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Visitors Review

2012-05-24 21:04:26

I liked Ghandi

I would just like to agree with the reviewer below on the flaws exposed on this DVD version of Ghandi. While it IS an insult to give the American actors full billing and to ingnore the fine Indian actors on the bonus disk...I do not think it is racialy motivated. I simply believe that the stupid American Captialists selling this film prefered to give the American actors more spotlight in the special features because this DVD was marketed for an American market...and they wanted to make money. Money is thier God. The studio Ceo pigs wanted to ensure that they will get every penny out of this edition...and they were probably afraid that if they gave the Indian actors the full credit they deserved - then they would not sell as many copies. The reason is that Americans are idiots when it comes to real culture. All they want is to see the same actors over and over and over in every movie that is released now. "Titanic" had the WORST acting and screenplay EVER in a motion picture...and it was the highest grossing flick ever. I rest my case. True cinematic art is lost on the American Public. I liked the movie Ghandi. I am giving it a 5 stars because of the subject matter. And if there is a Hindi version available I would Love to see it.

ironside 2012-05-24 16:41:41

Attenborough offers a tour de force performances…

There is a sanctimonious air to the films of Sir Richard SamuelAttenborough: the earnest desire that fair play is seen to be done…Attenborough attempts to humanize his personage by exposing thewidening gaps between India's two main religious communities, but heseemed to be quite forced to ignore some of the Indian characters infavor of Western ones, as some of the very important episodes of thefilm were seen through the eyes of two American reporters...Attenborough, a filmmaker who can rival David Lean for the big setpiece without losing a sense of human scale, presents the politicalevents with real dramatic impact...His big challenge was to give thefilm an epic quality… Still, while Attenborough's endless seas ofextras testify to his ability to order crowds, his fine motion picturewas seen very believable and realistic, with enough insight either intoits sublimely serene hero's mind or into the complex realities ofIndian history and politics…British actor Ben Kingsley portrays the spiritual leader with deepsimplicity... Kingsley's Mahatma is amazing, so beautiful in itshonesty... Kingsley burns with a strong and purer flame, particularlyin the way he ages across the five decades which the film depicts...His wetly blazing eyes as a young lawyer in South Africa, his blackhair and immense energy, gives way to the bald small modest man, inshawl, loin cloth, steel-rimmed glasses, frequently thrown in jail bythe British authorities...Kingsley takes the qualities and details instructed by Attenborough:Gandhi's fiercely intelligent aura; Gandhi's rational and calm reactionto inflamed emotion; Gandhi's unshaken beliefs and principles; Gandhi'swarm smile...A distinguished cast of characters surround Academy Award-Winning BenKingsley as Gandhi: Candice Bergen, the Life magazine Americanphotographer whom Gandhi conveys with a sense of humor; John Gielgud,the Viceroy who decides to ignore the man in loin cloth; Edward Fox,the brutal English general who orders his troops to fire at thethickest part of the crowds; Trevor Howard, the Judge who behaves withgreat consideration, standing and nodding respectfully to Gandhi in thedock before taking his seat; Geraldine James, the adopted daughter,blinded by love for Ghandi; and Martin Sheen, the American reporter ofthe New York Times who makes Gandhi laugh: 'It would be uncivil for usto let you make the long trip for nothing.'"Gandhi" has a rare combination of deep character penetration andenormous epic sweep with "Lawrence of Arabia." But while 'Lawrence ofArabia' is about a solitary adventurer, 'Gandhi' is a moving portraitof a character with a disarming humility, who spins cotton, walks thecountry roads, meditates in front of the ocean, or scoops salt from thebeach... Throughout the picture, which takes place over a half century,one has a sense of a man discovering his own unique dimensions...Perhaps this is the secret of Attenborough's 'Gandhi,' that at thebottom of all the tumultuous action is a remarkable protagonist, anincredible individual about whom one cares, and feels attract to...

2012-05-16 19:15:54

Kingsley Shines

Richard Attenborough's Gandhi is a loving look at the life of one the biggest figures of the 20th century. Tracing his life from a young man to his final days as the spiritual leader of India, Mr. Attenborough leaves no stone unturned. That's the film's biggest problem, it is long and exhaustive and drags in one too many places. Ben Kingsley is brilliant in the lead role. His transformation from a strong-headed young lawyer to the understanding leader of non-violent resistance is remarkable. Mr. Kingsley won a well-deserved Oscar (though Paul Newman was equally deserving for his role in The Verdict that year) for the role. The film is also quite beautiful to look at as Mr. Attenborough captures the mysticism of India. If one can fight through the over three hours of film, you will have seen a great performance and beautiful vistas. The film predictably swept through the 1982 Oscars (the academy loves factual epics), winning Best Picture, Best Director, as mentioned Best Actor and five other awards.

acowells 2012-05-16 09:38:55

What's the deal at the salt plant?

Okay, after watching the movie three times (though admittedly, not withtotal concentration any of the three) I don't quite get why the Indiansaretrying to get into the salt plant (for which they are brutally beatendown).Would someone who's put more time into this than I pleaseexplain?Thanks.

Sam Rupani 2012-05-16 05:13:38

Exceptional.

My first movie in Houston, United States of America on January 20,1983.Truly a Gem.First 15 minutes of the movie are the best.I have never seen the Last Rite like this one.Gandhi made it to the top.A Genuine Tears for a man.A beautifully taken natural shot by the Director... I have watched over40 times...Thanks and Regards.

bamptonj 2012-05-15 20:50:37

Solid Biopic

GANDHI certainly did very well. It seems to have won almost everyconceivable award. Ben Kingsley does a remarkable job of inhabitingsuch an inspiring historical character. You'll find you could return tothe film on his performance alone.The scenes in South Africa are particularly enthralling. GANDHI has amovie of different styles: documentary, luscious travelogue, and oldstyle drama. The parts with the western media seem oddly reminiscent tothe equivalent scenes in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.And yet, this isn't a perfect film. It feels incomplete somehow.Perhaps the divisiveness of the caste-system in bringing about unitycould have been presented a bit more forcefully and the expense of thesectarian Hindu/Muslim divide.Yet perhaps the biggest criticism must concern itself with the simpledramatic setbacks of the film. As Quentin Crisp - "though, verycleverly, the narrative begins with his assassination, we are notcontinuously drawn forward at an ever-increasing pace throughout therest of the picture towards this climax. We do not know why he waskilled, we were never made aware of what specific danger he was in norfrom what quarter disaster would spring."

2012-05-14 19:36:24

Outstanding historical piece, wonderfully filmed

I own both VHS and DVD versions of this and it is a movie I recommend often. 99% of the time it is returned with enthusiastic appreciation and comments like "I didn't know that about Indian history. What a story." The only criticism I've heard was "it was too long" but it's a big story and I told those friends to invest their time. They didn't regret it. Richard Attenborough's direction is outstanding, it is beautifully filmed, and you'd swear Ben Kingsley had a special tie with Gandhi to so portray him so well. I believe this is an important movie, particularly for people who haven't had time to read about the history of one of the key parts of our world. The world is a small place and great movies like this serve an important educational role in making us aware of other cultures as well as providing tremendous entertainment. Movie making at it's finest!!

Grann-Bach 2012-05-14 07:32:45

Beautiful film

I knew little of the man whose name graces the title of this filmbefore I watched it... I knew the name and had a vague idea of what hestood for, but that was it. Through this extensive three-hourbiography, I was told what appears to be almost all of it. Gandhi wasan extraordinary man. His philosophy of not fighting physically, butsimply resisting, to let the oppressors of his people come to realizeby themselves that they were on the wrong(while it arguably would nothave worked many other places or even at other points in time) wastruly genius. A peaceful revolution, a non-violent overthrowing ofgovernment... it sounds as if those sentences contradict themselves,but through this man's work, they were proved to be true. The plot isinteresting, and takes off from the very beginning. The pacing varies,but is mostly good. The acting is all very strong... Kingsley *became*Gandhi. The characters are well-written, though there certainly aremany of them... you'll need to pay close attention and concentrate tobe able to remember all of them. The cinematography and editing is ofhigh quality, though it's often kept relatively simple. The dialog isexpertly written... when Gandhi speaks, whether simply stating hisphilosophies and claiming the rights of his people, or using his cleverwit to expose the ignorance and unfairness of his oppressors, it'sperfect. You can not argue with this man's intentions, and theeffectiveness of his methods is widely renowned. Yes, he may have beenstubborn, perhaps even too much for his own good... but his fight, hisvictory changed the world, and his example will remain an inspirationfor years to come. I recommend this film to any fan of the peopleinvolved in making it and anyone interested in Gandhi. 8/10

Joshua Tyler 2012-05-14 05:05:16

Both script and camera serve only as a canvas upon which the masterful Ben Kingsley paints a touchingly lifelike picture of one of the greatest men in history.

Prashant Kumar 2012-05-13 15:36:23

True description of Non Violence as a forceful tool

After years of review reading today I finally registered with IMDb.I wanted my first post to be dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, and to thefilm which richly portrayed him as the great soul he was.Most of the incidents in the movie are real and the locations are trueto Indian context.The movie casts some great Indian cinema talents as well.Sir Ben Kingsley resembles absolute Mahatma as the movie progresses.His bald head with stick in his hand, later on as a thin, old man.In terms of performance this movie needs no introduction, in terms ofplot this movie needs no introduction too.In my opinion this movie is a must watch for all those who want to knowbetween the difference of India's freedom struggle from the rest of theworld.

2012-05-13 17:07:24

Featurettes were very informative

This review is from: Gandhi (Widescreen Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD) I loved this film, which I knew I would as I saw it in a theater when it came out, and Gandhi is one of my all time favorite people. (To bad they didn't do a four hour or ten hour :-) director's cut.)What made this DVD wonderful for me were the featurettes and inteview with Ben Kingsley. I learned a lot more about the filming which was entertaining and informative in its own right. Parts were even moving.The best $10.49 I ever spent.

2012-05-12 20:38:46

Great DVD but missing information

This review is from: Gandhi (DVD) There is nothing wrong with the quality of this DVD production but the content has made me give it only a 3Star Rating.I waited a long time for this movie to comeout on DVD, I bought my DVD Player in November of 1998. expecting to get this plus few other movies fairly soon. Finally I got my Gandhi DVD but...Even though this movie is about a freedom fighter from India and this movies was shot in Hindi/English at the same time. There is no Hindi Track avaiable on this DVD, while you can watch this movie in English, French Spanis with subtitiles in all three formentioned languages, plus Portugese, Chinese, Korean and Thai languages.Again missed the Hindi?I wrote a letter to Mr. (Sir in England) Attenborough in this regard but no reply from either him or people who read his fan mail.How sad a Director which made so much money and fame from this Movie about an Indian Hero, forgot to add the native language of india as an option.Peace

Francesco Bori 2012-05-11 06:59:12

This was a truly amazing life story, to teach a younger generation the magic of Gandhi, and Buddhism.

Mahatma Gandhi, the Buddha, truly one of the best films ever made. Theamazing life story of one of the biggest spiritualists, and his way toenlightening his beliefs, and awaking a world of people through theright way. His adventures, his sufferings, his family, his wars, allproving his inner and outer strenght's. The powerful, imaginativeleader that left many things for what he thought was right. This was atruly amazing life story, to teach a younger generation the magic ofGandhi, and Buddhism. The story of a fighter, a fighter for truth andrights, the story of a legendary genius who put words into actions. Afilm that can get a whole generation to believe, respect and practiceBuddhism.

candacecarrico370 2012-05-10 11:37:03

Glory, Triumph, and Courage

"Gandhi"(1982) depicts the life story of Mahatma Gandhi as one of the mostinfluential leaders of the twentieth century. Mahatma Gandhi (BenKingsley) uses his wisdom and power to achieve independence and freedomforIndia. His theory of victory comes from non-violence, non-reinforcement,and non-cooperation. Mahatma Gandhi is a private man without wealth,property, without official title, not a commander of an army, but a herotomany. He is an Indian lawyer in South Africa. When he is kicked ofthatcountry, he travels to India to lead his people to independence. There heis faced with much harder battles as the British does not want to give uprule. Compromise slowly happens through many life taking events on bothsides.Sir Richard Attenborough's 1982 multiple-Oscar winner (including BestPicture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Ben Kingsley) expresses thereligious beliefs and determination of India. Mahatma Gandhi was aspokesman for all mankind. He used the humanity of simple truth to fightawar that will never be forgotten. The film had great affects and mainpointfocus. The death of Mahatma Gandhi had a strong effect on the people ofworship and for the viewers of today. Sir Richard Attenborough does agreatjob of showing a biography of such an unusual leader and his prominentways.

The movie man 2012-05-09 07:57:49

A great epic; Kingsley's best performance

As soon as I finished watching Gandhi, I thought to myself "This movie hadto have won Best Picture." I think it's one of the best epics of all time.It masterfully tells one of the most important stories of the 20th century,that of India's struggle to free itself, spearheaded by one of the mostextraordinary men of all time, Mahatma Gandhi. I would be hard pressed toname anything lacking about it. Direction, cinematography, costumes,they'reall great. And Ben Kingsley! Without a doubt his portrayal of Gandhi is oneof the best performances of his career, if not THE best. Playing thepacifist Indian lawyer-turned-leader couldn't have been an easy task, and Idon't think anyone could have pulled it off as well as he did. This moviedeserves all the praise anyone gives it and more. Excellent.

Fernando F. Croce 2012-05-09 05:30:41

Gandhi is less personal than Reds, but also less complacent than Chariots of Fire and less doddering than Lean's own orderly post-colonial apologia, A Passage to India.

2012-05-08 07:32:03

Great Film

This is one of the great movies made in the last fifty years. This movie is the kind of film that any student of history should watch. It is a good introduction to the topic of Indian Independence from Britian. It does not cover all the issues centered around Indian/Pakinstaini Independence, but it is only three hours long. Highly recommended.

nbwritersinbox 2012-05-07 18:27:06

A Sensitive Masterpiece

I'd like to pay tribute to Gandhi himself. Although always a deeplypolitical figure, his writings and philosophy gained considerable moralascendancy with the terrible onslaught of fascism.It may be difficult for The Western World to understand the warmth feltby myself, a British Subject, for figures such as Gandhi, and theIndian People themselves. I guess it boils down to respect, becauseGandhi and his followers sure earned it! Richard Attenborough's remarkable skill as an actor translates well todirecting. (Many of his films as an actor are outstanding pieces).Here, in the director's chair, he manages to obtain memorable andendearing performances from his cast. There's some delicious humor,too, that could have been lost amid the serious political issues Gandhifaced.The storyline and tone of the film is sensitive to one of India's mostloved and respected national figures. There's sweeping panoramas ofIndia's incredible landscapes, evocative shots of India's legendaryRailways and well-orchestrated "crowd scenes" that many a film couldnever achieve with such grandeur.The script honestly portrays the problems Gandhi faced both at home andabroad. One also learns much of Gandhi's important philosophy and moralcharacter that secured him a special place in the hearts of many, notjust his national following.I can only hope anyone who bothers to watch this masterpiece, will alsofind inspiration to investigate Gandhi further. There are far lessvaluable things one could do with one's time.

2012-05-06 02:37:00

"Be the change you want to see in the world."-Gandhi

This review is from: Gandhi (Widescreen Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD) A compelling story of an underappreciated, extraordinary leader, who led the struggle of his nation against British colonialism, beautifully presented. The life of a man of peace, who was assassinated by individuals who abhorred peace; it's a story that is endlessly repeated.This is a great movie about the life of a great man performed by an outstanding actor!

2012-05-05 16:13:44

A Movie To Transend Time

Just as Mahatma Gandhi's teachings will always live on in the heart and minds of all humans, so should this movie withstand the test of cinematic time. For those who have no other resources, this movie is also a standing testament to Gandhi's real legacy. First of all, Ben Kingsley, who plays Gandhi, does the best job portraying a historical figure on screen than anyone else I have ever seen. True, Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles really well in the recent Ray, but the eyes are always what differs an actor from the subject, whereas Foxx was always wearing sunglasses. Here, Ben Kingsley not only portrays the eyes, but the walk, the voice, the look, even the squiggly vein on the side of his head that both he and Gandhi share. Second, this is one of the best epic movies ever made. More extras were used in this film than any other is history (of course before digital multiplication of extras) because of the willingness of the Indian people to re-enact their patron's life. The movie has a grand scale and teaches us all the meaning of peace and non-violence, just as Gandhi would have us do. Richard Attenborough has captured the essence of India pre-independence and shown us not only the hostility but the humanity of the British without totally turning them into monsters, as Gandhi did not see them that way. Everyone should see this movie, everyone.