A Passage to India [Blu-ray]

A Passage to India [Blu-ray]
by David Lean

A Passage to India [Blu-ray]

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DVD details

Actor: Alec Guinness, James Fox, Judy Davis, Peggy Ashcroft, Victor Banerjee
Director: David Lean
Brand: Unknown
Writer: David Lean
Producer: Edward Sands
Producer: John Brabourne
Producer: John Heyman
Producer: Richard B. Goodwin
Writer: E.M. Forster
Writer: Santha Rama Rau
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Hindi (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 163 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-15
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of A Passage to India [Blu-ray]

DVD Review: Final proof the Lean was an overweening ham.
Summary: 2 Stars

Boooooring. Cheesy. Insanely overacted. "A Passage to India" is all of these things and more -- an unsubtle depiction of the colonial world which is a monumental snoozer, falling prey to the worst cliches of "sophisticated" fiilmaking. No wonder Sony chose to release this turkey with the first wave of BluRays; one of the few ways for studios to milk some profits out of dud titles in their catalogue is to offer them up when converts to a new technology will snatch up anything, or give otherwise totally forgettable films a second chance.

Lean took pleasure in using the powers of a film director in drawing extreme juxtaposition and counterpoint. It's all over the place in his films, things like Lawrence blowing out the match, cutting to the desert, Zhivago walking past a pot of dying flowers -- at its best it was inspired, at its worst its cloying and self-conscious. The opening credits of "APTI" feature ancient Hindu paintings dissolving in and out while a brassy British march plays in the background...ugh. It sets the tone for the whole affair.

This is a tiresome slog of a script, and I really do not feel like recounting the whole thing here. Suffice to say, it is about English aristocrats trying to get into the spirit of India and the painful social friction that occurs as a result. Yes, Forster did have some relevant things to say about the clash of cultures, but it's all just a subject I'm just not very fascinated by -- the ramifications of British snobbery. I actually think that David Lean was most interested in finding stories to use as canvases for shooting various epics about distinct countries / regions: The Middle East, Ireland, Russia, and now India. This was the wrong story.

Alas, Sir David gets utterly bogged down in the overwrought interplay of his cast, and the one character who could really help out the goings-on is played by a horribly miscast Alec Guiness dressed up like something out of an Austin Powers film. A Passage to India is a highly mannered clunker from a syrupy and aging director. All of this is frustrating because the British Raj is (from what little I know of it), a fascinating subject, and deserves a far better film. This is not a "passage" to India no matter what the irony inherent in the title suggests. And special mention has to be given to the absolutely horrid epilogue in the Himalayas which plays like something from an Epcot exhibit, ending in an utterly grating final shot and fade to black.

DVD Review: Not as good as I'd hoped
Summary: 3 Stars

The movie started out very promisingly, with a lot of visuals of India and the look and feel of the 1920s, but it all just kind of goes around in circles after it gets all the characters in place. I still don't get the whole thing with the caves. Was something supernatural supposed to have happened? Is this what led to accusations and a trial? The movie fails to make it as "trial classic" as well as it scarcely delves into the proceedings before it is all over. Speaking of all over, I found myself wondering when the movie was going to be done. And when it was done I found myself wondering what, exactly, happened.

Maybe if you read the book first it makes more sense.

DVD Review: The "muddle" of British ruled India brought brilliantly to life
Summary: 5 Stars

A PASSAGE TO INDIA is a beautifully rendered film with important themes adapted from E.M. Forster's novel of the same name. Set in colonial India during the 1920's we see the pseudo England the British have carved out in India with their club (no native Indians allowed) complete with tea parties, bands playing European music, musicals imported from London and a general disdain for all things Asian. We also get a chance to view the traditional culture of India with festivals, open air markets and beautiful ancient ruins.

The story begins when Adela played by Judy Davis and her friend and presumed future mother-in-law Mrs. Moore arrive in India from England. Mrs. Moore is an intelligent, thoughtful woman whom at one point is described by a Hindu as an "old soul". Adela also has interest and respect for the Indian culture but she is hampered by inexperience and immaturity. Mrs. Moore's son, Ronny, is working in India as a magistrate for the British government and he displays snobbery and contempt for the native born Indians but has become quite popular among the many other British people living and ruling there. The two women meet Dr. Aziz, a nice native born doctor, who is almost pathetically eager to get to know the British and who is particularly taken by the kind and understanding Mrs. Moore. Dr. Aziz arranges a trip for himself, Mrs. Moore and Adela to some famous caves and the lives of these three are sadly changed forever during this outing.

Peggy Ashcroft does an amazing job playing the elderly Mrs. Moore whose health and happiness deteriorate while in India. Judy Davis is also quite good as Adela who may exasperate viewers but still retains their sympathy. Also very good is Indian actor Victor Banerjee playing Dr. Aziz who wears his emotions much too plainly for the British. Famed actor Alec Guinness is totally miscast as a Hindu Brahmin professor as he physically is so obviously not of Indian descent and the part is never really fully developed. On the whole, though, this is a wonderful movie and I am ashamed to admit I have never read the book but plan to remedy that in my next trip to the library.

DVD Review: Even the British are ashamed of their behavior?
Summary: 4 Stars

This movie is sort of an Indian To Kill a Mockingbird (2-Disc Slimcase Set) [DVD] with a twist.
A journey to the caves becomes a disaster in which a well respected and educated Indian ( Islamic) doctor is accused of rape.
You get an impression that the English gentleman in this movie are mostly very bigoted fools? On would like to believe that the British have grown out of being be-knighted snobs with the heads in an impossible place,
but after seeing a British version of Oklahoma lately,
I still rather doubt it? If we should see a Bernard Shaw revival, then we might have some hope.

DVD Review: Not David Lean's Best
Summary: 3 Stars

As a huge fan of David Lean's this movie is probably the weakest of his creations. As usual it has all the grand panoramic views making it a visual treat but the plot seems disjointed and some of the actions of the characters are inexplicable. Compared to modern day movies though it beats practically all of them. I would recommend purchasing it and viewing it with the family.

Description of A Passage to India [Blu-ray]

Set in 1928, this film portrays an indelibly sardonic picture of British life in territorial India. The story concerns Adela Quested, who is a free-spirited British woman, played by (Judy Davis), who has settled in India and is to marry Ronny Heaslop (Nigel Havers), a town magistrate. She is befriended by the charming Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee), but it's a friendship that ultimately leads to tragedy.

This adaptation of E.M. Forster's mysterious tale of British racism in colonial India turned out to be master director David Lean's final film. Subtle and grand at the same time, Lean's adaptation is faithful to the book, rendering its blend of the mystical and the all-too human with exquisite precision. Judy Davis plays a young British woman traveling in India with her fianc?'s mother. While visiting a tourist attraction, she has a frightening moment in a cave--one that she eventually spins from an instant of mental meltdown into a tale of a physical attack that ruins several lives. Lean captures Forster's sense of awe at the kind of ageless wisdom and inexplicable phenomena to be encountered in India, as well as the British tendency to dismiss it all as savage, rather than simply different. --Marshall Fine

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