# THE SONG OF CEYLON / 1934 SRI LANKA DOCUMENTARY BY JOHN GRIERSON 59935

This black and white documentary film about Ceylon (today called Sri Lanka) is a John Grierson Production and directed by documentary filmmaker Basil Wright. Lionel Wendt, the narrator, died in December of 1934, helping to date this as to when Ceylon was a British Crown Colony. It is shown in four segments. The Buddha (:53). It opens with masked natives dancing at night (:55- 2:40 ), which was replaced by Buddhism. The people walk single file to the mountain top to worship ( 2:42 - 8:50 ). Bells are rung, statues of Buddha shown, and single birds fly ( 8:51 - 10:00 ). The Virgin Island ( 10:05 ). A bucket is lifted from a well by people walking on a type of see-saw device and then used to bathe in ( 10:07 - 10:35 ). Women fill water jugs and take them to a house ( 10:37 - 11:07 ). A mother and baby elephant stand in the water ( 11:09 ). The monks are fed by going from house to house ( 11:11 - 11:56 ). An elephant lifts one foot and lifts a man to its back before walking ( 11:57 - 12:14 ). Men in catamarans zip by ( 12:15 - 12:40 ). A man hand fishes with a net ( 12:42 - 13:30 ). An individual pounds clothing on a rock and clean clothes are hung to dry ( 13:35 - 13:53 ). Pottery is made on a wheel ( 14:00 - 14:28 ). A two-man saw is used ( 14:30 - 14:49 ). Mud is made to lump into balls and use as the fill on the sides of a thatched structure ( 15:09 - 15:55 ). Fishing nets are mended ( 15:57 - 16:15 ). People till a rice field by hand. The rice is beat out of the husk with…

- Kind: Documentary
- Genres: Documentary, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/59934TheSongsOfCeylonVwr)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/59934TheSongsOfCeylonVwr?play=1)