Behula,Camille Legrand,1921,55 minutes

Screening(s):01/11/2026 17:50, Xiaoxitian Art Cinema, Beijing

07/11/2026 15:10, Jiangnan Center, Suzhou

Inspired by an ancient cycle of popular Bengali legends, centered around Manasa, the snake goddess and daughter of the powerful god Shiva, to impose her cult on the earth.
The film narrates the rivalry between Manasa and her mother-in-law, the goddess Chandi. This tension is focused on a rich merchant, Chand Saudagar. When Chand Saudagar rejects her, the touchy Manasa puts him through a series of ordeals to punish him and bend him to her will, even condemning his oldest son Lakhindar to die of a snake bite on the night of his wedding to the beautiful Behula. The next day Behula finds her husband’s lifeless body. She decides to sail up the Ganges to plead her cause before the assembled gods and try to bring him back to life.

Brought to France by Legrand, the negative—which captivates viewers as much for its shimmering sets, inspired by Persian theater, as for its special effects (superimpositions, scratched film)—miraculously survived in excellent condition in the collections of the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation, held at the CNC. The 4K restoration was carried out in 2022 at the Image Retrouvée laboratory.