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Passage to India
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List Price: $19.98
Special Price: $4.98
Your Savings: $ 15.00 ( 75% )
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Starring: Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft, James Fox, Alec Guinness
Directed By: David Lean
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302814132
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 6302814138
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Release Date: 1992-12-07
Running Time: 163
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 1985-01-25
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Editorial Reviews:
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This adaptation of E.M. Forster's mysterious tale of British racism in colonial India turned out to be master director David Lean's final film. Subtle and grand at the same time, Lean's adaptation is faithful to the book, rendering its blend of the mystical and the all-too human with exquisite precision. Judy Davis plays a young British woman traveling in India with her fiancé's mother. While visiting a tourist attraction, she has a frightening moment in a cave--one that she eventually spins from an instant of mental meltdown into a tale of a physical attack that ruins several lives. Lean captures Forster's sense of awe at the kind of ageless wisdom and inexplicable phenomena to be encountered in India, as well as the British tendency to dismiss it all as savage, rather than simply different. --Marshall Fine
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Very good video
Comment: In general, the PQ is very good, there are moquitos noises in some scenes especially with the sky, this is not unique to this Blu-ray, in fact, it is the rule rather than the execption. The video is sharp enough that we can clearly see the freckles on Adela Quested's (Judy Davis) face. The quality of the video is quite even, but after I saw the PQ of the Battle of the Bulge, it makes me wonder why not all films can be mastered as perfect as that one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: "India" Just Got Smaller
Comment: There's been a lot of debate about this new 2008 Special Edition of A PASSAGE TO INDIA, and I own both DVD versions, so this is what I've found. First, my 5-star review pertains to the film itself, which is very close to perfect. E. M. Forster's novel would have been difficult to film under any circumstances, and David Lean managed to remain mostly faithful to the book while creating one of his finest works. His script, direction, and editing are matched by Ernest Day's cinematography, John Box's production design, Maurice Jarre's score, and the amazing cast of actors. Adela Quested's quest, her "passage" from dreamy, sheltered virgin to disillusioned spinster is everything a fan could wish for, and more. And they made the whole thing for about $18 million, which is a feat in itself, even in 1984. It looks as if it cost 3 times that amount.
Now, about the 2 DVD versions: The new 2008 release is not--repeat, *not*--the whole picture. In the process of digitally remastering in High Definition, they've lost about 10% of the original frame. The film's original theatrical aspect ratio is 1.85:1, and that's the version available in the perfectly good DVD release from 2000, which also has the original theatrical 2-channel Dolby Stereo soundtrack. The new print (2008) has an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 (not 1.77:1, as reported in Amazon's product description). So, the frames are noticeably "tighter," especially in the crowd scenes and wide vistas. If you own both versions, compare the parade at the beginning, the Marabar Caves sequence, the final scenes with James Fox and Victor Banerjee saying goodbye, and any shots of trains or boats. You'll see a marked difference in the scope of the picture. In the new version, they've shaved approximately 5.1% from each side of the frame, a total of approximately 10.2% of the original image.
The good news about the new release is that the picture, though smaller, is much sharper and clearer if viewed on a new TV with HDTV equipment. And the newly remixed Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is more lush and resonant than the original, especially if you have a fancy home sound system and/or headphones.
So it's your choice--the original David Lean version from 2000 or the new, souped-up picture and soundtrack (2008). I prefer Lean's original framing. Either way, it's one of Lean's finest films, which means it's one of the finest films, period. Enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great film but why is the 1.77:1 Aspect Ratio?
Comment: I loved this film, along with all of David Lean's work. However, I don't think he ever shot anything at a 1.77:1 aspect ratio. Is this statistic wrong?
Customer Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful film
Comment: Like at least one of the other reviewers my memories of this film are of a rather insiped affair with something rather ridiculous about the casting of Alec Guinness.
But how wrong I was; it's a masterpiece. And how wonderfully does it take you back to the book itself. What an interesting story this is. Of course it's most obviously about prejudice and colonialism and the conflict of cultures but it's no less about mortality, unruly sexuality, the deep unknowableness of things and the sheer mystery of human existence.
The film catches the complexity of the characters nicely. Aziz, for example, is greatly wronged and has the greater share of our sympathy but is not without fault. E M Forster allows to feel some ambiguity about his character in the novel and it is an acheivement of the film to allow the viewer to do the same.
There are many wonderful moments but the ill fated visit to the Marabar Caves is, I think, particularly well done. The mood of oppressiveness just builds and builds, the journey back to the caves is a return to something primeval and dark in human experience. Unforgettable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: David Lean's last film
Comment: The following is the press release for this new special edition:
A Passage to India, director David Lean's final film breaks no new ground cinematically, but remains an exquisitely assembled harkback to such earlier Lean epics as Doctor Zhivago and Ryan's Daughter. Based on the novel by E. M. Forster, the film is set in colonial India in 1924. Adela Quested (Judy Davis), a sheltered, well-educated British woman, arrives in the town of Chandrapore, where she hopes to experience "the real India". Here she meets and befriends Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee), who, despite longstanding racial and social taboos, moves with relative ease and freedom amongst highborn British circles. Feeling comfortable with Adela, Aziz invites her to accompany him on a visit to the Marabar caves. Adela has previously exhibited bizarre, almost mystical behavior during other ventures into the Indian wilderness: this time, she emerges from the caves showing signs of injury and ill usage. To Aziz' horror, he is accused by Adela of assaulting her. Typically, the British ruling class rallies to Adela's defense, virtually convicting Aziz before the trial ever begins. Though he is eventually acquitted due to lack of evidence (in fact, director Lean never shows us what really happened), Aziz is ruined in the eyes of both the British and his own people-as is Adela. Woven into these proceedings is a subplot involving Adela's elderly travelling companion Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft), who through a series of plot twists becomes a heroine of the Indian Independence movement. A Passage to India was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning in the categories of Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Ashcroft) and Best Original Score (Maurice Jarre).
Special Features:
Commentary with Producer Richard Goodwin
"E.M. Forster: A Profile of an Author" - Elements of Forster's life and some of the main themes within the book are covered in this featurette.
"An Epic Takes Shape" - Cast & Crew talk about the genesis of the project.
"An Indian Affair" - Covers the main period of production over in India.
"Only Connect: A Vision of India" - Covers the whole area of Post Production and also includes the final days of shooting in the studios at Shepperton.
"Casting a Classic" - Priscilla John (Casting Director) talks about casting the film and the challenges of bringing characters from the book to life.
"David Lean: Shooting with the Master" - This featurette takes a look at Lean as a Director with emphasis on this film being the last of his career.
"Reflections of David Lean" - A featurette on David Lean that appeared on the last DVD release
End of press release. I've always loved this film, and I'm glad to see it getting a special edition treatment. At first I figured it was Criterion that was responsible. How surprised I was to see it was Sony! This film has a lot of truly fascinating character development. Dr. Aziz goes from the kind of easily intimidated and emotionally battered employee that the British must have loved to have as a compliant colonial subject, to a frightened defendant who has had injustice snatch him from his lonely but well-ordered life, to a bitter and empowered man who thinks identifying with the plight of his fellow Indians means he must abandon all friendships with westerners, in particular that of the compassionate Richard Fielding. Sir Alec Guiness plays the minor but important role of Professor Godbole, a man whose beliefs puzzle Fielding. When Aziz has been unjustly accused, Fielding wants to mount some kind of campaign, to perform some kind of action on Aziz' behalf. Godbole calmly insists that although he cares about Aziz very much, nothing he or anyone does will matter - the whole thing has been predetermined. This is one of the issues that plays like background music in the film - that of Western views of human action and divine purpose working synergistically versus Eastern views on the same themes - karma versus Christian endeavor. I truly believe 1984 was a year in which the Academy got it right - Amadeus was indeed the best picture. However, this film is a photo-finish second and I highly recommend it.
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