Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everyone. Technically you're getting two days in history today
because we're running two episodes from the History vault. I
hope you enjoy. Hello, Welcome to this day in History class,
where we flipped through the book of history and bring
you a new page every day. The day was made
(00:25):
third nineteen, the film Raja Harish Chandra, directed by Dadasa
paulk was released theatrically at the Coronation Cinematograph and Variety
Hall in Mumbai, then called Bombay in India. The silent film,
which is based on the legend of the Indian king
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Harish Chandra, is considered by many to be the first
full length Indian feature film. Whether it can rightfully claim
that title is debated, but it stands that the film
was a box office success encouraged a proliferation of Indian productions.
When Paulka was a teenager, he joined the Third j
(01:07):
J School of Art, studying photography, architecture, lithography and other
art forms. He went on to work as a painter,
set designer and a photographer. In the early nineteen hundreds,
he and a partner started a printing press that was successful,
but difficulties between partners led paul k to cut ties
(01:29):
with the business, but in April of nineteen eleven, he
went to see the silent film The Life of Christ
by director Alice g. Blache at a theater in Mumbai.
That was the spark that ignited his interest in creating
a film. He began watching more movies and studying film.
(01:49):
In nineteen twelve, paul Ka went to London to learn
filmmaking from British filmmaker Cecil Hepworth. He bought a Williamson camera,
ordered film and a perforator and went back to India
after only a couple of weeks in London. When he
arrived in India, he founded paul Ka Films Company. The
initial capital he got for the company came from a
(02:11):
loan he took out against his insurance policy. His family
and friends staffed the company, and his wife took on
management and technical roles. That same year, paul Ka began
the work of writing Raja Harish Chandra and casting the film.
He did the direction of production, design and editing while
trem bought the too long operated the camera. Filming took
(02:35):
nearly seven months and the film was about four reels long.
It was first screen in April nineteen thirteen to a
special audience at the Olympia Theater in Mumbai. Weeks later,
on May third, nineteen thirteen, rajaharis Chandra had his theatrical release.
The film was shown as part of a program including
(02:57):
Arene del mar In a duet and Danced Meber, a
comedy sketch by the McClements, Alexandro The Wonderful Foot Juggler,
and Tip Top Comics. It had an all male cast,
since working in film was not considered completely acceptable work
for women at the time. Raja Harish Tanja ran for
twenty three days and had a rerun soon after. As
(03:21):
paul K promoted the film and news of it spread,
it proved a success. Paul K went on to produce
and direct more films like Lanka Dihan and Shri Krishna Genma.
In nineteen eighteen, paul K Films Company folded and paul
Ka established the Hindu Stand Cinema Films Company with several partners.
(03:43):
But as the film industry got bigger and talkies became
more popular, Paulk's work faded from the limelight. He retired
from the film industry in the nineteen thirties and he
died in nineteen forty four. Paulk is now considered the
father of Indian cinema, but many people say that the
silent film Shri Punda Leak, directed by Dadasaheb Tornay, deserves
(04:08):
recognition as the first Indian film. The forty five minute
film was released on May eighth, nineteen twelve at the
Coordination Cinematograph. Many people do not consider Shri Punda eligible
for the title because of a few technicalities. First, the
film was a recording of a popular Murati play using
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a single fixed camera. Second, the cameraman who filmed the
play was British. Third, the film was processed in London,
so the negatives of the film real stayed in the
UK and Tornay could only get the positives to India.
This reasoning for not giving Tornay recognition is controversial. Tornay
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sons have even filed a public interest litigation to claim
Tornay is a pioneer of Indian cinema, to get negatives
of the film from the UK and and to recognize
Shri Punda Leak as the first Indian film. But the
Government of India still considers Raja Harish Chandra the first.
In nineteen sixty nine, the Indian government created the Datas
(05:13):
to Help Polk Award, which is awarded annually to recognize
artist contributions to Indian cinema. I'm Eve Jeffko and hopefully
you know a little more about history today than you
did yesterday. And if you like to follow us on
social media, you can find us at T D I
h C Podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Thanks again
(05:37):
for listening and I hope you come back tomorrow for
more delicious morsels of history. Hi everyone, I'm Eves and
welcome to this Dan History Class, a podcast that really
(05:58):
believes in learning something new every day. The day was
made third, eight sixty eight. The Edo Period in Japan
ended in the Meiji Restoration began. Before the Edo Period,
Japan went through a time known as the Seingoku Period
(06:20):
or Warring States Period. At the time, the Ashikaga shogun
capital was at yang Kio or present day Kyoto. The
Sengoku period was a turbulent one of political upheaval and
civil war when a rival warlords or daimio, fought for
control over Japan. The daimio led armies of thousands of
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samurai and others willing to defend their estates. Oda, Nobunaga,
Toyo Tomi, Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Iyasu are remembered as Japan's
three unifiers as they contributed to the unification of Japan
after Yasu won the Battle of Sekigata in six teen hundred,
the Tokugawa shogun it began. In sixteen o three, Emperor
(07:05):
go yoz gave Tokugawa Iyasu the title of shogun or
military governor. He established the capital at Edo or modern
day Tokyo. This marked the start of the Edo Period,
also known as the Tokugawa Period in Japan. Iyeyasu set
to work on re establishing order and control in Japan
and encouraged foreign trade. Daimio were allowed to keep their
(07:27):
autonomy if they swore fealty to the Tokugawa house. They were, however,
required to spend half their time in Edo. Land was
redistributed among the daimyo, with more loyal vassals getting more
strategically important domains. The Tokugawa regime also enforced the suppression
of Christianity in Japan. When Yasu stepped down from his
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official position as shogun in sixteen o five, his son,
Tokugawa Hi Data, took his place. He retired to sun
Put Castle in modern day Shizuoka, uh but he was
still involved in politics. Toyo Tommy Hideyoti, Toyo Tommy Hideyoshi's
son remained as the last significant threat to Yasu's rule.
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In sixteen fifteen, Yasu captured Osaka Castle and brought it
into the rival Toyo Tomi clan. The next two hundred
and fifty years or so we're marked by relative peace,
and the Edo period was characterized by stability, economic growth,
and population growth. But thus not to say the rest
of the Edo period was completely void of conflict. The
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Tokugawa regime also enforced the suppression of Christianity in Japan,
and some parts of Japan enjoyed more prosperity while others
were hit with famines. But the Edo period paved the
way for contemporary Japanese culture. Commercial and diplomatic relations remained
open with Korea and the UK Kingdom, and trade with
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the Chinese in the Dutch was allowed at the port
of Nagasaki, but the shogun it did restrict contact with Europe.
It also banned almost all travel abroad and foreign books
still Domestic trade, agricultural production, and the arts flourished, but
natural disasters, famine, the breakdown of the social hierarchy, corruption,
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financial crises, and social unrest led to the decline of
the Tokugawa Shogunate. In the eighteen fifties, Japan began opening
up ports to the West for limited international trade. Anti
government sentiment grew, and many people demanded the restoration of
direct imperial rule. The domains of Choshu and Satsuma worked
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together to overthrow the last shogun. The power of the
shogunate was handed over to a new emperor. On May third,
eighteen sixty eight, ed O Castle fell to imperial forces.
The Edo period ended, and Eda was renamed Tokyo. The
Meiji Restoration, the period that restored imperial rule under Emperor Meiji, began.
(09:59):
The Meiji Era, which ended in nineteen twelve, saw rapid political,
social and economic change. I'm Eve Jeff Co and hopefully
you know a little more about history today than you
did yesterday. And if you have any comments, our suggestions,
or any ideas for the show, you can hit us
up on social media where at t d I h
(10:20):
C Podcast. You can also send us an email at
this day at i heart media dot com. Thanks again
for listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow.
(10:40):
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