Gandhi (1982)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writer:

John Briley (writer)

Release Date:

8 December 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Tagline:

His Triumph Changed The World Forever.

Plot:

Biography of Mahatma Gandhi, the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British through his philosophy of non-violent protest.

Plot Keywords:

India | Muslim | Mahatma Gandhi | Hindu | Pakistan

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Mohandas K. Gandhi
Candice Bergen	...	Margaret Bourke-White
Edward Fox	...	Gen. Reginald Dyer
John Gielgud	...	Lord Irwin
Trevor Howard	...	Judge Broomfield
John Mills	...	Lord Chelmsford
Martin Sheen	...	Vince Walker
Ian Charleson	...	Rev. Charlie Andrews
Athol Fugard	...	Gen. Jan Christiaan Smuts
Günther Maria Halmer	...	Dr. Herman Kallenbach (as Gunter Maria Halmer)
Saeed Jaffrey	...	Sardar Valabhhai Patel
Geraldine James	...	Mirabehn
Alyque Padamsee	...	Mohammed Ali Jinnah
Amrish Puri	...	Khan
Roshan Seth	...	Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

Also Known As:

Richard Attenborough's Film: Gandhi (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

188 min

Country:

UK | India

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Brazil:14 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) (2001) | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (video rating) | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Ireland:PG | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (1983) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Aga Khan Palace, Nagar Rd, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim owned a share of the rights in Britain's longest-running play "The Mousetrap" which they sold to fund the production of this movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the scene where the Pakistani flag is being raised for the first time, the anthem that is playing is the current national anthem of Pakistan ("Qaumi Tarana"). The original national anthem of Pakistan was a different song (written by a Hindu), which was written days prior to the ceremony and only lasted 18 months as Pakistan's anthem.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gandhi: [Godse shoots Gandhi in the chest] Oh God!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Reflections on Golden Pond (2003) (V)

A great epic; Kingsley's best performance

As soon as I finished watching Gandhi, I thought to myself "This movie had to 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 most extraordinary men of all time, Mahatma Gandhi. I would be hard pressed to name anything lacking about it. Direction, cinematography, costumes, they're all great. And Ben Kingsley! Without a doubt his portrayal of Gandhi is one of the best performances of his career, if not THE best. Playing the pacifist Indian lawyer-turned-leader couldn't have been an easy task, and I don't think anyone could have pulled it off as well as he did. This movie deserves all the praise anyone gives it and more. Excellent.