Gandhi

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2008)

It may be three hours long, but this is a brilliant epic biographical drama from Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning director Richard Attenborough (A Bridge Too Far, Cry Freedom). The film oddly starts with the death of the film's leading character, but obviously it is better to know why he was such an important figure in history. So back near the end of the 18th Century, young lawyer Mohandas/Mahatma Karamchand Gandhi (introducing Oscar, twice BAFTA and twice Golden Globe winning Sir Ben Kingsley) is thrown off a train for being "coloured" in Africa. Not long after this he begins revolting against the laws of the British in Africa, and when he gets back home to India he is seen as a hero. So using this support of his fellow countrymen, he begins and leads a campaign to make all Indians equal to everyone, especially the British, whatever religion they are (Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, and Christian). Over the many years he became a political leader that helps to free his country from the rule of the British with his philosophy of non-violent protest, i.e. they will attack the opposition, but there is high chance of being attacked themselves. Over a few more years, Gandhi's health weakens, probably because of all the struggle his country goes through to get freedom, but eventually everyone gets what they want. Also starring BAFTA nominated Candice Bergen as Margaret Bourke-White, BAFTA nominated Edward Fox as Gen. Reginald Dyer, Sir John Gielgud as Lord Irwin, Trevor Howard a Judge Broomfield, Sir John Mills as Lord Chelmsford, Martin Sheen as Vince Walker, BAFTA winning Rohini Hattangadi as Mrs. Kasturba M. Gandhi, Ian Charleson as Rev. Charlie Andrews, Athol Fugard as Gen. Jan Christiaan Smuts, Günther Maria Halmer as Dr. Herman Kallenbach, Saeed Jaffrey as Sardar Valabhhai Patel, Little Britain's Geraldine James as Meerabahen, Alyque Padamsee as Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's Amrish Puri as Khan, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's BAFTA nominated Roshan Seth as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Ian Bannen as Senior Police Officer Fields, Michael Bryant as Principal Secretary, John Clements as Advocate General, Harry Potter's Richard Griffiths as Collins, The Madness of King George's Nigel Hawthorne as Kinnoch, Bernard Hepton as G.O.C., Michael Hordern as Sir George Hodge, Peter Harlowe as Lord Louis Mountbatten, Jane Myerson as Lady Edwina Mountbatten, Shreeram Lagoo as Professor Gokhale, Om Puri as Nahari, Virendra Razdan as Maulana Azad, Richard Vernon as Sir Edward Gait, Harsh Nayyar as Nathuran Godse, Prabhakar Patankar as Prakash, young then unknown Daniel Day-Lewis as Colin - South African Street Tough, Thunderbirds' Shane Rimmer as Radio Commentator at Funeral, Coronation Street's John Savident as Manager of the Mine, Toy Story's John Ratzenberger as American Lt., driver for Bourke-White and then quite newcomer Bernard Hill as Soldier/train guard. Kingsley is absolutely magnificent, and all the supporting stars are a good help too, a great award winning spectacle. It won the Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Picture by Attenborough, and it was nominated for Best Makeup, Best Music for Ravi Shankar and George Fenton, and Best Sound, it won the BAFTA for Best Film, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Make Up Artist, Best Production Design/Art Direction, Best Score, Best Screenplay and Best Sound, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film and Best Screenplay. Sir Ben Kingsley was number 16 on The 50 Greatest British Actors, Mahatma Gandhi was number 21 on 100 Years, 100 Heroes & Villains, the film was number 29 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers, and it was number 14 on The 50 Greatest British Films. Very good!