A Passage To India (2-Disc Collector's Edition)

A Passage To India is a great movie- there is no doubt about that, especially with David Lean as director and a great cast with such actors as James Fox, Alex Guinness, Peggy Ashcroft, etc. Somehow, I never fully understood what occurred in that mysterious cave between Adela and Dr. Aziz. Having never read the book by E.M. Forster, I don't know what the original version was, but I found this a flaw in an otherwise great film.

On the whole this is a fine adaptation of the novel. The casting is superb, especially Ashcroft as Mrs. Moore, Davis as Adela, and Bannerjee as Dr. Aziz. A skin-darkened Alec Guinness manages just barely to avoid being ridiculous, playing the role of a Hindu philosopher. Why David Lean couldn't have found an actual Hindu from India for the part is bizarre. Did his friend Guinness really need a job that badly?A few of the minor roles...such as Mrs. Turton...seem like caricatures.The cinematography, sound, and editing are excellent, especially in the crucial courtroom scene. I do wonder why Lean left out the part (in the novel) where the English in the courtroom are ordered by the Indian magistrate to step down from the elevated platform. Dramatic, darkly comic, and significant!A brief recreation of the Viceroy's return to India from abroad is unexpectedly stirring...makes you appreciate the immense task the British had taken upon themselves in ruling a subcontinent.Interactions between English and Indian are handled with insight, criticism, and sympathy for both sides...just as in the novel.My main complaint is with what seems to me a minor distortion of Forster's intent. In the novel there's no indication that Adela is particularly prudish about sex. Indeed she re-establishes her engagement to Ronny after an auto accident brings them together in a way that rekindles normal physical intimacy between the two young people. Lean replaces this crucial episode with an invention of his own: Adela's stumbling upon erotic statuary in a ruined, deserted temple, after which she hurries back to Ronny in a kind of sexual panic. This seems to have been inserted to make it plain as day that poor Adela is "repressed"---and that her conflicted feelings about sex and love find an outlet in the handsome Dr. Aziz, whom she imagined attacked her in the cave because that's what she "unconsciously" wanted to happen.Forster's handling of the "mystery of the caves" is more subtle and enigmatic.Finally, the ending, when Aziz reunites with his friend Fielding (the latter accompanied by a rather featureless new wife who speaks never a word!) seems emotionally flat and contrived (Just as in the novel, Aziz's misunderstanding of Fielding's marriage is far fetched. )Overall, a memorable and beautifully crafted film that falls short of perfection.

The first time I saw the film “A Passage to India” was back in 1985, about one year after its theatrical release. At that time, I watched it on VHS tape, so the video and audio quality were both pretty poor, even then. Last week, I watched it for only the second time, this time in 1080p resolution on Blu-ray disc. What a different viewing experience that was!“A Passage to India” is a film that defies being easily categorized. Epic in scope, it’s part romance and part political and legal drama. Directed by David Lean, its stars include Judy Davis, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness, Victor Banerjee, James Fox, and Nigel Havers. The film is based on the 1924 novel of the same name written by E.M. Forster. One of its key themes is the growing divide between the ruling British Raj and the Indian population in the years before India became an independent nation.“A Passage to India” is set in the India of the 1920s, two decades before India gains its independence from Britain. The rule of the country by the British Raj is still absolute, although voices favoring independence are beginning to be heard. Onto this stage steps Adele Quested, a young upper-class woman engaged to a British city magistrate. She is travelling from Britain to India on a sightseeing trip with her future mother-in-law, Mrs. Moore.She goes on a guided tour of the Marabar Caves with a friend named Dr. Aziz. Soon she is seen running away from the caves in terror. Her clothes are torn and bloody. Something happened in the caves… but what? When the touring party returns home, police arrest Dr. Aziz for attempting to rape Miss Quested. The question is: did he do it…?“A Passage to India” is certainly a very well written, produced, and acted film, as shown by the eleven Academy Award nominations it received (including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Director for Lean) and the two it won (Best Supporting Actress – Peggy Ashcroft; Best Original Score – Maurice Jarre). I thought the acting was superb throughout the film. The story was interesting and entertaining; the cinematography and music were both gorgeous and deserving of recognition.However, despite its many fine qualities, “A Passage to India” just misses being the kind of movie I like best. There were times I found the film a bit slow moving and hard to follow. When I finished watching “A Passage to India” last week, I remembered why it is that I’ve only recently added it to my home video collection. Recommended.

I got this DVD movie as a present for my parents, when their old VHS version of this that they recorded on TV ages ago started to show its age and began to deteriorate. This classical dramatic story is beautifully restored and the sound quality is excellent. It is based on a novel of the same name by E.M Forster and highlights the fierce racial tensions between the Imperial British Colonials and their oppressed Indian Subjects yearning to liberty and justice in the period of then British India. Directed by Sir David Lean who made other great films like Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia and stating great actresses like Judy Davis and actors like Sir Alec Guinness, this story is about a kindhearted Indian doctor who after befriending an aristocratic British family is wrongfully accused of raping one of the female guests whilst provided her a tour of the Marabar Caves. The drama unfolds between the spiteful English Colonials and the Vengeful Indians as the court case builds up, but he is saved in the end in an most unexpected way no one could of imagined, yet the doctor never is the same man again. Great intense film that I would highly recommend watching. There are a few extras such as galleries, trailers and filmographies but the film speaks for itself. Well constructed drama in the hope purist form. I am so kind there are DVD copies of good movies like this one nicely restored with a few extra features to interest movie collectors. Must have and buy.

First off a few words about the DVD I purchased: Picture and sound quality are very nice, and English (as well as numerous foreign language) subtitles are available. Also dubbed audio versions in French and Spanish. By way of extras there is only a trailer. The run time of the film on the DVD is 2 hours 37 mins (which is 157 mins and not the 197 mins advertised in the product description - which latter is likely an error since the original release of the film was ever only 164 mins).The story of the two British ladies travelling to India during the waning days of the Raj in probably not to everybody's taste with the prejudices and instances of racism involved. Even more problematic is the accusation of alleged rape by the young Englishwoman against her Indian guide. Thankfully, the outcome of the ensuing trial and Victor Banerjee's big scene at this point in the film are so beautifully played out and captured by the camera, that this is what is most remembered after watching the film. At least, that's what I remembered most some thirty years after first seeing this film in the cinema. Having bought the DVD and revisited the film for the first time this many years later, I must say that I struggled with parts of the story.Technically, the film is excellent. Another example of David Lean's talent and craftsmanship as a director. Also, the acting is first class all round. I loved Peggy Ashcroft, admired Judy Davis for her flawless performance as a character I thoroughly disliked on this second watching, will never cease to admire Alec Guinness, simply adored Victor Banerjee and was delighted to see the young Nigel Havers. Also worth mentioning is the Maurice Jarre score which is rather nice. Not quite up there with the ones for Lawrence of Arabia or Doctor Zhivago though.Good film with beautiful cinematography and stunnning Indian locations , but one that will make you think and possibly (hopefully) make you feel uncomfortable at times. Not light entertainment.

An excellent Blu Ray transfer of a not totally successful adaptation of Forster’s classic novel. The snobbery of many of the English characters and the “comic” absurdity of the local Indians is far too caricatured to be believed and the music score is not remotely appropriate either and sounds more like the composer’s contribution to “Dr Zhivago” than anything to do with either India or imperialism. That said, the performances of most of the central characters, particularly Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft, Edward Fox and Judy Davis, are excellent with the exception of the normally outstanding Alec Guinness as Professor Godbole. This grotesque miscasting is difficult to believe and manages to be both unbelievable and somewhat offensive at the same time, years before cultural appropriation was ever thought about in cinema. This epic, yet intimate, production is certainly worth seeing, even if the ending ultimately lacks the impact required. Forster’s novel is a complex and mysterious masterpiece which David Lean doesn’t quite manage to capture but makes a most impressive attempt to portray its richness and intellectual depth.

Along with "Gandhi" (1982) this is one of the great films about the twilight of the British Empire. Based on EM Forster's novel, "A Passage to India" portends the clash of civilizations against the background of racial difference in a world where the white Englishman rules, and the Indian resentfully accepts his rule. The emotional constipation of English middle-class life, Forster's prime topic in his novels, is reproduced by the British in India; oblivious to the fascinations of the sub-continent, they reproduce a version of 'home', deeming anything non-English to be inferior: from the insipid cucumber sandwiches and musical performances at the club to the hymns played at the garden party. On the symbolic level, both the novel and the film are very rich. The central incident, the delusion of Miss Quested that she has been sexually attacked in the Marabar caves by a Muslim, works on two levels: it images the fear the rulers have of the greater vitality of the ruled; and on a deeper level the caves seem to give back to the Europeans entering them a hideous parody of their deepest fear of the moment: Miss Quested's fear of sex associated with her forthcoming marriage. As a whole they seem to image the blankness at the heart of Britain's imperial splendour. The conclusion is an uncanny one as it seems politically incorrect by today's standards to echo the warning voiced by Mr. Turton, the bigoted Collector of Chandrapore: that it is unwise to get too much involved in alien cultures as "East is East".The film is visually stunning, witness the pomp that is meant to dazzle the Indians when the Viceroy arrives in Bombay. Because of the effective camera work, I could almost feel the heat in the Marabar scene.The cast is excellent. I particularly liked James Fox as Richard Fielding, the liberal College Principal. The supporting cast is equally convincing, including Clive Swift as Major Callendar and Antonia Pemberton as Mrs. Turton, the haughty Collector's wife.

I saw this in my local cinema on its first release and I loved it for its majestic visual sweep. The characters are all, without exception, perfectly cast and under what was, apparently, Lean's very demanding direction, they perform magnificently. A film of unforgettable visuals and restrained, taut performances. Because I was born years after we gave away the Empire I've no idea what it must have been like to be English in India in the 20s and Forster lets no-one escape without blame, which is so true to life in any age. The DVD transfer is good. The lush music score sounds wonderful. The colour balance is fine. All in all, a fine addition to a film collection, unless you prefer CGI comic book crap