Nominee
Even David Lean, the director who brought such cinematic classics to the screen such as Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, is not able to withstand the curse that is eighties cinema. This film based on the E.M. Foster's novel by the same name may attempt to grapple with the some of the socio-political, and racially important topics of a specific era, but fails to truly tell a compelling story based on a number of failed components of the film.
For starters, Miss Quested, the woman who charges a local Indian man for supposedly sexually assaulting her, is a completely baffling character. Perhaps it is my own lack of empathy towards people who are portrayed as wispy and confused, but she was utterly frustrating due to her idiocy throughout. She causes so much trouble for no apparent reason besides that she is 'overwhelmed' by being in a foreign land.
In addition, the editing of the entire film was stilted and repetitive. It got to the point where I was counting down to the next shot and hitting it exactly every time. This kind of comfortable formula is tiresome, particularly in an almost three hour film.
The acting was also rather melodramatic, with the exception of Peggy Ashcroft, who was quite compelling as one of few level headed characters in the whole story. And although I love Alec Guinness, this now dated performance reads as rather insensitive. You cannot tell me they could not find an Indian actor to play Professor Godbole, especially in a story that is about British/Indian tensions.
Overall: I think Lean may have hoped this to be another sweeping exploration of place such as Lawrence of Arabia or Doctor Zhivago, but ultimately it just did not have the story to support the visuals. It was just a rather long, awkward film. We're going to treat this like Godfather III, and pretend this did not happen. So go watch Lean's other work instead! Happy Watching!
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