MovieChat Forums > A Passage to India (1985) Discussion > Disappointed!

Disappointed!

posted 18 years ago by wayofthecass
10 replies | jump to latest

I made an effort to watch this movie this afternoon. It is a very striking and beautiful picture I just found it rather, well......pointless. I couldn't understand what all of the fuss was about.
Some of the acting was enjoyable as was the cinematography.
Up to the point in which it becomes apparent that there seems little motive behind the rape allegation, I was really intrigued by it. The part in the caves really reminded me of the haunting ,and somewhat confusing, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'.
I thought it might be a mystery where the truth comes out in the court case or maybe never comes out. I was looking forward to some kind of revelations about the caves or the reasons behind the allegations. Instead it just seemed to peter out.
A shame as I have really enjoyed the other two British productions set in colonial India such as the legendary 'Gandhi' and the little seen but fascinating 'Deceivers'. I recommend that both fans and critics alike see both of those two though in the case of 'Gandhi' I imagine just about anybody who bothers with these boards probably already has.

[–] Upland2000 16 years ago

You are not alone your disappointment....

As critic Katherine Mansfield noted in her 1917 diary entry, "E. M. Forster never gets any further than warming the teapot. He's a rare fine hand at that. Feel this teapot. Is it not beautifully warm? Yes, but there ain't going to be no tea."

I apologize if this quote has shown up in these boards before--I just discovered it for myself a couple of days ago, and it neatly (and hilariously)summarized for me the problem I have with this movie (and with any movie or novel that seems to promise much more than it eventually delivers.)

[–] Pleasepassthemilkplease 12 years ago

Almost four years later ... I just saw this film last weekend, and your Katherine Mansfield quotation is dead on. So don't apologize if it has shown up the boards before, because this is the first time I've seen it, and I love it. It sums up the story precisely.

[–] catbookss 9 years ago

You are not alone your disappointment....

As critic Katherine Mansfield noted in her 1917 diary entry, "E. M. Forster never gets any further than warming the teapot. He's a rare fine hand at that. Feel this teapot. Is it not beautifully warm? Yes, but there ain't going to be no tea."

I've not read that quote before, and while my disappointment is in the film (haven't read the novel), it does sum up how I feel about it. The portrayal of the cultural clashing was excellent. Too bad it hinged on a completely unbelievable event. I was hoping the book differed on that point.

[–] Tomatish 9 years ago

What a perfect quote to describe E. M. Forster's stories!

[–] dwtime 15 years ago

Wow I can't believe I found someone that saw the movie much as I did. If this movie could talk it would say: "look how beautiful I am!" "Don't pay attention to what is going on, it doesn't matter, just look at all the beautiful shots and scenery!"

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Harold_Robbins 15 years ago

I certainly understand the "Look how beautiful I am!" complaints of some viewers, as in his epics Lean often seemed more concerned with the visuals than the dramatics (in contrast with his earlier, more intimate films such as BRIEF ENCOUNTER and GREAT EXPECTATIONS). But there's some damned fine acting here as well, and I find the film worth re-watching every few years.

"Somewhere along the line the world has lost all of its standards and all of its taste."

[–] dwtime 15 years ago

Point well taken, it has been a while since I watched 'Passage', at the time it wasn't my cup of tea. Its funny how some movies hit you right and some don't.

[–] hadrons 14 years ago

I saw this film when it first came out in VHS and I was a bit disappointed in it. I was 17 and it was a little too subtle and I wasn't knowledgeable about much of the British/Indian history to fully appreciate it (this film did encourage me to rent 'Bridge On The River Kwai' and 'Lawerence of Arabia' soon afterwards.)

Still, I have good memories of the film because it came out in one of my better periods in high school and I recently came across the film on an old beta tape, so I feel moved to give the film another shot.

[–] arman0612 10 years ago

I think it's a fine film, perfectly paced, filled with good performances, a good score, and everything works fine, but at the end of the day it is somehow pointless, it deals with racism and other social subjects, but there's really not a payoff at the end and it's disappointing. I really liked it and I would have no problem watching it again, but there's definitely something missing and I think it has to do with the source material and not with Lean who did a fantastic job as always.