I mentioned a few years ago that I had tried to watch the 1944 film Lal Haveli on YouTube but could not follow it and wished that I could find it with English subtitles… And finally, my wish has come true, though completely by accident. I have the New York Public Library to thank this time. I did not expect to see this film anywhere, but I decided on a whim to go to the library’s Hidni film section yesterday while I was returning something, and guess what I saw the moment I cast my eyes toward the shelves!
And now that I have been able to watch it with subtitles, I can say for certain that it is as much of a delight as I expected. It’s not a perfect film, but it is good… And, of course, the cast is the best part of it – definitely a golden moment for Noor Jehan, Baby Meena, and Yakub. (And Surendra’s singing is nice in this also, though I decided that I like him more in the other film that he did with Noor Jehan – though I know some people don’t like him there, either; oh, well.)
In any event, I hope to have a somewhat fuller review up soon. But I decided to do a preview or “coming attraction” post first so that people know to look to this blog in the near future for a real review of Lal Haveli. (I am saying “real review” to set it apart from the “I can’t follow it without subtitles” review of 2011 – which, by the way, has gotten a bunch of hits during the last day, maybe because I also mentioned this find on Facebook? That, actually, is the main reason I have gotten impatient in my desire to say something about the film now. Don’t look back there, look here!)
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P.S. In the event that someone is reading this post in New York City and you want to grab a copy, run right now to the Mid Manhattan branch of the library, on 40th Street and Fifth Avenue, because I saw two copies on the shelf. Or, you could also wait a little while (at least a week) for the time when I return it. I hope to buy a copy in Jackson Heights later, and I think that I should find it in the “Bollywood DVD” store on 74th Street that’s closest to 37th Avenue, because they have had quite a few other Shemaroo Vintage films. But, unfortunately, there’s never a guarantee…
Dances on the Footpath 
Richard,
I am eagerly waiting for your review. I am also enthused that it is going to be a ‘real’ review. I have only one request: Do give the full story with the ending too (I don’t understand this big deal about Spoiler Alert etc.). One reason why you might have found it difficult to follow the film on YT is that they have chopped off about 20 minutes towards the end. Hope DVD is complete.
The best thing about the movie, besides its music, is that it has a happy ending, unlike many of Noorjehan’s films which have a sad ending, some for no logical reason.
AK, I appreciate your kind words, but you are making me a bit nervous with your expectations! I won’t guarantee that it’s going to be worth such an eager wait, nor am I exactly sure what the standards should be for a “real review.” Maybe I should be careful about what I promise!
I often find it very difficult to give the “full story” the way some other bloggers do. More often, I’ll give pieces of a plot summary. I find giving a plot summary to be a lot of hard work. I like wording things very carefully sometimes, tweaking the language a lot (even after I’ve already posted the thing), and I think other people might find that to be hard work, but I enjoy it. I don’t know why, but I get bored when I try to give a full plot summary. But sometimes when I have, it worked out pretty well, not as tedious for the reader (from what I have heard) as it was for me when I was writing it.
And I really do understand the reason for a Spoiler Alert! In fact, I’m tempted to put one above the comment that you just left. Sometimes the surprise in the story is an important part of the pleasure that it brings. If we’re led to expect an unhappy ending and it becomes a happy one instead, that can be very nice (as long as it’s not rushed or forced into a happy ending). I don’t like to spoil that surprise!
Re. your question about the ending, thankfully, the DVD did include the ending. When I looked at the version online back in 2011, I wrote in this blog:
Also, I’m not really sure if I got to see the whole movie yet. (It stopped at Part 11, but it did not say “The End.”) Maybe another part or two will go up in a few days, and it will make everything crystal clear to me. Though I doubt it!
So, yes, I knew something was missing there, and it did make the story more confusing.
Well, I have finally written that real review of Lal Haveli and will post it shortly – maybe later today or tomorrow at latest. (Depending on where you are, of course, the dividing line between “today” and “tomorrow” might be different.) I have written in more of a plot summary than I expected to, despite all my grumbling about it, but with no real spoilers. (So you should be a little happy about that, AK. :) ) I hope to put in some good screen caps, too, but my media player has been failing a little, so I don’t know how easily I will be able to take them. Hopefully, the computer, itself, won’t crash right before I get this thing up! (Another potential pitfall in blogging…)