Gandhi

In a time when racial and religious prejudice ran rampant in the four corners of the world a little brown man in India strived for a change. Gandhi is a profound movie that takes its biopic title to new heights in completely capturing the spirit of a majestic man in a time which one such person was needed in the world. It documents the life and times of Mohandas K. (later called Mahatma) Gandhi and illustrates the growing of the Indian nationalist movement under his ingenious principle of nonviolent non-cooperation while at the same time taking a look at the man Gandhi was. With brief interludes in South Africa and Britain, the majority of the story takes place in a vast and ancient India under a British rule. With an astonishing performance from former London's Royal Shakespeare Company member Ben Kingsley the production is exquisite in its reality and complex simplicity.

Gandhi follows the life of the most influential political leader India had ever seen starting with a view of Gandhi as a young Hindu lawyer in a racist, apartheid South Africa. After such prejudice is apparent to Gandhi he organizes the first of his revered passive resistance methods of demonstration that condemn the attitudes of the oppressors through their own actions. After this first success, he traveled to India and became a most passionate leader in the fight towards self rule and liberating the Indians not only from the political, economical, and racial/religious prejudice issues forced upon them but also from their own self doubt, inspiring millions of Indians along with the rest of the world. Following this comes the issue of the Hindu/Muslim feud and the partition of India, with Gandhi’s strong opposition to it, while ending with his assassination by Nathuram Godse.

Nominated for 11 academy awards and winning 8 including Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Cinematography, and Best Picture, to say the least its production was anything but average. Director and producer Richard Attenborough, along with Stuart Craig, Bob Laing, Michael Seirton, Billy Williams, Ronnie Taylor, John Mollo and Bhanu Athaiya (in the areas of art direction, set decoration, cinematography, and costume design) keep it real with a most impressive cast of extras, brilliantly raw shots of a spirited India, and a perfectly humble home for Gandhi that one can truly believe the clock has rewound. The production doesn’t attribute any particular flair and there is a definite no on glitter and glitz, but this is perfect in parallel with Gandhi’s own personality. Running at over 3 hours, the movie may seem like a cumbersome task to try and sit through, but with such a lush flurry of happenings the pace was able to keep a steady upbeat pace to where you don’t realize how long it really is. Featuring acting giants like John Gielgud and Trevor Howard, Americans such as Martin Sheen and Candice Bergen, and inetivably a few talented Indian actors as well, Rohini Hattagandy, Roshan Seth, and Saeed Jaffrey, casting and performance were top notch. However, they were all shadowed by Ben Kingsley’s flawless interpretation of the Gandhi; in his title role, his performance is purely astounding.

Gandhi had been known to most people as some enlightened guy in India that with some sort of an influence who’s major place nowadays was in a dusty history book in the reference section of the library. Gandhi tries (and succeeds) in bringing him out and presenting him in the flesh to the somewhat less than enlightened (especially on the western front) people of today. He is a small man, with a small lifestyle, but a man of towering heart and determination. Soft-spoken but the firmest person in the world when required to, it is possible for one to forget he is of the human race. However, Richard Attenborough brings him back to Earth in spotting the glory in which he does not bask in with dimples of anger, despair, and apprehension.