Gandhi (1982)

Gandhi's character is fully explained as a man of nonviolence. Through his patience, he is able to drive the British out of the subcontinent. And the stubborn nature of Jinnah and his commitment towards Pakistan is portrayed.

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writer:

John Briley

Stars:

Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi

Top Rated Movies #230 | Won 8 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Kingsley	...	Mahatma Gandhi
Rohini Hattangadi	...	Kasturba Gandhi (as Rohini Hattangady)
Roshan Seth	...	Pandit Nehru
Candice Bergen	...	Margaret Bourke-White
Edward Fox	...	General Dyer
John Gielgud	...	Lord Irwin
Trevor Howard	...	Judge Broomfield
John Mills	...	The Viceroy
Martin Sheen	...	Walker
Ian Charleson	...	Charlie Andrews
Günther Maria Halmer	...	Herman Kallenbach (as Gunter Maria Halmer)
Athol Fugard	...	General Smuts
Saeed Jaffrey	...	Sardar Patel
Geraldine James	...	Mirabehn
Alyque Padamsee	...	Mohamed Ali Jinnah

Storyline

In 1893, Mohandas K. Gandhi is thrown off a South African train for being an Indian and traveling in a first class compartment. Gandhi realizes that the laws are biased against Indians and decides to start a non-violent protest campaign for the rights of all Indians in South Africa. After numerous arrests and the unwanted attention of the world, the government finally relents by recognizing rights for Indians, though not for the native blacks of South Africa. After this victory, Gandhi is invited back to India, where he is now considered something of a national hero. He is urged to take up the fight for India's independence from the British Empire. Gandhi agrees, and mounts a non-violent non-cooperation campaign of unprecedented scale, coordinating millions of Indians nationwide. There are some setbacks, such as violence against the protesters and Gandhi's occasional imprisonment. Nevertheless, the campaign generates great attention, and Britain faces intense public pressure. Too weak...

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Plot Keywords:

india | independence | hindu | peace | british india | 

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Taglines:

A WORLD EVENT It took one remarkable man to defeat the British Empire and free a nation of 350 million people. His goal was freedom for India. His strategy was peace. His weapon was his humanity.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK India USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Richard Attenborough's Film: Gandhi

Filming Locations:

Delhi, India

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$131,153, 12 December 1982, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$52,767,889

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$127,767,889

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Film Investors, National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), Goldcrest Films International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

191 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) (as Dolby Stereo: in selected threatres) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1952, Gabriel Pascal secured an agreement from the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Nehru, to make a movie of Gandhi's life. However, Pascal died two years later before preparations were completed.

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Goofs

When Gandhi is escorted into the office of the top prison official, the pendulum on the grandfather clock in the background jumps between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hindu: He will be saying prayers in the garden. Just follow the others.

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Crazy Credits

The producers express their thanks in the closing credits to The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India for the use of its grounds and exteriors for filming locations.

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Alternate Versions

The original theatrical release had an intermission at approximately 1 hour 31 minutes in. The second part of the film was preceded by a 3 minute musical interlude over a black screen. Most subsequent releases omitted the intermission. The DVD release includes the Intermission title card and musical interlude.

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Connections

Referenced in Cheers: Old Flames (1983)

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Soundtracks

God Save the King!
(1744) (uncredited)
Music attributed to Henry Carey
Sung by Ben Kingsley
Reprised when India achieves independence

User Reviews

A true epic, in every sense of the word

Very, VERY few films have had the distinct ability to move and inspire me to the point where the effect is almost life-altering. "Gandhi" - the unbelievable, first-rate biopic on the historical figure - is truly one of those films, no question whatsoever. An unsurprising sweep for the 1983 Academy Awards, this is without a doubt one of the last real "epic" motion pictures ever.

Chronicling the rich, unforgettable life of a one Mohandas K. "Mahatma" Gandhi - played to shocking perfection by the wonderful Sir Ben Kingsley - this is a film that I can say really, deeply affected me with its power, its scale, and of course, its timeless message of love and non-violence. As a matter of fact, ever since I first saw the film, and became much more aware of the back story, I can also say that Gandhi is now one of my biggest role models in life. I cannot fully express how much this great man's way of thinking - his words, his struggles, his accomplishments - has affected my own, for I am now a practicing pacifist. I am a firm believer in the value of non-violent protest, and have tried my best to apply that philosophy to most situations in my life. It has worked wonders for me, and has really changed how I view the world in terms of human nature and so forth. Like I said, VERY few films can do something like that to me.