A Passage to India
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Movie Reviews of A Passage to India
Movie Review: In defence of A Passage to India
Summary: 5 Stars
"A Passage to India" is brilliantly acted, shot and conceived, but I would like to speak in defence of this amazing film. I feel it is absurd to claim that the film, "A Pasage to India" is in itself racist. The story upon which the film is based forces one to question what was really going on in India during those times. That's the point, racism forces one to take sides, sometimes when we know we're standing on the wrong side of the fence. The movie brings racism out into the light but does not participate actively, it only observes and allows the audience to decide which side to take. If you feel uncomfortable or angry while viewing this movie, congratulations, you may be onto something. Any movie about assimilation & racism will have it's detractors, that only proves the film has taken a stand. Any film that pleases all sides is catering to it's own box-office requirements. The films "Gandhi", "Shindler's List" & "Gone With The Wind" were all criticized and were all brilliantly biased..... I wouldn't have them any other way. I think everyone needs to look a little deeper into themselves while viewing "A Passage to India". Either that or stick to Hilary Duff movies.Movie Review: A passage to the culture, politics, and complexity of British India
Summary: 5 Stars
It's been a while since I last watched this movie, so I gave it another try. A Passage To India, like Gandhi and The Jewel in the Crown, give viewers a sense of the political and social tensions between that minority of British civil servants dominating the majority of Indian Hindus and Muslims (as well as all the other religious and secular groups that make up India).
The interactions of Dr. Aziz (played by Victor Banerjee) with the British demonstrate with clarity the culture clash of east and west. Obviously, there had to be more people than just "Mr. Felding and Mrs. Moore" that strived for understanding and tolerance, but it probably would not be an overstatement that their concerns and behaviors were in the minority. And one thing this movie did not address was the dynamics of the Indians who interacted well with the British in commerce and social life. Could this have been that rare?
Regardless, the movie is extraordinary. Recommended.
Movie Review: What a wonderful film
Summary: 5 Stars
Like at least one of the other reviewers my memories of this film are of a rather insiped affair with something rather ridiculous about the casting of Alec Guinness.
But how wrong I was; it's a masterpiece. And how wonderfully does it take you back to the book itself. What an interesting story this is. Of course it's most obviously about prejudice and colonialism and the conflict of cultures but it's no less about mortality, unruly sexuality, the deep unknowableness of things and the sheer mystery of human existence.
The film catches the complexity of the characters nicely. Aziz, for example, is greatly wronged and has the greater share of our sympathy but is not without fault. E M Forster allows to feel some ambiguity about his character in the novel and it is an acheivement of the film to allow the viewer to do the same.
There are many wonderful moments but the ill fated visit to the Marabar Caves is, I think, particularly well done. The mood of oppressiveness just builds and builds, the journey back to the caves is a return to something primeval and dark in human experience. Unforgettable.
Movie Review: This is the kind of film DVD was invented for
Summary: 5 Stars
The brilliant colours of India burn across the widescreen. I have the video of "Passage To India" and the benefit of DVD changes the movie experience completely. Seeing the colours in its flawless widescreen format gives you the full impact and texture intended. Both the crowd scenes and the terrain shots i.e. the train's long journey jetting across Inida, the setting sun's tangerine blaze against the backdrop of familiar silhouettes, the forbidden and seductive caves, and Mrs. Moore's ocean view travelling home with the silver of the moon bubbling against the ocean as the ship speeds toward England. You'll easily be tempted to freeze frame them and get lost in their beauty. I've seen "Passage To India" a dozen or more times and this was by far the best viewing. The storyline (as it is always with Forster i.e. Maurice, Room With A View) gives you endless dialogue to chew on, and replay, again and again. All the parts were perfectly cast. Every character becomes someone you would care about. A perfect movie now on a eqaully perfect format.Movie Review: It's all about integrity and self-respect
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie illustrates more clearly than any other that I can remember, how important integrity and self-respect are.
Dr. Aziz, in his eagerness to please, is not honest with the visitors and he could've avoided all the trouble he got into by simply being more like the Professor. This is a lesson that he learned in the end. The Professor can be annoying to his companions, but he shows us how, even under British domination, his supreme yet civil self-assurance, earns him everyone's respect. Unlike too many people I know, his supreme self-respect extends to respect for all others. He's never rude, loud, or over-bearing. Just someone who respects the universe and is respected by it in turn.
The British can be annoyingly stuck up, but a small minority of them are shown to be decent and honest and to be appreciated for it.
All in all a movie that ought to be shown a whole lot more, not for the usual "look at how the imperialists victimized these people", but for what it can teach about civility and honesty.