Gandhi (1982)

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 | Pakistan | Protest | Independence

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:

191 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:

In John Ratzenberger's brief scene, his voice is dubbed.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: While it is true that electricity was unavailable to most Indian villages during Gandhi's lifetime, it can be expected that poles supporting what seem to be power lines along the railroad right-of-way during Gandhi's tour of India are instead supporting telegraph lines, some of which were in place as early as the 1850s.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (2003) (V)

Took nearly twenty years to make - not a single minute was wasted

Here indeed is one of the great films of the 20th Century about one of the greatest men of the 20th Century. Ben Kingsley's interpretation of the Mahatma must go down in history as one of the most perfect cinema rôles ever carried out. Throughout the long film you forget you are watching an actor playing the part of a great man in history: you are watching the real Gandhi. A gigantic performance indeed. Richard Attenborough's patient and perfect directing added all the superlatives possible to make a crowning achievement, transporting biographic films into another dimension.

It is all there: from the most intimate and poignant portrait to the incredible crowd scenes, beautifully captured in the most painstaking photography. You do not just watch the scenes unfold – you live them, you feel them, so captivating they are; and Ravi Shankar's music tugs at you, spellbinds you, forces you into sympathy, admiration and so many other feelings.

Enthralling: how such a cinematographic work of art can reach such proportions is truly amazing; this film is nothing less than a miracle. During 1971 I travelled a good bit around India; I constantly had to apologise to energetic Indians who approached me on the subject of the British Raj. I had not even been born. But as a young and unappointed ambassador, I felt it my duty to bow my head in that country which is a microcosm of the whole planet. Thanks to this film, `Gandhi', Attenborough and Kingsley have said just about all there was to say.

< For men may come and men may go, but Gandhi goes on forever >