The Dancers of the Ring

Series

Series Name
Eve And Everybody’s Film Review

Issue

Issue No.
444
Date Released
5 Dec 1929
Stories in this Issue:

Story

Story No. within this Issue
3 / 6
Summary
NoS Summary - women dancing in Indo-China.
British Pathe synopsis: Tinted brown. Anthropological story. "Thousands of miles away, in far-off Indo China, dwell the women of the "Sara Djinge", the weird "dancers of the ring." L/S of a group of bare breasted tribes women dancing in a line with their arms around each other. Other members of the tribe watch the dance. Closer shot of the dancers. M/S of group of men playing instruments - large drums, a wind instrument and a glockenspiel affair which hangs from a man’s shoulders. M/S of the dancers from behind showing their almost bare bottoms. "The band consists of tom-toms, antelope horns, and other queer instruments." C/U of two men and a young boy playing tom-toms. C/U of the glockenspiel player - he wears a military style jacket which looks odd. Beside him stands a woman with large round plates inserted into her lips. C/U of the glockenspiel. C/U of two drummers. Lines of sweat are visible on their bare chests. C/U of hands beating on a drum. C/U of the drummers. C/U of two men playing horns. C/U of another horn player. "Dancers of the Ring" they call them, because of the monstrous rings or plates inserted in the upper and lower lips of the women dancers!" M/S of the women dancers then C/Us of some of them showing the amazingly large protrusions caused by the insertion of these plates. One C/U shows a women in profile. She opens and closes her lips to very bizarre effect. "And when you think of our modern "shimmy" reflect on one of the places it probably came from - it has been here since the dawn of life!" L/S of a man dancing - shaking his body - other men clap out a beat. Closer shot of him doing his strange dance.
Researcher Comments
BUND - Not sure whether this item is correct. See issue 611.
Keywords
Ethnic groups; Music and dance; Customs and traditions
Locations
French Indochina
Written sources
Kinematograph Weekly   5 December 1929, p45.
The Bioscope   4 December 1929, p45.
British Pathe Database 1997   Reference No.EP255 Used for synopsis
National Film Archive Catalogue
Credits:
Production Co.
British Pathe Ltd.

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name
British Film Institute (BFI)
Email
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Notes
The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).
Series held
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Name
British Pathe Ltd
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Phone
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Address
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Notes
Pathe now also handles the Reuters Historical Collection, which includes the British Paramount, Empire British, Gaumont Graphic and Gaumont British newsreels.
Series held
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How to cite this record

'The Dancers of the Ring', Eve And Everybody’s Film Review Issue No. 444, 5 Dec 1929. https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/newsonscreen/search/index.php/story/332301 (Accessed 31 Jan 2025)