The Dancers of the Ring

Series

Series Name: Eve And Everybody’s Film Review

Issue

Issue No.

611

Date Released

16 Feb 1933

Stories in this Issue:

Story

Story No. within this Issue

4 / 4

Summary

NoS Summary - a tribe whose womenfolk insert large plates or rings into their lips.
British Pathe synopsis: "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 group of Indo China native people standing in a line - the women are naked from the waist up. Closer shots of the women who dance towards the camera. M/S of group of musicians who play drums and other instruments. M/S of the backs of the women, they have a bunch of leaves or other decoration just covering their bottoms. Various shots of the dance. "The band consists of tom-toms, antelope horns, and other queer instruments." C/U of three drummers, one is quite a young boy. C/U of one of the other strange looking instruments, some kind of primitive glockenspiel. The woman who stands beside the musician has lips stretched over huge plates. C/U of the glockenspiel / xylophone being played. C/U of the drums being played - the drummers are very sweaty. C/U of two men playing wind instruments. "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 line of women with distorted lips. C/U of one of the women, she holds the bottom of the plates and turns from side to side. C/U of another woman standing sideways. She chews, making her lips go up and down. Another woman displays her lips for the camera. "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 the dancers, one man does a shimmy shake dance, flexing his stomach in and out and flapping his arms like a bird.

Keywords

Ethnic groups; Music and dance; Customs and traditions

Locations

French Indochina

Written sources

Pathe Inventory File Tin No.255
British Pathe Database 1997 Reference No.EP255
National Film Archive Catalogue

Credits:

Production Co.: British Pathe Ltd.

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