A Passage to India – The Film

 

General Information

• drama film written and directed by David Lean in 1984

•  based on E.M. Fosters “A Passage to India”

• nominated for eleven Academy Awards

•  received two (Best Supporting Actress – Peggy Ashcroft, Best Original Score)

 

 

Director David Lean

• * 25^th March 1908 in Surrey

• started his film career as a clapboard assistant

• 1930 became film editor

• began directing in the 40’s

•  in “A Passage to India” he both directed and edited

• was his last film

• most famous films: Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India

• in his life won two Academy Awards

• died 16^th April 1991

 

 

Characters

 

Adela Quested

• played by Judy Davis

• young woman on her first trip outside of England

• engaged with Mrs. Moore’s son Ronny

•  during her time in India she gets in doubt about the engagement, since she experienced Ronny’s arrogant attitude towards Indian people

• unlike most of the other British people she is curious about the foreign culture and wants to get to know the “real India”

 

 

Mrs. Moore

• played by Judy Ashcroft

• mother of Ronny, both her husbands died

• also wants to get to know the “real India”, is open to a new culture

• sort of wise – has a feeling for what’s happening and people’s actions/character  good knowledge of human nature

 

 

Mr. Fielding

• played by James Fox

• English man who lives in India

• Has his own school

• Open to Indian culture, treating Indians well, doesn’t like the arrogant attitude of the British towards Indians

 

 

Dr. Aziz

• played by Victor Banerjee

• Indian doctor

• seems slightly scared – has an obedient behaviour towards the British

• good-natured, friendly, doesn’t want to harm anyone

• changes at the end of the story, becomes more critical

 

 

Ronny Heaslop

• played by Nigel Harvest

• son of Mrs. Moore

• embodies the typical arrogant British man in India

 

 

Professor Godbole

• played by Alec Guiness

• teaching at Fielding’s school

• elderly Indian

• religious, traditional, wise, sometimes mysterious about some things

• believes in destiny (that it doesn’t matter what one does since he isn’t able to change anything)

•  Mrs. Moore also thinks so  similarity

 

 

Characteristics/Interpretation

• film shows cultural and social conflicts during British-Indian colonial era

•  very close to the book

• engraved by contrasts:

  • characters (Fielding, Mrs Moore, Ms Quested || Ronny and the whole British society)

  • conflicts between Ronny and his mother, also between Mr Fielding and the British Club

  • change between quite and noisy scenes

  • the trial scene

 

 representative for the whole British-Indian conflict