THE VOYAGE BEYOND
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1989 Thomas E. Billings
Screened at its U.S. premiere, March 11, 1989, at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Synopsis: In 1830 in India, a young girl is married to an old man on his deathbed, with the understanding that she is to commit suttee at his funeral, i.e., she is to commit suicide by throwing herself on her husband's (burning) funeral pyre. Only the pyre builder, an untouchable, tries to stop her.
India (Bengali with English subtitles), 1987, color, 130 minutes.
Director/Screenplay: Gautam Ghose Producers: Ravi Malik, Debashiah Majumdar Principal cast: Shatrughan Sinha, Promode Ganguli, Shampa Ghosh
This film is based on a classic of Bengali literature by Kamal Majumdar. The action of the film takes place in the state of Bengal, in India, in 1830 -- approximately ten years after the British had outlawed the practice of suttee (widows committing suicide by throwing themselves onto their husband's burning funeral pyre).
An old man, a high-caste Hindu (a Brahmin, to be precise) is on his deathbed, and has been brought to the burning grounds on the banks of the Ganges river. There his astrologer predicts that he cannot die alone -- he must have a mate in death. Since the man is a widower, he must have a new wife, a virgin, who will join him in death via suttee. The astrologer convinces his Uncle to get rid of his "terrible burden" (his unmarried daughter) by marrying her off to the old man, with the understanding that she will commit suicide via suttee. The motives of the astrologer in this matter are very dubious; it appears that he wants a suttee because it is, effectively, an act of defiance against the "infidel rulers" (the British).
The pyre builder, a member of the lowest caste (untouchables), tries to convince the girl's father to refuse to give his daughter up for suttee, but is not successful. The girl is brought to the burning grounds and the marriage performed.
While the girl sits by her husband's side awaiting his (and her own) death, the pyre builder visits and tries to convince her to run away from suttee. He tells her: "...when your golden body burns, the sky will glow crimson, and I can't stand to see it...." It is obvious that the young girl and the pyre builder are attracted to each other. The story continues on, dealing with the issues of love and jealousy, versus duty to authority (parents and religious authority). Does she commit suicide or run away? See the film and find out.
The slow pace of this film, and the unique subject matter, indicate that this is a film for a specific audience, not a general audience. What then, is the audience for this film? I think that people with some knowledge of Indian history/customs, and/or an interest in the practice of suttee (or the treatment of women in 1830's India) comprise the logical audience for this film. Other viewers may find it boring (due to slow pace of story development) or strange (customs and practices unfamiliar to viewer). I enjoyed the film, but I suspect that many viewers will not relate to the story.
Reviewer: Thomas E. Billings; Department of Statistics University of California, Berkeley Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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