The Mahabharata
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Actor: Erica Alexander, Georges Corraface, Jean-Paul Denizon, Ryszard Cieslak, Urs BihlerBrand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 170 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-25
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
DVD Reviews of The Mahabharata
DVD Review: The Interplay of Gods and Men
Summary: 4 Stars
Written in India roughly 2,000 years ago, the Mahabharata is one of the world's great religious texts. It also may be the most outlandish soap opera ever, replete with gods siring mortals, polygamy, compulsive gambling, unrequited love, and a family feud on an awesome scale.
At its heart, the epic poem of 100,000 verses tells the tale of two warring sets of royal cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, who each seek to rule the kingdom. Around that rivalry is woven a wealth of philosophy, myth and history -- a virual encyclopedia of ancient Indian culture. Just one small part of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita, the book that Hare Krishnas used to try to sell in airports around the world; it is a long discussion between the wise god Krishna and the soul-searching archer Arjuna (a Pandava), as the latter reluctantly prepares to enter into battle with his cousins.
This six-hour adaptation of the Mahabharata has been crafted by two great film talents: screenwriter Jean Claude Carriere ("The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie") and director Peter Brook ("Marat-Sade"). They emphasize the universality of the mythic tale, and set it on a dream-like stage whose timeless backdrops are fog and mist, rocky slopes and reed thickets, and candlelit rooms. The movie's superb cast is drawn from every continent and racial group, thus adding a rather transcendent touch, as well as eliminating the thorny problem of the Indian caste system with one stroke.
"The Mahabbarata" is both a compelling story and an enlightening spiritual journey, whether or not you've ever dipped a toe into the Ganges. It is not packed with filmic excitement, as it has the pacing and feel of a play (and indeed was adapted from Brook and Carriere's 1985 stage version), but it is full of marvelous acting, dialogue, music and cinematography. So sit back with some Darjeeling tea, and enjoy the interplay of gods and men.
Description of The Mahabharata
One of the great masterpieces of world literature comes to vivid life in an elaborate production from acclaimed theater and film innovator Peter Brook (Marat/Sade, Lord of the Flies). This collection of ancient Sanskrit stories (composed into the longest book ever written) comprises a series of enlightened fables at the heart of countless beliefs, legends, and teachings; indeed, its very title means "the great story of mankind." Brook and award-winning writer Jean-Claude Carriere worked for eight years to develop this epic concerning two sides of a royal family, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, whose struggle leads to a fascinating voyage of emotions, contradictions, and dreams, filled with subplots which are alternately comic and tragic but always gloriously entertaining. Now newly remastered and restored for a dazzling audio-visual experience you'll never forget.Famed Royal Shakespeare Company director Peter Brook helms this multinational production of India's greatest epic myth. A seemingly simple tale of two sets of semidivine brothers vying for the throne spirals out to include wider themes of fate, free will, and the problems of behaving dishonorably to preserve the greater good. The film, adapted from Brook's stage production, uses a presentational style, with the epic's narrator slipping in and out of the action and characters stopping to address the camera. The international cast and simple costuming add to the timeless, dreamlike feel of the story. The Mahabharata does an excellent job of reverently presenting a cherished myth without losing the passion and excitement of the story. The DVD edition includes "The Making of The Mahabharata," an interesting look at both the layers of meaning to be found in the story and the challenges in adapting it for a Western audience. --Ali Davis
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