Gandhi

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George R Apr 13, 2019 A labour of love in its every frame, and a symbol of adoration for India and its people, Gandhi is, as many have remarked, over long and tedious in places, but breezy and compelling in others. Ben Kinglsey is perfectly cast in the lead role, not just because he bears a striking resemblance to the late peacemaker, but because he does everything in his power to embody what the man meant to his nation, and indeed to the world. His peaceful resistance, his determination in the face of insurmountable odds, his willingness to starve himself to near-death for the unity of his country, all of it comes through in his performance. The film is certainly guilty, as many biopics are, of portraying its star in an overly generous light. Nothing is mentioned of his voracious sexual appetites, and pivotal instances, such as him being thrown out of a first-class train carriage in South Africa, are fabrications used to propel both the story and its message. It might not be entirely true, but everything is presented on such an incredible scale that you do feel the weight of an entire country and the burden it's bearing, and you want Gandhi to succeed above all else. The Brits occupying the country are often portrayed as one-dimensional snobs who looks down on their subjects, but many are given reasonable motivations, and punishments are handed out for those who overstep their bounds. As a 3-hour movie, there's others I would sooner watch again, such as The Return Of The King or The Green Mile, which I feel make better use of their runtime. But Gandhi beautifully and thoroughly portrays a seminal period in the world's history, and does it with beauty, tragedy, and above all, hope. See more

Apr 7, 2019 For my second movie review of this semester I chose to watch the movie Gandhi and this film came out in 1982. The movie was directed by Richard Attenborough but Ben Kingsley played the iconic role of Mohandas Gandhi and he delivered an astounding performance, one that truly places the film in a level of its own. This movie is relatable to what we are doing in our religion class because of how prominent an individual Gandhi was in the Hindu religion, one that we covered intensely for Week Five of this semester. This movie is almost like a documentary because of how the viewer is merely an observer into the life of Gandhi and it is very different how this movie started out the introduction at the assassination of Gandhi, one that rarely happens in movies that would rather wait to buildup character development to this untimely point. The movie follows the life of Gandhi and how his use of peaceful protests led to the successful partition of India and forced the British people to retreat back to their country. One part in the movie that was particularly interesting to me was the part where Indian citizens gathered in Amritsar to peacefully protest an unfair rule in the town regarding curfew and eventually a British general named Reginald Dyer heard about this protest and sent his troops into the gardens. Although the protest was a peaceful one, Dyer maintained that the protestors did not heed his warning and now he ordered his troops to open fire leading to the deaths of thousands including women and children. This scene is one of the most pivotal ones in the whole movie because it shows us why Gandhi had to do what he did in his protests because of the unjust rulings of the British. See more

Anakin P Jul 1, 2018 I forgot how much I dreaded homework until I watched this movie. I can imagine recommending this movie to someone taking or teaching a class on civil disobedience or Indian history. It's not without its emotionally harrowing moments and inspirational wisdom, but the movie itself just isn't nearly as interesting or as revolutionary as its subject. SIDE NOTE: what an odd period in cinema, when black-face was allowed as long as it was "respectful"....Kingsley is great, but still... See more

Luke L Jun 17, 2018 The greatest biopic you will ever watch! Director Richard Attenborough captures the kind essence, gentle nature, peaceful attitude, and righteous cause of Mahatma Gandhi. Sir Ben Kingsley is a revelation as the thoughtful man Gandhi. He absolutely captivates and engages you while he is on screen. Gandhi is great for his unification of India's people and his succeeding in gaining India's independence from British Imperialism. Gandhi the film triumphs for depicting Gandhi's struggle for this cause. Gandhi is a fairly comprehensive look at the late 1800's and early 1900's Indian political climate. In watching Gandhi, you will, undoubtedly, gain historical knowledge and social perspective of the time period. Musically, Attenborough enlisted the greatest sitar player of all time, Ravi Shankar, to score Gandi. His beautiful and emotional sitar ragas are a delight to hear throughout the movie. Shankar's scoring is a boon to the film's authenticity and atmosphere alike. I love how Shankar fills the empty air with sweet and endearing Indian classical music played on his steadfast sitar. Shankar's score is the perfect complement to Gandhi's visuals. Furthermore, the cast, cinematography, score, and direction all yield stellar results for Gandhi. It is as classic as any biopic that has ever been filmed. All the praise for Kingsley is well earned. See more

Poe S Apr 11, 2018 Gandhi is a 1982 British-Indian epic historical drama film based on the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the leader of India's non-violent, non-cooperative independence movement against the United Kingdom's rule of the country during the 20th century. Gandhi was directed by Richard Attenborough. At over 3 hours this epic movie is held together by the outstanding performance of Ben Kingsley in the title role. It is both an informative and engaging movie, and I remember it gave me a sore neck sitting in the front row at the cinema! AAW GGWF 1001 See more

Han M Feb 12, 2018 Completely on sided view that glossed over the creepiness of who Gandhi truly was. No mention of his weird sexual kinks or his views on Europeans or women. Nothing but a sweet little old man that wanted nothing peace. The saving grace is that they got a white dude to play him. LOL. See more

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Gandhi

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