Gandhi [DVD] [1982]

Having watched the film 21st years ago as a young child in India, when it first came out, I was more than keen to acquire it on DVD for keeps. The eulogistic tone of the other reviews may make my review look rather sour, but my review encompasses both the DVD and the film.The film itself is brilliantly shot and technically flawless, even where the minor creative hand of the director is obvious (the judge Trevor Howard standing in deference to the prisoner, for instance). 20 years in the making, the ensemble of the greatest British and Indian stage actors itself is worth every penny. I wonder how they must have felt working alongside so much greatness and talent..Watching it again as an adult working in policy and politics, I was almost moved to request Amazon editors to retract my review of Bill Clinton's autobiography as that of the consummate politician. Gandhi was the original politician - complete with a set of unquestionable ideals in truth, violence, women's rights and secularism, a superb delivery, a populist touch and a deep understanding of (and to a large extent, as seen in his many fasts-unto-death, exploitation of) his emotional power over the hoi polloi.This DVD however did disappoint me in some ways. Some brilliant shots with enormous symbolism have suffered the editor's scissors. E.g. the shot where Gandhi lets float his loincloth to let a poor woman cover her body, shots of the funeral. I remembered them vividly from my childhood and was a tad disappointed.. The newsreel and an original talkie interview are interesting though. Also some dialogue is ironically more effective in the Hindi-dubbing as some viewers might know.All in all I give it 4 stars for the small disappointments mentioned.. However buy it - it is the only true epic of the 20th century.

A fantastic film.

A great film at a very reasonable price.

I got this DVD for my relative as it is one of her best films. Ben Kingsley, a well known talented and respectable actor portrays Gandhi very well and this classic film that won 8 Academy Awards.is directed by the late Richard Attenborough who is well known for nature programmes. It is based on the true story of Mahatma Gandhi, who fought against racial inequality and Indian Independence from the then British Empire. Unless most national leaders who used violence, Gandhi used peaceful methods of civil disobedience forcing the oppressive British imperial regime their true colours and other events that eventually lead from to the birth of India. It begins with Gandhi's youth as a law student to ends as him as the inspirational spirit leader of the Congress Party that helped bring Indian Independence. Although there had been much suffering and tensions between Muslim and Hindu fanatics, the latter of one who would eventually assassinate him, Gandhi and his peaceful methods remains to be legendary and were probably the inspiration of other peaceful freedom and racial equality leaders such as Martin Luther King. His DVD has not have any extras but the movies is nicely restored and remastered with superior sound effects and picture quality. The storyline is well structured and made as close to the true story as possible and this together with great people in the film industry makes this one of the best movies of all time.

Such a great film