Vintage French Film Revived with Electrifying Live Music in Chandigarh

In September 2025, a unique cultural event unfolded in Chandigarh, India, as a century-old French silent film came alive through a captivating cine-concert. The film in question was "The Crazy Ray," a 1924 science fiction masterpiece directed by René Clair, one of the earliest examples of the genre in French cinema.

The screening of this restored 4K print was accompanied by a live performance by Stéphane Scharlé, a celebrated French drummer, composer, and founder of the jazz collective. Scharlé's self-invented instrument, blending percussion, loops, and electronic textures, breathed new life into the haunting charm of the original film, adding a fresh contemporary pulse.

The event, presented by the Alliance Française de Chandigarh in collaboration with the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, offered audiences a dreamlike fusion of cinema and music. "We were thrilled to welcome Stéphane Scharlé and his poetic reinterpretation of Paris qui dort as the first event in our newly refurbished theatre," said Fiona Guerra, Director of the Alliance Française de Chandigarh. "It was a meaningful way to reopen this space to Chandigarh's audiences and to celebrate the vitality of French creativity."

The Chandigarh showcase was part of Scharlé's ongoing tour, which includes performances across New Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and other cities. The evening concluded with resounding applause as audiences celebrated this meeting of nostalgia and innovation – a vivid reminder of how art continues to transcend time, language, and form.