The Far Pavilions
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Movie Reviews of The Far Pavilions
Movie Review: Very entertaining......
Summary: 4 Stars
I have not read the book THE FAR PAVILIONS and did not see the original film version--which was longer, apparently--however, I did find this DVD entertaining, colorful, and long enough (six hours). It sounds trite, but I suppose you might consider PAVILIONS a 'feast for the eye."PAVILIONS was partially shot the state of Jaipur in India and many of the buildings shown in various scenes date from the Mogul dynasty. In case you don't know, the Moguls reigned before the British came to India in the 1600s. I'm sure the buildings destroyed in the fighting scenes between Afghans and British and Indian soldiers were sets, but they too are quite good.
The shots of the marriage procession from Rawalpindi displays a cast of hundreds with plenty of livestock including gaily painted elephants. When one of the princesses says she's sick from riding in the royal litter mounted on the back of an elephant I can see why. The darn things bobble about like corks on a wind-swept pond. The marriage journey takes several days and includes Indian-style camping scenes that are both frightening and intriguing. I was sure someone was going to be stomped by one of those big elephant feet, but true to form the British soldier (Ashe) takes charge and gets the camp sqared away.
In spite of the fine cinematograpy, I can't give the DVD 5 stars. PAVILIONS is a fluffy action/romance tale not high art. Sorry if that sounds snobby, but JEWEL IN THE CROWN ruined me. That's the reason you should never read good literature--it ruins you for the "good read' which I am sure PAVILION is. So, if you enjoyed the book you will probably love the DVD.
I found the plot incredibly predictable and thin. Ashe/Ashtok and Anjuli have far too much access to each other. In the 19th century, English women would not have "run around the camp" at night and they were much more liberated than Hindu women. The typical single female from the royal Hindu stock would have been guarded like a hawk, always accompanied by another woman, and never allowed to be alone with a man--let alone a member of the British Raj (and, social intercourse was verboten between the races). The "excuses" for the chance meetings between Ashe/Ashtok and Anjuli, including some on-screen intercourse of the more carnel sort, make for spicy entertainment, but lack verismilitude.
And, the character Anjuli is inconsistention. On the one hand she ignores social convention and becomes involved with the Raj, on the other hand, she supports her selfish, homicidal, half-sibling due either to her social training or to her 'honor' I am not sure which.
M.M. Kaye wrote her book after her former book agent Paul Scott had published his book JEWEL IN THE CROWN. Supposedly, Kaye herself was Anglo-Indian, and I assume PAVILIONS is somehow based on her own ancestral story as she was the descendent of British Raj and Hindu royalty.
When she wrote her book, Kaye had read JEWEL, which was published some ten years before PAVILIONS. Her book is supposed to be the "reverse" love story where the woman is the person of mixed race. I might have found this more plausible if the actress playing Anjuli had not been Amy Irving. If you don't know who Amy is, you'll probably enjoy the film more than I did, but unfortunately, I know she's a really fine Broadway actress whom I saw in CROSSING DELANCEY.
Actually, I would have preferred Selma Hayak in the role of Anjuli, and someone more Anglo than Ben Cross in the role of Ashe/Ashok--some one like Joseph Fiennes perhaps. Ben Cross actually looks more Indian than Amy Irving (even with her skin dyed), which is disconcerting since he's supposed to be the "daring" Sahib who jeapardizes his British connections to be with the "inferior" Anjuli.
Most of the major characters meet a violent death. I won't say if Ashe and Anjuli are together in the end, but M.M. Kaye was undecided until the last moment as to whether they would be. (I know this from reading Scott's biography which includes some of her letters to him regarding PAVILIONS.)
If you enjoy action/romance tales, I recommend the film in spite of my criticism. The only caveat I offer is that you might want to watch PAVILIONS before you see the JEWEL IN THE CROWN. JEWEL will ruin you. (Both were released in 1984 by the BBC.) JEWEL is the kind of film you keep thinking about maybe for the rest of your life.
Movie Review: A TALE OF ROMANCE AND DERRING DO IN COLONIAL INDIA...
Summary: 4 Stars
Based upon M. M. Kaye's best selling novel of the same name, this film is well acted and absorbing. It is a story set during the time of the British Raj in India. The two characters central to the film are Ash (Ben Cross), an Englishman who spent the formative years of his life believing that he was Indian, and Anjuli (Amy Irving), a half caste Indian princess. Ash and Anjuli spent a portion of their childhood growing up together, until palace intrigues forced Ash and his Indian foster mother to flee. As a prepubescent youth, he is informed of his English heritage and sent to England for his education and Anglicization.
Returning to India many years later as a young man, Ash becomes a part of a British regiment called the Guides. He has some difficulties adjusting, as he is not an Englishman comfortable in his own skin, as he also feels that is Indian in many ways, a view that brings him into conflict with the way the native Indian population is viewed by the British. Meanwhile, Anjuli has continued living as a half caste Indian princess. She and Ash have not seen each other since he and his foster Indian mother fled, and she has no idea that Ash is not Indian, but British.
The film is an amazing cornucopia of adventure, derring do, and romance. It provides a tantalizing glimpse into colonial India. All of this, however, merely serves to propel the story towards the uniting of Ash and Anjuli, as the film is, first and foremost, a love story set against the romantic and lush backdrop of colonial India. When the paths of these star crossed lovers intersect, it is under a most unusual set of circumstances. It is a story that will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. I, myself, was unable to tear myself away from the screen and was riveted for the full five hours that it took for this mesmerizing tale of adventure, love, and treachery to unfold.
With a star studded cast that includes the likes of Omar Shariff, Christopher Lee, Sir John Gielgud, and Rossano Brazzi, this is a film what will capture the viewer's imagination. I read and loved the novel upon which this film was based, and while it is not a faithful adaptation of that wonderful book, the film stands on its own considerable merits. It is meant to entertain and that it most certainly does.
This two disc DVD is somewhat limited in what it offers, however, in terms of features, which is limited to a scene index, some production notes, and a brief biography of M.M. Kaye. In terms of its quality, while the sound is good, the visuals are somewhat grainy at times and washed out looking. It is too bad that they decided to do the transfer from video to DVD on the cheap. In doing so, they did "The Far Pavilions" a disservice. Still, it is a DVD well worth having in one's collection, as the story is such a gripping tale.
Movie Review: Not the Wolf of Kabul that's for sure.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a miniseries par excellence, which although a slow drama, feels like events are rushing by.
What enthralls me most about this film is the way in which it illuminates the British rule in India in a different way that the regular official histories would have us believe. It certainly highlights the similarities between the British class system and the caste system within the Indian sub-continent. It is also a singular case of dispelling one myth perpetuated around the world, that India is a single homogenous country when indeed, it is a great mix of tribes, and peoples many of whom are at odds with each other and divided not the least by religion, class and custom.
The plot itself is very believable where a member of the Raj is brought up as an Indian and falls for a princess who is a half-caste. Certainly a good piece of artistic license there. The film spans great distances in space and some of the cinematograhy is excellent. One can only imagine what a remastering for Blu Ray release will uncover, a bit like cleaning off a 17th century masterpiece.
I was very impressed with the characters played by Art Malik and Saheed Jaffrey. Malik is superb in the part he plays and it is a shame that he has not achieved a greater degree of celebrity for his performances. The other notables in the cast including Christopher Lee who turns in his usual perfect pieces and Omar Sharif remind me of Lawrence of Arabia in the sense of cross-cultural communication between conquered and conqueror. If fact one of the legacies of the British Empire was the ability of each of the constituent countries to participate in a shared sense of community whatever the differences between them may have been. The living legacy of this was the Commonwealth which remains almost as global as the Empire was.
The Far Pavilions has stood the test of time very well. I personally prefer this to the Passage To India for a variety of reasons. Above all this is a love story, set against a gorgeous panorama of countryside and spectacle. Indeed it is a love story which raise many issues about the role of men and women and the ideogy of religion and civilised valuse. My only reservation is that the quality of photography is not matched by the DVD version.
By the way I have not read the book but it is my opinion that the two are distinct works of art and should not be compared diectly.
Movie Review: Classic Romance
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a classic romance story, along the same lines as Dr. Zhivago. Basically, you have two people who are in love. But circumstances and events that are larger than they are keep them apart. Ash and Anjeuli love one another, and yet, the choices they make keep them apart. Not only their choices, but also the customs and traditions of the times continually stand in the way of them being together.
The romance is only given a short amount of screen time, however. There is no shortage of action and adventure. This is a period full of war and conflict after all. The conflict between the British and the Emir of Afghanistan, as well as the political manipulations happening in the court of the Maharajah continually serve to spice up the plot.
Ash, played by a young Ben Cross, is an officer in the British army. And Anjeuli, played by a young Amy Irving, is an Indian princess. Ash was assigned to accompany the Princesses Anjeuli and Sushila to Bhitor. The Princesses are to marry the ruler of Bhitor, and Ash has been assigned to command the escort party. Ash and Anjeuli fall in love during the journey. Anjeuli chooses to go through with the marriage and stays with her husband. Meanwhile, Ash has been assigned to Afghanistan to help the British establish their presence in that part of the world.
Without spoiling the story for you any further, let me recommend this movie to you. If you liked Dr. Zhivago, you will like this movie. If you liked A Passage to India, you will love this movie. I would also like to add that this is one of Amy Irving's best performance, in my opinion. Ben Cross, Sir John Gielgud, and Omar Sharif make up the rest of the excellent cast.
Movie Review: Rather far fetched...
Summary: 4 Stars
I agree with whoever posted the review before me. Amy Irving makes a very unconvincing Indian princess. In fact, the other princess Shu shu, full of tantrums and lacking feeling and nobility, is pretty unconvincing too. For one, Anjuli, raised in an Indian palace has no reason for having the accent that she does, other than perhaps to increase her appeal to a Western audience. Princely families had European governesses sometimes but that would hardly change the accent of one princess and not the other. I am also pretty sure that no Indian princess in the 1870s-1880s would have adressed her lover as "Oh my love". And we have had some beautiful actresses that might have done greater justice to the role.
Another rather weird thing from an Indian perspective, I am pretty sure Indian girls (princesses or not) were never so eager to jump into bed...most still are not. And this tale is from over a century ago. Honor was an issue and shyness appreciated. The makers of the movie seem to suggest that ideology is inherited rather than imbibed. So having a half-Russian mother is responsible for making you most of what you are.