The Mahabharata (1989 film)
8 /10 1 Votes
Duration Country Belgium / Australia / U.S.A. / Sweden / Portugal / Norway / Netherlands / Japan / Ireland / Iceland / Finland / Denmark / U.K. / France | 7.9/10 IMDb Genre Drama, War Budget 5 million USD Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Writer Jean-Claude Carriere , Marie-Helene Estienne Release date 1989 Cast (Arjuna), Bruce Myers (Ganesha; Krishna), Miriam Goldschmidt (Kunti), Robert Langdon Lloyd (Vyasa), (Yudhishthira), Yoshi Oida (Drona)Similar movies Wrath of the Titans , Clash of the Titans , Underworld: Rise of the Lycans , Gandhi , Glory , Clash of the Titans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Mahabharata is a 1989 film version of the Hindu epic, Mahabharata directed by Peter Brook. Brook's original 1985 stage play was 9 hours long, and toured around the world for four years. In 1989, it was reduced to under 6 hours for television (TV mini series). Later it was also reduced to about 3 hours for theatrical and DVD release. The screenplay was the result of eight years' work by Peter Brook, Jean-Claude Carrière and Marie-Hélène Estienne.
Contents
Plot
In general terms, the story involves epic incidents between two warring families, the Pandavas (representing the good side) and the Kauravas (representing the bad side). Both sides, being the offspring of kings and gods, fight for dominion. They have both been advised by the god Krishna to live in harmony and abstain from the bloody lust for power. Yet their fights come to threaten the very order of the Universe. The plot is framed by a dialogue between the Brahmin sage Vyasa and the Hindu deity Ganesha, and directed towards an unnamed Indian boy who comes to him inquiring about the story of the human race.
Cast
Reception
The production's use of an international cast caused heated intercultural debate. Negative criticism came from Indian scholar Pradip Bhattacharya who felt that Brook's interpretation "was not a portrayal of a titanic clash between the forces of good and evil, which is the stuff of the epic... [but] the story of the warring progeny of some rustic landlord".
Awards
In 1990, the film won the award for Performing Arts of the International Emmy Awards and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the São Paulo International Film Festival.
References
The Mahabharata (1989 film) WikipediaThe Mahabharata (1989 film) IMDbThe Mahabharata (1989 film) themoviedb.org