Role of Period Cinema in Romancing the Luxury of PastAs each era unfolds and becomes part of history,
very often almost every thing that defines it is
forgotten, leaving behind only a few traces in the
form of stories or memories. The evolving values,
trends and aesthetics of society create a new cultural
vocabulary that overshadow the past in the name
of ‘Modernity”. The genre of Period cinema is akin
to the institution of Museums that keep “Past” alive
and link it with the “Present”. It would perhaps be
apt to call them the custodians of Heritage as that
remains a part of their archival anthology. The ever
changing world of aesthetics is witness to different
criterion, forced by circumstance. This phenomenon
can be seen in the world of Fashion, Art, Literature,
Theatre and Cinema that echoes the trends which
in essence is a reflection of societal state and values.
To recreate it with total fidelity, in the times where
it may seem alien, and get public acceptance, is
no small task indeed. To understand the period,
not actually lived in, requires strenuous effort
and research in terms of stage setting, selection of
locale, costume, mannerisms, history, architecture,
language, emotions, objects of daily use, etc. The
list can be extensive for making a successful Period
cinema production.