Song of Ceylon

Wright had been sent to Ceylon to film four one-reel travelogues as publicity for the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board, but that purpose soon gave way to an “inner impulse” that made him film other sites and themes. In practical terms, he did not realize he was filming Song of Ceylon until he was back in London and had the material on a cutting bench. The film’s narration was taken from a book written by Robert Knox in 1680. At the last minute, Wright inserted four titles which prescribes the film’s symphonic structure: “The Buddha,” “The Virgin Island,” “Voices of commerce,” and “The Apparel of the Gods.” The first section, extremely slow, follows pilgrims up a mountainside to pray. The second shows the daily life of the people. “Voices of Commerce” juxtaposes two systems of labor, with the sound track ironically quoting British stock market prices and the arrival and departure times for ships while Ceylonese natives gather coconuts and tea leaves by hand. The last section returns to the religious and cultural life as it had been lived by the Ceylonese people centuries before the arrival of the British.