Despite an intelligent title performance by Ben Kingsley and impressive cinematography in the manner of David Lean, this huge, clunky biopic offers less than meets the eye. Director Attenborough seeks not to understand but to canonize his subject; as a result, both Gandhi's teachings and
the complexities of Indian political history are distorted and trivialized. The film spans decades, opening in South Africa where Mohandas Gandhi (Kingsley) is a struggling attorney victimized by that country's racial policies. Returning to India, he develops a strategy of non-violent civil
disobedience that proves more effective than armed struggle in throwing off British imperial...
Released:
1982
Rated:
PG
Length:
188 mins