A Passage to India (1984)

VHS CASE/SIDE

MPPA Certifcate Number: 27462

Length of film: 164 Minutes

Rated: PG

Genre: Adventure, Drama, History

Director: David Lean

Starring: Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft, James Fox, Alec Guinness, Nigel Havers, Richard Wilson, Ann Firbank

IMDB Rank: 7.3/10

Part 1 Time:   89 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  75 Minutes

Where does the first part end?  Adela (Judy Davis) leaves the caves frantically and is picked up by Mrs. Callendar (Ann Firbank). Aziz (Victor Banerjee) sees her being picked up and realizes something is wrong, he runs downhill.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “Fool,” Aziz states as he slaps the guide and runs to the edge of the mountain side.

First line of dialogue on the second part: “Morning, Mrs. Moore! Fielding (James Fox) shouts to Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft).

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Somewhat, Adela leaves the caves in a delirious and panic state. What happened in the caves and how will this impact Aziz who was responsible for her well-being?

Which part is better? The entire film explores themes of racism and imperialism experienced during the British Raj (present day India). The slight edge goes to part two as we are able to see what happened to Adela in the caves and implications this has on Aziz.

Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Ashcroft), Best Music-Original Score, Best Picture (Nominated), Best Leading Actress (Judy Davis-Nominated), Best Director, Best Writing- Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Nominated), Best Cinematography (Nominated), Best Art Direction- Set Decoration (Nominated), Best Costume Design (Nominated), Best Sound (Nominated), Best Film Editing (Nominated).