Richard Attenborough’s 1982 epic Gandhi is most certainly a biopic for the ages. Is it long? Yes. Drawn out and methodical? Yes. Is it a brilliant masterpiece? Absolutely, as this film could not have possibly been done any other way. With a life as sweeping and legendary as was the life of Mohandas Gandhi, this would have been a very difficult film to present in a small, intimate scope. However, despite that, this film never lacks in intimacy or character development as so many epics oftentimes do. Why? Richard Attenborough can certainly be credited with masterfully taking on such a daunting task. However, the major credit must be given to Ben Kingsley for all of the care, craftsmanship, dignity, and heart that he fills this performance with. While the film spans the majority of his career, from a young lawyer in South Africa to his assassination, the major focus is on his role in the creation of India. The beauty of this film is that, while it does not shy away from the controversial issues surrounding the creation of India and Pakistan, it remains accessible to most audiences (albeit audiences with long attention spans). My hope is that you did not watch this film in pieces, but instead that you embraced the journey that this sometimes exhausting, yet never dull, film sends the viewer on. The strong scenes of the film are too many to speak of. I would like to point out, however, just one scene, that remains one of the most powerful scenes of the movie for me, and really one of the most powerful critiques of the two-state solution to the Hindu-Muslim rift in India. Near the end of the film, the viewer is taken to a remote borderland between the newly formed India and Pakistan. One vividly sees thousands of people moving in opposite directions, Muslims in the direction of Pakistan, Hindus in the direction of India. What is made impossible for the viewer to figure out, however, is who is who. All it takes is one loss of temper, and the viewer is forced to witness a nightmarish border clash. Why did the gentleman lose his temper? Who is affected by the clash that ensued? What is the powerful force that divides this people? Is there a long history of such hatred in the region of South Asia, and if so why? These are certainly valid questions in a discussion of this film. Again, in a film such as this one, there are scores of scenes that can and should civilly and respectfully be discussed. I will look forward to discussing such scenes with you in this forum. If you enjoyed this particular film by Richard Attenborough, you may also consider viewing his 1987 film Cry Freedom, dealing with the subject of apartheid in South Africa. If you were completely awestruck by Ben Kingsley’s performance, just know that he is an actor that, in my opinion, can do no wrong. That being said, check out any of his films, and you will not likely be disappointed, but also keep in mind that Gandhi still remains his crowning achievement. If the subject matter of decolonization in India intrigues you, you will be hard pressed to find a better film than this one. If you do know of one, I am eager to hear about it though. I personally long for a film that explores, in greater depth, the rivalry and relations of Nehru and Jinnah.
22 comments:
The movie was really long yet very interesting. It was accurate and good to watch because you knew that what you were watching was real. The acting was great.
This movie was very long and some parts were very drug out. Overall though i thought it did a good job of portraying the actual events that occured.
I actually liked this movie even though it was so long. The events were accurate and Ben Kingsley was great.
One of the most impressive things about this movie was the level of historical accuracy. I was surprised to learn that every major character and event was real. This movie was very educational while at the same time, it conveyed a deep and meaningful message that the vast majority of movies today never do. I thought the acting was amazing, especially Ben Kingsley. He was so convincing as Gandhi that at times I forgot he was just an actor.
I thought this movie was a little slow in the beginning, but it did pick up. As Nidhi said, it was very long, but still very interesting. Ben Kingsley made an amazing depiction of Ghandi. It was extremely historically accurate, so that's cool! All in all, it was a good movie.
yes, i agree with you guys. this movie therefore proves that it can be done-- a film that is both entertaining and historically accurate.
This was a great movie. At 1st i wasnt looking forword to a 3 hour movie but I really liked it. I agree that this movie started off a little slow but it picked up the pace. I thought the actors were really great.
I thought that the movie was really well casted and had a large amount of realistic events. Although it was super long and it was difficult to understand their accents, i thought it was had great settings and was really good.
I'm not gonna lie, this was probably the longest movie I have ever seen, and the beginning literally made me fall asleep. I finally got back into it when the movie became more inticing, towards the middle, and I really liked it from then on. But the best thing was when I researched it, I found out more and actually got more in depth information, and it was really interesting. I put some things together and discovered the reality of it and found the truth in detail on how Pakistan and India were divided and then became independent states. I agree, history can be pretty interesting.
i remeber watching the movie in 7th grade and not really understanding the importance of it. im glad that i watched it again because this time i think i really got the message that was trying to be conveyed.
This movie was long but every scene I learned more about Gandhi and India. Ben Kingsley played Gandhi very well. Overall this is a good and informational movie.
hehe. k, so it's a little late but... so, i thought it was actually kinda interesting b/c, when u think of Gandhi you just think "oh, he's that old guy from India who doesn't like fighting" but what you learn, is that he's really just a normal guy who was REALLY stubern and just wasn't afraid to stand out and take a stand. and just, btw, he had some AWSOME quotes. my favorite one was "an eye for an eye just makes the whole world blind" ;) srry if this isn't like all, college-y sounding btw :D
I thought that the movie was very long and boring. Although the movie was very accurate, it didn't keep my interest at all. The only bright spot was Ben Kingsley. He portrayed Gandhi very well. Once the movie started out with the assassination I thought the movie was going to pick up, but it never did.
At 1st I thought this was going to be a very long a and boring movie. It turned out to be very interesting and I enjoyed it alot I thought that the actors did an amazing job re-inacting the characters.
I felt that this is the best historical movie i have ever watched(my dad is a history buff, so i've watched a few). It was a very informative and eye opening film. To me, it was unclear at times who was who, but as for ben kingsley, i think that he did a beautiful job of catching the true essence of Gandhi. I do, however, think that the film leaned more towards a well acted but overly long biopic.
In my opinion, the movie was very interesting. I am surprised at the excellent level of acting and directing that went into making the film. Yes, the movie is very long, but I don't think the movie would have the same effect if it were shorter. I found the movie very helpful to students because it layed out the events that made Gandhi a global hero in an easy to follow manner leaving out very few details. I felt like I didn't have to watch the movie like I had to write an essay about it later. I think the average person can watch the movie just like they would any other movie and come out feeling like an expert on Gandhi and India's independence.
sorry guys i accidentally rejected a few posts so...
vanessa jennings said...
I agree, the acting was very well done. Ben Kingsley was the best actor to play Gandhi. He seemed to show the real Gandhi's character.
ashley beck said...
I really enjoyed this movie, despite the length. To be honest with you I thought, since this was an Ap movie that it would be sooooooo boring and confusing ,but I learned a LOT! I wasn't that knowledgeable about Gandhi and India's independence because the school system covered it in like 2 days in the 7th grade. And that was back then when I didn't care about history and probably wasn't paying any attention. SO this film gave me more knowledge on history because the film was ridicuiously accurate! Also this movie really gave me an amazing, new respect for Gandhi and his patients! I also enjoyed the actors. I seriously thought that Ben Kinsley was the real deal.
coty nash said...
In my opinion, the movie was very interesting. I am surprised at the excellent level of acting and directing that went into making the film. Yes, the movie is very long, but I don't think the movie would have the same effect if it were shorter. I found the movie very helpful to students because it layed out the events that made Gandhi a global hero in an easy to follow manner leaving out very few details. I felt like I didn't have to watch the movie like I had to write an essay about it later. I think the average person can watch the movie just like they would any other movie and come out feeling like an expert on Gandhi and India's independence.
Over all i thought this movie was really good. Even though at some points i wanted to fall asleep because it was so long, i also wanted to keep watching because i had to see what happened to Gandhi. I thought Ben Kingsley was a perfect person to play Gandhi, it seemed so real.
I, along with everyone else, did enjoy the movie too. It does seem to be time consuming being three hours and all, but I don't think that the movie could have been shortened because each scene was important to the movie one way or another. It does send out a great message, that even now can still be used, showing that non-violence can be more forceful than violence itself. The scenery was incredible and the acting was great too. Ben Kingsley was the perfect Gandhi.
The film was long but was great and it showed great accuracy. Ben Kingsley performed amazingly
Well, I watched several times and it never gets old. The use of real people was very effective and was cool visual experience for me
This was a really good movie and it gave me a very good idea of what it must have been like in the struggle for India. There were very many details and it was definitely one of my favorite Biographies.
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