Mahatma Gandhi was, and still is, one of the greatest people who ever lived. Born a proud Hindu, when he was young he faced rascism where-ever he went. When he died, the result of a mad man's bullit, he was known the world over as the man who (practically) single-handedly saved a country from not only itself, but the oppression of a monarchy 10,000 km away.
Sir Richard Attenborough's Gandhi tells the remarkable story of Mohandas K. Gandhi, a simple man, a lawyer by trade, who became the unofficial leader of India at a time when a leader was exactly what they needed. Struggling against the oppressive tyranny of the British Empire for years, Mahatma Gandhi stood up to the empire in a way no one had ever done before.
Who is this man? They asked. What does he hope to accomplish? Does he really think he can stop the British Empire, the greatest power in the world? Yes, he really thought so.
Through his policy of non-violence as a peaceful way to acheive results, Gandhi led his country in a revolt against the British government. He marched and demonstrated and even starved himself; he was even jailed - four times - gaining better and better results each time.
Mahatma Gandhi, a simple Hindu lawyer, took charge of a nation, incited a massive coup and, in the end, helped fast-track independance for a country that would probably have still been in British hands twenty years later.
I can't say enought about the man who saved a nation; I deeply respect him for everything that he did. You can't say one bad thing about Mr. Gandhi because there isn't anything bad to say about him. That message is conveyed in the film - amazingly - by Sir Ben Kingsley.
Gandhi is an epic film not unlike Gone With the Wind that tells a story of a human being; someone who triumphed in the face of major adversity. But unlike Wind, Gandhi has a touch of humanity in it. A great film will captivate you and make you feel for the main characters, not unlike they way we did for Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby or for John Dunbar in Dances with Wolves. But in watching Gandhi, you quickly realize that Sir Ben Kingsley is not just another actor playing a deceased person. For three hours he actually is Mahatma Gandhi; a living, breathing, real-life person once again.
Sir Ben Kingsley played the part so well that relatives of Mr. Gandhi thought that it was his ghost walking around. (Jim Carrey said the same thing when he became Andy Kaufman for Man on the Moon - that Kaufman's ghost was inhabiting his body. Both performances are so good you'd swear it was the real person both times.) Still, Sir Ben is amazing. In my mind, he really did become Gandhi, and I dare anyone to find one single fault in his performance.
So, to sum things up, in Gandhi, Sir Richard Attenborough created one of the best films ever made. Attenborough took a chance a came away a big winner. For years he struggled to gain the money to finance his film, but we're all thankful he did get to make it. Even though the film made little money, it won where it counts. Gandhi deserved every single one of it's eight Academy Awards, and should have won even more.
In the end, Albert Einstein was right all along: "In the years to come, younger generations will scare belive that a man like this ever existed."
Plot: 
Biopics are always great fun to watch, as we learn a lot about famouse people of the past and present. Gandhi is no exception. Sir Richard Attenborough did and extrodenary job moulding the screenplay into a timeless work of art.
Visual Effects:
Gandhi is a film that didn't need fancy computer effects to tell it's story. Gandhi ahieves it's epic stature without fancy blue screens or lavish eye-candy ever-present in the block-buster films of the day (Raider of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, ET: The Extra-Terrestrial, to name a few). The cinematography of the film is simply stunning, and captures the very essence of Gandhi the man in a simple, yet dignified way.
Sound:
There are no songs in this film, thank goodness, because this would have detracted from the film greatly. The score of the film, however, wasn't very memorable in the slightest. It does work very will in convaying the emotional impact of the film, which is pretty heavy anyway. In the end, the score is a major positive.
Character Development:
This film is a biopic about the life Mohandas K. Gandhi and like all biopics, takes us through his life. Over the years, Mahatama Gandhi (as he came to be known) changed greatly his views on life and almost everything else. Gandhi convey's those ideas and messages very well, taking us period by period through his amazing life.
Atmosphere:
Gandhi is an epic wonder to behold. Verily, this is a period piece and may not appeal to everyone, but if you can settle down through the first half-hour of the film you are in for an amazing treat!
Realism:
This movie is as real as you can get. It is a British film, not a Hollywood film, which not only increses it's realism ten-fold, but also gives it a more down-to-Earth feel. More often, Hollywood biopics (a prime example is The Aviator (2004)), usually have grand special effects and a star-studded cast. They play fast and loose with the details to suit the direction of the film, even if they are completely wrong. This biopic doesn't have any of those qualities, thankfully, which only makes it better.
Don't missinterpret my words, though; sometimes grand special effects are needed. The Aviator (2004) was great movie; just check out my review.
Warren’s Rating:
Movies it was nominated with for Best Picture:
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial; Missing; Tootsie; The Verdict
10/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
06-08-05
Age at win: 38
Nominated for: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Mohatama Gandhi, Gandhi
Nomination: 1/4 (acting), 1/4 (total); Win: Only
Ben Kingsly isn't over-the-top in his performance and isn't over zealous either. In a soft spoken and subtle way, Sir Ben Kingsley (who had not been knighted at the time) brings Ghandi to life in a way rarely seen in film, putting him in the company of an exclusive group including Jamie Fox (Ray), Jim Carrey (Man on the Moon), Charlize Theron (Monster) and Tom Hulce (Amadeus).
Kingsly has everything, from Gandhi's mannerisms to his Hindu qualities and even his general appearance nailed down pat. In a way that seems almost scary, it was reported that when-ever Sir Ben walked by, dressed at Mahatma Gandhi, the real Candhi's relatives thought that it really was him walking around (or, at least, his ghost).
Only once every few years does a performance come along that can compare to the magnificent and yet mostly magical performance of Sir Ben Kingsley.
06-08-05
