Customer Reviews

Gandhi

5 star:		(209)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This movie was the realization of a lifetime dream for Sir Richard Attenborough, who finally succeeded in bringing this incredible spectacular to theatrical release in 1982. I was living outside London working for the American Forces in the greater London area at the time, so was thrilled to have the privilege to see this movie in its limited initial release in Britain, and was amazed by its scope, accuracy and integrity in bringing the quite controversial facts surrounding Gandhi's life and politically-motivated assassination to the screen. Ben Kingsley is simply magnificent as the diminutive, principled, and indefatiguable lawyer, humanitarian, and citizen of the world with an uncannily prescient feel for what was possible for a determined and energetic person as well as how to achieve his lofty otherworldly goals right here on earth.

Based on his appraoch here, Attenborough seems to have learned much from such masterful British film-makers as David Lean, for the use of scenery, topography, and natural surrounding of the characters as they wind through the more than 40 years of story line is breath-taking. His methods owe much to the kind of subtle insinuation of the local environment David Lean in particular used so memorably in movies like "Bridge Over The River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia" (see my reviews) in making the scenery more than an incidental player in the storyline. Seeing Gandhi immersed in the incredible multidimensional diversities that were (and are) India helps the viewer as we begin to understand just how incredible his efforts were to unite the country with his strange yet irresistible moral authority, an authority that all of the various factions recognized and respected as the authentic thing.

There is, of course, an immensely talented cast, including Martin Sheen as an American newspaper correspondent who becomes intrigued by Gandhi's profound and surprisingly effective non-violent approach to social change. Gandhi's approach to using reason and morality to approach issues and perspectives, and these methods become the real star of the film as it builds slowly over the scope of this very literate and intelligent script. This is a wonderful motion picture experience for anyone willing to sit through the more than three hour extravaganza, one that guarantees Attenborough's prominent place in film history, and one that leaves this reviewer smacking his lips in anticipation of whatever other wonderful effort such as this may someday appear based on Attenborough's talents, visions, and moral sensibilities. Enjoy!

It all began simple enough - with the purchase of a first class train ticket by Mr. Mohandas Gandhi, Esq., recently arrived in South Africa, and unaware that as an Indian, he was required to travel third class and not entitled to such a ticket. Literally thrown off the train for his transgression, the young attorney, embodied to perfection by Ben Kingsley, spent a full night sitting on the platform, musing how best to respond to such discrimination. Shortly thereafter, and after consultations with established members of his community, he wrote his first treatises and organized his first demonstrations. And when participants of a protest assembly stood up and proclaimed their willingness to die in the fight against suppression, Gandhi once and for all formulated his doctrine of nonviolent protest: "They may torture my body, break my bones; even kill me. Then they will have my dead body - not my obedience."

Shot largely on four Indian locations, Richard Attenborough's nine-time Oscar-winning biography of Gandhi is a sweeping epic that takes the viewer back to Britain's colonial past, covering all major events of Gandhi's political career from its beginnings in South Africa to the March to the Sea and India's independence, and contrasting the luxurious lifestyle of the foreign rulers with the poverty of those they governed; that India which, as Gandhi soon realized, not only the British didn't understand, but whose population also could not have cared less about the activities of the Indian Congress Party, at the time little more than a group of well-to-do city dwellers mentally and socially almost as far removed from the rest of their country as the British. Twenty years in the making, the movie is clearly reverential of Gandhi's genius, and of the man whose symbolic growth was reverse parallel to his retreat into simplicity, and who for that very reason, and because of his unfaltering commitment to nonviolence on the one hand and India's independence on the other hand, accomplished what only few people would otherwise have thought possible: to convince the world's biggest colonial power to give up the crown jewel among its colonies; and to do so in a gesture of friendship and without civil war. The one aspect of Gandhi's life that falls a bit short here is the effect that his overbearing symbolic status had on his family life, which necessarily had to suffer as a result (unable to cope with his father's fame and chosen lifestyle, Gandhi's eldest son, for example, threw himself into a life of alcoholism and prostitution). But Gandhi is not depicted as a saint, and particularly during his early years, we learn about the struggle that went into the formation of the man who later earned the title "Great Soul" (Mahatma). Even anticipating that he might be killed by an assassin's bullet, Gandhi once said that he would only deserve that title if he could accept that bullet with Rama's (God's) name on his lips: fittingly, the movie begins with his assassination and comes full circle at the end, affirming that Gandhi truly was a Great Soul throughout.

Attenborough found his perfect Gandhi in Ben Kingsley, who not so much plays but truly *is* the Mahatma; from his appearance to the inflection of his voice, attitudes and gestures. Over the year-long struggles to finance the movie, Attenborough's first choices for the role had grown too old to convincingly play the young Gandhi in South Africa, but eventually Michael Attenborough pointed his father to Kingsley, then with the Royal Shakespeare Company, who reportedly won the role by meeting Attenborough in full Gandhi makeup at their first get-together, thus instantly convincing him that he had found his man. Yet, despite his gift for mimicry and his part-Indian heritage, Kingsley nevertheless turned to his Indian costars, particularly Rohini Hattangadi, who plays Gandhi's wife Kasturba, to fine-tune his portrayal; and he recalls in an interview for the movie's DVD release that the skill he found the most difficult to master was to spin and to talk at the same time. The use of the actual British newsreels covering Gandhi's visit to England adds to the movie's sense of authenticity - and emphasizes yet again Ben Kingsley's achievement in transforming himself into the Mahatma.

In fact, his awardwinning performance so overshadows every other actor in the movie that it would be easy to overlook the fine performances of his costars, all of whom contributed to the movie's unique quality - to name but a few, Sir John Gielgud, whom Kingsley praises as "a national treasure" (British viceroy Lord Irwin), Roshan Seth (Pandit Nehru), Martin Sheen (NY Times reporter Vincent Walker), Candice Bergen (People Magazine's Margaret Bourke-White), Ian Charleson (Gandhi's early friend and colaborator Reverend Andrews), Edward Fox (General Dyer, the man responsible for the massacre at Amritsar, who testified at his court-martial that his intention had been to "teach a lesson that would be heard throughout India"); and Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield, who had to sentence Gandhi to prison for his outright admission that he was guilty of the charge of advocating sedition because of his belief "that non-cooperation with evil is a duty and British rule in India is evil," and who nevertheless rose at Gandhi's entrance into the courtroom instead of making the prisoner rise for him, and commented on the sentence he had to impose that "if ... his Majesty's government should, at some later date, see fit to reduce the term, no one will be better pleased than I."

The movie ends with Gandhi's affirmation that when he despaired, he remembered that "all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers; for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of this: Always." Such a belief may be difficult to hold on to, particularly for us who are so much more fallible than the Mahatma. Yet, this movie eloquently pleads that it is, at least, worth our very best effort.

Also recommended:
Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth
The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas
Gandhi: The Man, His People, and the Empire (Philip E. Lilienthal Book in Asian Studies)
HALFWAY TO FREEDOM In the Words and Pictures of Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection
Kundun
Anne Frank - The Whole Story
Henry David Thoreau : Collected Essays and Poems (Library of America)

I watched this movie years ago having not seen it since I was a kid. After watching it I decided to write my senior research paper about him, as I wanted an excuse to not just read and absorb him, but gush about him to someone.

Gandhi was a great man. What a tale it is, from being a reletively simple, unknown attorney to becoming one of the greatest world leaders in history. His turning point moment came when he was thrown off a train for sitting in the first class car in South Africa. He would not allow for Indians to be treated like third class citizens anymore and moved towards equality. Not only did he achieve the smaller equalities, but he overthrew the British Empire's occupation and at long last freed India.

I will spare the blow by blow of this movie, as it tells his story so well (if just glossing over just a few of his major points and good works for people). But this movie, as well as his written work, taught me how to be a better person. Despite how corny and silly that may sound of me, I learned not to complain. Even the scummiest of jobs (ex. rake and cover the latrine) you do with joy. People lash out at others when they are angry and unhappy, and yes they hurt you, but you will not be beaten down if you realize that happiness is not handed to you but earned by our own efforts. I always remember his words in my darkest hours ...

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderes, for a time they can seem invincable but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always."

If that doesn't bring tears to your eyes, then nothing will.

Students of history and film alike can well appreciate this great piece of filmmaking about a truly great historical figure.
It took Director/Producer Richard Attenborough 20 years to put the life work of Mohandas K. Gandhi on film. The picture among it's many international awards was also winner of 9 well deserved Academy Awards. Among them, Best Picture(1982),Best Actor(Ben Kingsley),Best Cinematography,Best Screnplay, and Best Director.

The "Mahatma"(Great Soul) as Gandhi was called by his followers,devoted his life to secure freedom for the people of his country, India. From the time as a young attorney, traveling through S. Africa, where he was literally thrown off a train due to his race, until his death by assassination,he led his people with hope and strong beliefs.The British Monarch ruled the nation of India, and treated the citizens as second class. Gandhi would change all that through the means of peaceful civil disobedience, often leading to beatings, imprisoment or both for all that particapted in these demonstrations.In one particular case, even more tragic, gunfire was opened on 15,000 men women and children gathered in rally, many were killed.Gandhi's answer was not revenge however, he felt that if "every man took an eye for an eye, the whole world would be blind."

The film also depicts the famous "March to The Sea", when Gandhi led thousands, to show the British that the salt(an important commidity to them) belonged to everyone,the hunger strikes he went on, and finally the respect earned him by even the British.
Reporters from around the world eventually learned of this great man and flocked to get his story.It follows through on the time after India gained it's Independence from England, and began to have civil probelms of it's own, with conflicts arising between the Muslims, and the Hindu. Again Gandhi would go on hunger strikes to bring peace to his nation.And finally his assassination which stunned the world, that this great man of peace would have his life ended so violently.The funeral scene is a sight to behold.

The film is extraordinary. The cinematography(Filmed mostly in India), the costumes designs, the acting, will all keep you totaly involved with this story of historical importance. Performances by Ben Kingsley, Martin Sheen,Candace Bergen, Sir John Gielgud, Trevor Howard and Edward Fox were all a stroke a brillant casting.Also look for a very young Daniel Day Lewis early on in the film. The music by Ravi Shankar and George Fenton(also given a nod by the academy) encompasses the true culture of India.

The DVD enhances all of the terrific qualities of the film. The widescreen(2.35:1) is perfect. The picture quality and colors clear and vibrant. Sound and dialouge excellent as well. Columbia/Tri-Star has given this important film the treatment it deserves. There are also some great extras. Ben Kingsley talks about Ghandi and how he got into character, there is some original newsreel footage of Ghandi(watch this and you will realize what a remarkable job Kingsley has done), there's a photo montage, and several langauge subtitles(No Indian languages though,.. hmmm???).All together a great DVD.

[...]

I'm giving this movie two reviews, one for the movie, the other for the packaging and DVD.

First Review, the movie.

ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! I have never seen a movie that touched me the way this one has. To see Gandhi as he transforms himself (or is he transformed by others?) from Mohandas K. Gandhi, Lawyer, into Mahatma Gandhi, Revolutionary, is a testament to his strength and wisdom - it also shows a great deal of his cunning! Witnessing Mohandas' inner struggle in the early years in South Africa when he first began using civil disobedience also humanizes this transformation, and shows that even a man as dedicated as Gandhi sometimes can be afraid. Seeing his momentary trepidation at the Indian Card Burning rally showed both his resolve and its costs.

All of these characteristics are brought to the screen wonderfully by Ben Kingsley, who was born to play this part. Amazingly enough, this is Ben's first major role, and to put it lightly, he nailed it. Seeing newsreels of Gandhi and viewing Kinsgley's performance is like viewing two of the same thing. Gandhi's use of passive resistance brought the British Empire to its knees, and served as a blueprint for many of the leaders that we admire today, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and others.

SIDE NOTE: Several reviewers have suggested that passive resistance only works in "civilived" societies, such as Great Britain and the U.S., and would not have worked in other countries, such as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. While I agree that Gandhi probably would have been killed or "disappeared" in those societies, I would counter with the example of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the author of the Gulag Archipelago. While he was imprisoned for his "crimes", his ideas lived on. And although it took more time to undo the Soviet Union, it was undone, all the same. A Gandhi quote used often in the movie seems appropriate for this scenario: "When I despair, I think that all through history, the way of truth and love has always triumphed. There have been tyrants, and for a time they may seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it, always"

One of the drawbacks, since the movie was partialy subsidized by the Indian Government, I am a little suspect about the portrayal of the Muslims in the movie, particularly Mr. Jinnah. Although I know next to nothing of the real Jinnah, the fact that the portrayal of the founder of the state of Pakistan was financed by the government of Pakistan's arch-enemy causes me to take the portrayal at a little less than face value. It's a little like George W. Bush financing a Hillary Clinton biopic.

Second Review, the packaging.

As some others have alluded to, I was very disappointed in the lack of biographies of the Indian actors in the film. Given the tremendous contribution of these unknown (to Americans) actors, I would have liked to get to know more about their work and histories. Let's face it, I already as much about Candice Bergen as I want to know. I also am a little disappointed in the lack of a Hindi language track, although I don't speak Hindi. Given the fact that Gandhi was shot simultaneously in English and Hindi, it couldn't have cost too much to stick this on as an extra, particularly due to the fact that the Hindi version of the movie was the one originally released in India. Given the historic nature of the movie, and the importance of the movie to Indian history and culture, it may be the least they can do.

Overall, the drawbacks are significantly outweighed by the powerful acting and message of this movie. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, of any age, and any nationality (as long as they speak something other than Hindi).

I've eagerly waited for this movie to come out on DVD for quite some time. Like many films in Columbia's archives (e.g. Lawrence of Arabia), Gandhi has taken its time to find its way to DVD. As a DVD package, Columbia Tri-Star has done an interesting, yet only minimal job. The Gandhi DVD case comes in a special translucent plastic sleeve with a color photo illustrated Wall Street Journal review insert. Of the DVD extras, of interest is an interview with Ben Kingsley, with his recollections of the production, including many insights into the behind-the-scenes workings and his own methods and feelings about working alongside many of Britain's "Knights of the Cinema" (e.g., Sirs John Gielgud, John Mills, et al). Of historical interest is a collection of period newsreels including one rare recording of the real Gandhi. (A minor embarrassment occurs in the Actor's filmography section where for Trevor Howard a photo of John Mills is displayed!) In comparison with Columbia Tri-Star's special releases of Lawrence of Arabia and Bridge on the River Kwai, this release of Gandhi on DVD pales in comparison. While the inter-option transitions are smoothly animated and the extras earn this DVD a higher ranking than say any of the meager DVD offerings that Paramount has offered to date, what Kingsley himself calls one of the "last epics," Gandhi has only been given "above average" DVD treatment.

I can't believe what some people think.
I understand that we all have our own personal opinion, but earlier in the reviews someone likened Mahatma Gandhi, nonviolent peace and freedom fighter, to an anorexic Paris Hilton. That is impossible for me to understand. Just how are Paris Hilton and Gandhi alike?

Additionally, that review also stated that Gandhi had no point. Hmm, let's see. What happened as a result of Gandhi's fasting and walk to the sea? Freedom for the entire Indian subcontinent! I can understand criticism of the cinematography, photography, and other details (which in this movie were excellent), but I can't grasp the reviewer's point. Perhaps freedom for an entire subcontinent is only as important as racy entertainment (if not less important). Only Time will tell.

-Concerned Observer

We are not perfect, but if we decide to do better than what has been the norm for humanity, we can. Gandhi chose to be a better man than he was and through his will power, guided but not blinded by his convictions, he embarked on a life that led him to challenge accepted notions on many aspects of our lives. He was creative, asking questions others did not ask and inventing answers others did not offer, with respect to problems we still face. And then he lived by what he discovered. He did not let his fears control him, but rather experimented with his own life to try out those answers. He sought the "truth" and tried to live by it. Above all, he tried to be honest with himself and with others. He tried not to inflict suffering, while also not allowing it to be accepted.
He was not a supreme, magical being. He was not a saint. He was one more human being. He just slowly, sequentially, and then decidedly chose to find and follow whatever the truth may be, within a path of love and acceptance for fellow human beings.
Most of us focus on the negative side of human nature. Most have no real faith in humanity. Here, though, is proof that we can do better.
There is hope for us. But hope exists only if there is willingness to steadfastly, stubbornly, but DEFINITELY NOT CLOSED-MINDEDLY work for it.
I recommend this movie for teenagers and young adults, after an introduction to the history that led to the conditions in Ganghi's India, and the ideas permeating Western politics and ethics in that era.
To anyone wishing to understand his psyche more fully, I'd recommend his autobiography:
THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH

This magnificent film has a cast of thousands as it was was produced before digitizing later became common practice. It was filmed on location in India and starred Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. Of course he had to lose weight, and he did have to maintain a suntan. But in spite of being English and not Indian, he sure did look like Gandhi. And during the course of the film, he just melted right into the character of this very special man he was portraying. The supporting cast was wonderful too and included Candice Bergen, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Martin Sheen and Om Puri.

The film covers more half a century, beginning in 1893 in South Africa when Gandhi, an attorney educated in England, is treated like a second-class citizen. Always, he yearned for freedom for his people from British rule. And always, he preached non-violence. It worked. Eventually India did become independent. And, later, when the tension mounted between Muslims and Hindus, and blood began to be shed, Mahatma Gandhi's hunger strike was able to stop the fighting.

Watching the film on DVD is a special treat because it included some original newsreel footage of Gandhi himself as well as a recent interview with Ben Kingsley, who is now in his late fifties. I love all those behind-the-scene stories, such as how he had to learn to spin fabric as part of his role and how difficult it was for him to spin and say his lines at the same time. Also, in the funeral scene, which included 400,000 people, he actually played the part of the corpse instead of using a wax dummy.

I definitely recommend this DVD. See it for the great performances. See it for a sense of history. And see it as a moral lesson in what is possible.

Lord Attenborough sought out to offer a sampling of the most well known and farthest reaching events, while interjecting events little known in Gandhi's personal life. The beginning disclosure makes clear that there was no possible way, in the time allowed, to tell all that could be told about the man. This film introduces us to the essence and primary thoughts of Mohandas K. Gandhi and explores the patience and diligence of non-violent philosophy.

In the beginning we see a very young, fair-skinned and comfortably British-Gentlemanly Indian solicitor from London, who is used to more accomodation than segregation, encounter his first overt act of discrimination when he travels to South Africa. The earliest pictures of MKG show him as strikingly light-skinned, and his bios tell us that he had made an excellent career for himself leading as priviledged a life as an Indian man could at the turn of the last century. He enjoys a life of nannies, housekeepers and little domestic work-again totally British. Although his early pursuits are relatively successful there, after he leaves South Africa and journeys to India, he realizes he knows nothing of his own people and their plight under British control. He understands that he has been oblivious to their reality and undertakes a cross-country search to "Get to know her".

As the tale progresses we see his reinvention into the same stead as his fellow countrymen. He comes to the conclusion so many of our modern politicians never do "To understand the people, I must become one with them" and dresses, lives and communes with a vast array of followers and associates. Although he takes on the "Bapu" persona, underneath is a razor sharp British educated solicitor who guides his country into "home rule".

The honesty of this film is striking enough to capture a glimpse of this little understood man here in the west and give clarity to his main philosophies at least. Unfortunately, the non-violent movement that led to home rule in India and desegregation here in the US could not eliminate the ignorances, prejudices and practices that cripple all freedoms at their core. But we can get a honest look at his life and what drove him through this well written script and beautifully photographed film.

The widescreen edition is by far the best way to enjoy the film and although there are naysayers to the films integrity, there are many Indian actors in it as well as British, American and more. Ben Kingsley is half Indian, but he brings a depth of character which depicts this revered martyr as a leader and a man who sought to unite all peoples for the greater good of humanity.

Metaldiva Sez: This is one of those essential films that cannot be missed. It is an excellent choice for a quiet afternoon or to introduce young people to this man of principle.