The Dance of Shiva is an amazing film. Amazing because it tells a story that has been all but forgotten, amazing because of the array of talent gathered to tell that story and even more amazing because all this was pulled off by a director in his twenties, making pretty much his first film. The story is that of the sacrifices made by soldiers from the Indian sub-continent while fighting on the western front during World War One, and the prejudice they encountered while they served. To tell this story the director, Jamie Payne, has gathered together some of the biggest names of cinema both past and present. In front of the camera you can see Kenneth Branagh, Paul McGann, Sam West, Julian Glover and in a pivotal role Sanjeev Bhasker. They are joined behind the camera by Oscar winners cinematographer Jack Cardiff and production designer John Box. Jamie Payne has teamed them with a hole host of young talent and created what will, I believe, be viewed in retrospect as the film world's first look at a huge talent that can only grow and move onto bigger and even better things.
Review of The Dance of Shiva
