India: Kingdom of the Tiger

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India: Kingdom of the Tiger
Directed byBruce Neibaur
Written byKeero Birla
Starring Christopher Heyerdahl
Smriti Mishra
Colin Vint (narrator)
CinematographyMatthew Williams
Music by Michael Brook
Release date
  • 2002 (2002)
Running time
42 min.
CountriesCanada, India
LanguagesEnglish, Hindi

India: Kingdom of the Tiger is a 2002 IMAX feature documentary, [1] inspired by the writings of Jim Corbett. The film was directed by Bruce Neibaur. It depicts man-eating tigers and the conservation efforts of the tiger in India.

Contents

Plot

The plot is loosely connected to the personal stories from Jim Corbett's 1944 bestselling book Man-Eaters of Kumaon . [2] Dramatic recreations and documentary footage deftly recreate the drama and era of early 20th century, with Jim Corbett portrayed by Canadian actor, Christopher Heyerdahl.

In the film – Corbett is asked to kill a man-eating tiger, which has killed a young woman in Kumaon. Corbett arrives at Kumaon and meets with local people. The sister of the victim (portrayed by Mishra Smriti) takes Corbett to the killing site. They together ambush the man-eater and Corbett kills the tiger from the machan. During this plot, the narration (by Corbett) contains stories of the history of India and the Kumaon region, as well as the efforts to save Indian tigers.

Cast

Filming

The principal filming took place in the foothills of the Himalayas, as well as scenic locations all over India. An additional 2nd unit was filmed in Canada. The production used exclusive IMAX cameras, and filmed on 65mm film negative; making it the first IMAX film ever shot in India.

Soundtrack

The film score for India: Kingdom of the Tiger was composed and produced by acclaimed ambient guitarist and world musician Michael Brook. The score was recorded at the Lavenderia and Real World Studios. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Lakshmi Shankar contributed vocals to the project.

The soundtrack album was released by Four Winds Trading Company in 2002. Bruce Neibaur, the film's director, wrote the following lines in the soundtrack album: "From almost my first day of work on India--Kingdom of the Tiger I was worried about the music...being heavy-handed.... Michael Brook has created a score that has washed away all my worries and concerns. He has masterfully painted in the rich, magical shades of India that are so important to the story. His music, from its very first notes, transports us into that faraway land. When the film is finished, I believe audiences will be wishing they could stay there longer."

See also

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References

  1. "India: Kingdom of the Tiger website". cw-network.info. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  2. Jim Corbett 1944. Man-Eaters of Kumaon. Oxford University Press