yasinkozak As a person who read the novel, I didn't find it successful in relation with the subject matter of the story. This expedition to the caves was actually an expedition to the darkest points of Adela's character. However, the movie was a failure in reflecting that. I didn't quite like the movie.

PWNYCNY The British colonial authorities use a contrived incident to stage a show trial to prove Indian inferiority and thereby further justify Britain's continued colonial occupation of India. Through clever directing, this movie appeals to the audience's sense of outrage at the British who are impervious to the loud and widespread demands that they leave India. The tension between the Indians and English soon becomes apparent. it is this tension that becomes the basis for the drama that unfolds. A young woman arrives in India and confronted by her own sexuality has a mental breakdown and accuses her companion, an Indian physician, of attempted rape. This allegation further widens the rift between the Indians and the British, and intensifies calls for the British to leave. This in turn makes the British even more determined to put the doctor on trial and get a conviction. The Indian defense counsel considered the trial a sham, protests get louder, yet the British continue undaunted. This sets the stage for even more dramatics, which will not be discussed here. To find out the exciting conclusion to this story, and how tensions,, get resolved, watch the movie. This movie is a great work of art.

vincentlynch-moonoi I identify quite a bit with this film. I've never been to India, but beginning in the mid-1980s I began frequent long summers in Thailand, and then lived there for a couple of years after retirement. Some of the same themes I see in this film I confronted in Thailand. You might think that odd since we are talking about almost a century apart from the novel and my travels, but the feeling not at home in a different culture could sometimes be pervasive. Being looked at as a foreigner was a common theme. And I often got off the beaten path and visited some pretty remote places...often alone...and a few times I felt sort of like the character Adela when she visited the overgrown Indian temple and was frightened by the monkeys.To begin with, this is one of those marvelous tales told by one of filmdom's greatest directors -- David Lean. It is, perhaps, not as ground breaking as "Dr. Zhivago" or "Lawrence Of Arabia", but it surpasses all his other films due to the haunting story so well told and the exquisite photography.It's a rare story that has so many interesting characters. The most interesting is Mrs. Moore, as played by Peggy Ashcroft. She is one of two characters in the story/film who seem to have a gut understanding of India and the unfairness of the British occupation. As Professor Godbole says, Mrs. Moore is a very old soul, and implies that in a former life she may very well have lived in India. Ashcroft is wonderful in this film! And, to a degree, the entire plot of the story revolves around her...even in death.The other character who understands things as Mrs. Moore does is Richard Fielding, as played by James Fox, the teacher. He doesn't hold to the strict class lines in the India of the time. I've always enjoyed Fox's roles in film, and this is certainly no exception.The third most interesting character is Dr. Aziz Ahmed, as played by Victor Banerjee. Ahmed, a doctor of the Muslim faith, is torn between disliking the British, and being open to them and their culture. He is particularly drawn to Mrs. Moore. Banerje is excellent here, as well.I wasn't overly impressed with Judy Davis, the young lady who has the breakdown in the caves, but she played the role satisfactorily.The one casting I disagree with here is of Alec Guinness as the weird Professor Godbole, a Hindu. Guinness does a fine job with the role...actually quite amusing, but why did David Lean have to cast a White person when there are so many talented Indian actors? Of course, the answer is that Lean and Guinness go way back. But I still think it was a poor casting choice.Nigel Havers does nicely as the Brit with the stiff upper lip as he is jilted twice. He is key to understanding the attitude problem the British had toward the Indians.Clive Swift was great at being the stone-faced British official...but we had no idea whether he had any actual acting ability. Ann Firbank, who played his wife, was better at being upper class snooty British.This film is, quite simply, a masterpiece of film-making.

blanche-2 1984's "A Passage to India" is a visually stunning film and a haunting story of the clash of two cultures. Based on E.M. Forster's novel, it takes place in late '20s India, under British rule. Two British women, Mrs. Moore (Dame Peggy Ashcroft) and Adela Quested (Judy Davis), travel there, Mrs. Moore to see her magistrate son (Nigel Havers), who is engaged to Adela.They want to see the country and meet the Indian people and are frankly surprised that there isn't more mixing of the cultures and people. One night, while visiting a mosque, Mrs. Moore meets the friendly, westernized Dr. Aziz. He invites her and Adela on an outing to the Malabar caves. While there, an incident occurs which becomes a cause celebre and divides the already divided British and Indian cultures.David Lean's film is fascinating on many levels: The breathtaking way he captures the atmosphere of India as well as the period, the magnificent cinematography, and the examination of the beliefs and mores of the time.Judy Davis gives a brilliant performance as the sexually-repressed Adela, who becomes frightened of her awakening feelings just as she vacillates about her coming marriage. She is matched by Victor Banerjee as Dr. Aziz, an attractive, friendly man whose life becomes a nightmare. Peggy Ashcroft gives a beautiful performance as the evolved Mrs. Moore. James Fox and Alec Guinness (in a role which was largely cut) round out the excellent cast.David Lean was one of the world's greatest filmmakers, capable of sweeping epics like Lawrence of Arabia and intimate stories such as Brief Encounter. He has inspired filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, and his reputation as a true artist is richly deserved. Known for his acute sense of time and place, A Passage to India is another example of his talent and will not disappoint.