back to search results

Isle of Elephants

1952 - 1955 , Sri Lanka (Other)

Cat no. 2805

A holiday in Sri Lanka.

Film record of a road trip made by Laurie and Stuart Day in Sri Lanka in the early 1950s, comprising shots of visits to ancient ruins, visitor attractions, the landscape in the Central Province and encounters with the local population en route. Sequences include: a snake charmer/ magician in Colombo Zoo at the beginning and end of the film respectively; an elephant being bathed in the Mahaweli river; a visit to the caves at Dambulla; visits to historic and religious sites at Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Sri Dalada Maligawa; a visit to the Peradeniya, Botanical Gardens in Kandy; as well as encounters with the local population and observations of their activities in cocoa, rubber and rice production. The holiday footage incorporates later close shots of Laurie and Stuart Day in the United Kingdom within three sequences: the snake charming scene and mango tree trick in Colombo Zoo, and an encounter with an elephant and its handler on the road in Sri Lanka. The commentary is provided by Laurie Day and is interspersed with music as well as the sound of a pungi in the snake charming and mango tree trick sequences filmed in Colombo Zoo. In her commentary, Laurie Day refers to the ‘Mohammedan’ belief that human life began in Ceylon; comments on the colourful and contented population; briefly describes the sights at the Dambulla caves and sets out a brief history of the inhabitation and fortification of the Sigiriya; describes the sights at Polonnaruwa, remarking on its flowering under King Parakramabahu and its sacking and disappearance 20 years after his death; describes the process involved in cocoa production and criticises the outdated method of rice production; expresses fascination with the orchids in the Peradeniya, Botanical Gardens in Kandy and ponders on the origins of the Sri Lankan elephant.

Featured Buildings

Caves of Dambulla Statue of Parakramabahu, Polonnaruwa City ruins, Polonnaruwa Vatadage, Polonnaruwa Statue of reclining Buddha, Polonnaruwa Statue of Ananda, Polonnaruwa Kiri Dagoba, Polonnaruwa Sri Dalada Maligawa [Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic], Kandy

Keywords

Sri Lanka; Ceylon; Tourism in the 1950s; British colonies; Colonialism; Snake Charmers; Ancient history; Historic sites; Cocoa production; Rice production; Elephants; Sumatran elephants

Other Places

Colombo; Mahaweli Ganga [Mahaweli river]; Dambulla; Sigiriya; Polonnaruwa; Kandy

  • Maker : Laurie Day

  • Maker : Stuart Day

Manifestations

Isle of Elephants

  • Barcode
    INV345764
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Modification Date
    08/10/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    739409
  • Barcode
    INV321033
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Modification Date
    08/10/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    739224
  • Barcode
    INV393068
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    MP4 H264 digital
    Dimension
    Modification Date
    08/10/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    739068
  • Barcode
    INV366022
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DV digital
    Dimension
    Modification Date
    14/05/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    737719
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV329911
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    DV digital
    Dimension
    Modification Date
    30/04/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    737660
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV387295
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    master digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:16:10
    Modification Date
    30/04/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    737659
  • Barcode
    INV347384
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    wav digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:26:12
    Modification Date
    14/04/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    737620
  • Barcode
    INV383120
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    wav digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:26:49
    Modification Date
    14/04/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    737610
  • Barcode
    INV361084
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    wav digital
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:31:43
    Modification Date
    14/04/2015
    Parts
    Reference
    737605
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV184083
    Canonical Identifier
    2010/9
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    audiospool tape
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    17/06/2010
    Parts
    Reference
    682211
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV276536
    Canonical Identifier
    2010/9
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Details
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour Type
    colour
    Has Image
    Y
    Has Sound
    Y
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    pos
    Modification Date
    17/06/2010
    Parts
    Reference
    682209
    Sound
    sound
    Sound System
    mag stripe
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV214071
    Canonical Identifier
    2010/9
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    audiospool tape
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    17/06/2010
    Parts
    Reference
    682204
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV215177
    Canonical Identifier
    2010/9
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    audiospool tape
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    17/06/2010
    Parts
    Reference
    682201

Copyright restrictions apply.

Please see our terms of use. Films on this website are provided for personal viewing. Should you wish to use the films in any other way please contact eafa@uea.ac.uk

terms of use
The data for this page was generated on 20/04/2024 15:40:35+00:00. Click to regenerate this page .