Taking place this week, the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is one of the greatest musical celebrations known to the world. In a few weeks, one can return to an edition of the annual event from decades prior with the new 4K restoration of Kavery Dutta Kaul’s 1988 documentary One Hand Don’t Clap. The celebration of Calypso and Soca music, following the legendary Lord Kitchener and Calypso Rose, explores the Carnival season, inside the recording booth, and beyond.
The new restoration, carried out by the Academy Film Archive and the Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film and Television, opens in New York City on March 8 at BAM and will expand. Ahead of Kino Lorber’s release, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the new trailer and poster.
Here’s the synopsis: “A musical celebration of Calypso and Soca music, the documentary captures the vibrant story of the emergence of these Afro-Caribbean rhythms through the eyes of two legendary artists––Lord Kitchener, the Grandmaster of the genre, and Calypso Rose, the first woman to break through in a traditionally male arena––as it takes us from New York recording studios to the awesome magic of Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago. First released in 1988, Kavery’s film played a pioneering role in the recognition bestowed upon this artform, as the energy of calypso music combined with the film’s character-driven, informative, and entertaining storytelling style reached across borders.”
“Carnival season––that period from the New Year till Ash Wednesday––makes Trinidad one of the greatest film sets in the world. It also poses immense logistical difficulties from a production standpoint,” Kavery recalls. “The challenge was to keep all that out of the film and put the focus on Kitchener, Rose, the other performers, and the story of their music.”
See the exclusive trailer and poster below.
One Hand Don’t Clap opens in New York City on March 8 at BAM and will expand.