A Passage to India (1984)
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A British woman and an Indian doctor find their lives entangled by a mysterious and scandalous incident in the Marabar Caves.
The story
Set in the 1920s during the British Raj, the film follows Adela Quested, who travels from England to British-ruled India with Mrs. Moore, the mother of her intended bridegroom, Ronny Heaslop. They arrive in the fictional city of Chandrapore, a place divided between the British elite and the native Indian population. While exploring the local culture, Mrs. Moore meets Dr. Aziz Ahmed, a local doctor who shows her unexpected kindness. The group plans an excursion to the Marabar Caves, where cultural tensions and personal misunderstandings begin to strain the relationships between the British and the Indians.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Adela Quested travels to Chandrapore with Mrs. Moore to meet her future husband, Ronny Heaslop. In the city, they encounter the eccentric Professor Narayan Godbole and Dr. Aziz Ahmed. During an excursion to the Marabar Caves, Mrs. Moore suffers from claustrophobia and leaves Adela and Aziz alone. Adela enters a cave, becomes distressed, and disappears briefly, later reappearing disheveled and bleeding. Aziz is subsequently accused of attempting to rape Adela and is jailed. While Mrs. Moore dies of a heart attack on the voyage home, Adela eventually recants her accusation in court, revealing she never saw Aziz enter the cave. Aziz is freed but remains resentful of the British humiliation. Adela is abandoned by the British except for Richard Fielding, who helps her to safety. Aziz eventually moves to Kashmir, while Fielding marries Stella Moore. Aziz and Fielding eventually reconcile through letters.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 163
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David Lean
- Writers
- David Lean · screenplay; Santha Rama Rau · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Peggy Ashcroft · Mrs. Moore; Judy Davis · Adela Quested; James Fox · Richard Fielding; Alec Guinness · Professor Narayan Godbole; Nigel Havers · Turton; Victor Banerjee · Dr. Aziz Ahmed
- Genres
- epic period drama; historical drama
- Themes
- colonialism; prejudice; cultural tension; sexuality
- Tone and mood
- intimate; funny; moving; provocative
- Premise and plot tags
- period drama; historical drama; British Raj; colonialism
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1924 novel 'A Passage to India' by E. M. Forster and the 1960 play adaptation by Santha Rama Rau.
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim, with some praising it as Lean's finest since Lawrence of Arabia. It was considered a critics' favourite of 1984 and was noted for its visual scale and faithful adaptation of Forster's tone.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 78 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · Won; Academy Award · Best Picture · Nominated; Academy Award · Best Director · Nominated; Academy Award · Best Actress · Nominated
- Production trivia
- This was David Lean's final film.; David Lean spent six months in New Delhi to have a close feeling for the country while writing the script.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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