== Ellis R. Duncan (1909-2001) ==

Tamil director and American cinematographer
aka Dungan. Born in Ohio; graduate of UCLA
and the American Institute of Cinematography
and worked in Hollywood as a cameraman
(1927). Came to India (1935) to sell camera
equipment and stayed for 17 years making
several major Tamil films, starting with Sati
Leelavathi, based on [[S.S. Vasan]]’s novel and
introducing [[MGR]]. M.L. Tandon, who had
earlier met Duncan at UCLA, got him to direct
films. [[Iru Sahodarargal]], also with MGR,
made him the top director of a nascent Tamil
film industry, also editing his own work and
integrating music and comedy routines into the
plot, which was perhaps his most influential
contribution. A series of hits followed:
[[Ambikapathy]] with [[M.K. Thyagaraja
Bhagavathar]] at Salem Shankar Films;
Shakuntalai and the memorable [[Meera]] with
the singer M.S. Subbulakshmi at
Chandraprabha Cinetone. Best-known work at
[[Modern Theatres]]: [[Ponmudi]] and the seminal
MGR hit Manthiri Kumari (which was
completed by [[T.R. Sundaram]]). Although
Duncan did not know Tamil (his interpreters
were known as ‘ rush directors’), his work is
remembered for its emphasis on Tamil
dialogue: the famed scenarist [[Elangovan]]
débuted in his Ambikapathy while [[Ponmudi]]
remains one of the poet [[Bharatidasan]]’s bestknown
scripts; [[Manthiri Kumari]] was
[[Karunanidhi]]’s first major literary contribution
to cinema. Duncan worked with well-known
actor-singers such as G.N. Balasubramanyam,
M.S. Subbulakshmi (the two acting together in
Shakuntalai), and T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai (who
featured in Kalamegham). Credited with codirection
of an Indo-US co-prod. The Jungle
(William Berke, 1952), starring Rod Cameron,
Marie Windsor and Caesar Romero, later
dubbed into Tamil as Kaadu. During WW2
made propaganda shorts (e.g. Returning
Soldier with T.S. Balaiah), and after
Independence was commissioned by the
government to film the transfer of power ritual.
In the 50s returned to live in Wheeler city, West
Virginia, occasionally working in India, e.g. as
a 2nd unit photographer for Hugo Fregonese’s
Harry Black (1958) and John Guillermin’s
Tarzan Mera Saathi (1962).

FILMOGRAPHY: 1936: Sati Leelavathi;
Simantini; Iru Sahodarargal; 1937:
Ambikapathy; 1940: Shakuntalai;
Suryaputri; Kalamegham; 1943: Daasi Penn;
1945: Valmiki; Meera; Returning Soldier;
1949: Ponmudi; 1950: Manthiri Kumari;
1952: Kaadu.

[[Director]]