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:

Politics | Asia | Army vs Civilians | Political Activism | No Opening Credits

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Mohandas Karamchand 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	...	Meerabahen
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:

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

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Brazil:14 | 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:

Carolina Bank

Trivia:

No studio was interested in financing the film. Richard Attenborough cited that most of the financing were solicited from: 1. Joseph E. Levine whom agreed to finance in exchange of Attenborough directing A Bridge Too Far and Magic. 2. The sale of the ownership share of The Mousetrap 3. Jake Eberts, a friend of Attenborough. The remaining of the money were solicited from major companies in England minus the BBC.

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 The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

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.