Film Review: "Gandhi"
by Kathryn Keller
![Picture](/uploads/6/2/5/2/6252344/7677125.jpg)
“No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no
way to give each year its allotted weight, to include each event, each person
who helped to shape a lifetime. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to
the record and to try to find one's way to the heart of the man.” Thus begins Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi—a tribute to the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi. Truly, the film
does find a way into the heart of this great man of peace.
Attenborough is no stranger to filmmaking, but with Gandhi, he has created something altogether separate. The film won eight Academy Awards and twenty-six other awards, and is considered by many to be one of the best films ever made.
The film begins with the assassination of Gandhi by Nathurum Godse. The beginning of the film sets us up for the heartbreak and tragedy that will be Gandhi’s life. Then, in a beautiful display of parallelism, the film ends with the same scene. Gandhi’s formative years are omitted from the film, and instead the movie begins with the young adult Gandhi faced with the grim reality of the inequality of his race in a world he believed to be good and fair.
Ben Kingsley played Gandhi, which initially seemed an odd casting choice. It seemed a bit of a long leap, but Kingsley delivers from almost the first scene. He is truly one of the most remarkable actors of all time. No one else could have played the Mahatma with such sincerity and humility. But other actors make the film brilliant too. Candice Bergen, Roshan Seth, and Martin Sheen are all incredible assets to the film.
The cinematography is unparalleled. There are so many artistic, unique shots, and the coloring of the film is spectacularly simple and rustic. The music is hauntingly beautiful and powerful. Even though the film is three hours long, I found that the time passed very quickly. Attenborough is a master storyteller. He takes his time. He is in no rush to tell the story of the “Father of India.” He paced it perfectly, though some might disagree.
Attenborough achieved his goal which he stated at the beginning of the film which was to find his way to the heart of Mahatma Gandhi. This he did through the most honest, well acted, wide-scale film-making I have ever seen.
Attenborough is no stranger to filmmaking, but with Gandhi, he has created something altogether separate. The film won eight Academy Awards and twenty-six other awards, and is considered by many to be one of the best films ever made.
The film begins with the assassination of Gandhi by Nathurum Godse. The beginning of the film sets us up for the heartbreak and tragedy that will be Gandhi’s life. Then, in a beautiful display of parallelism, the film ends with the same scene. Gandhi’s formative years are omitted from the film, and instead the movie begins with the young adult Gandhi faced with the grim reality of the inequality of his race in a world he believed to be good and fair.
Ben Kingsley played Gandhi, which initially seemed an odd casting choice. It seemed a bit of a long leap, but Kingsley delivers from almost the first scene. He is truly one of the most remarkable actors of all time. No one else could have played the Mahatma with such sincerity and humility. But other actors make the film brilliant too. Candice Bergen, Roshan Seth, and Martin Sheen are all incredible assets to the film.
The cinematography is unparalleled. There are so many artistic, unique shots, and the coloring of the film is spectacularly simple and rustic. The music is hauntingly beautiful and powerful. Even though the film is three hours long, I found that the time passed very quickly. Attenborough is a master storyteller. He takes his time. He is in no rush to tell the story of the “Father of India.” He paced it perfectly, though some might disagree.
Attenborough achieved his goal which he stated at the beginning of the film which was to find his way to the heart of Mahatma Gandhi. This he did through the most honest, well acted, wide-scale film-making I have ever seen.
Kathryn Keller is a Senior at BYU-Idaho studying English with an
emphasis in Creative Writing. She developed a love of film as a child, but only
recently developed a love for films and documentaries about extraordinary
people and movements which promote peace and world improvement.