release for embodying "many details of anthropological interest, giving a record, in particular, of betrothal custom, traditional dances and mortuary rites." See the strange dance of Rongda, the Witch! Legong : dance of the virgins : a story of the South Seas. Legong was reconstructed using three surviving nitrate two-color Technicolor prints, one each from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In July 2013 the score was performed again at the Castro Theatre as part of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Into much of the San Francisco silent film enthusiast, I am always on the lookout quality. A lot of the Virgins and it constitutes a major discovery on tribal customs and rituals raising funds legong... Item on Amazon your taste runs to the home of Gousti Bagus is in love young! Was performed again at the Castro Theatre as part of the Virgins ( 1935 ) native... 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