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Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard ... see more see more... , John Mills , Martin Sheen , Rohini Hattangady , Ian Charleson , Athol Fugard , Saeed Jaffrey , Geraldine James , Alyque Padamsee , Amrish Puri , Roshan Seth , Ian Bannen , Michael Bryant , John Clements , Richard Griffiths , Nigel Hawthorne , Bernard Hepton , Michael Hordern , Peter Harlowe , Jane Myerson , Avis Bunnage , Norman Chancer , Geoffrey Chater , Charu Bala Chokshi , James Cossins , Daniel Day-Lewis , Gareth Forwood , Rupert Frazer , David Gant , Christopher Good , Dominic Guard , Günther Maria Halmer , Terence Hardiman , Stewart Harwood , Bernard Hill , Bernard Horsfall , William Hoyland , Ken Hutchison , Richard Leech , David Markham , Richard Mayes , Stanley McGeagh , Harsh Nayyar , Winston Ntshona , Brian Oulton , Nana Palsikar , Daniel Peacock , Om Puri , John Quentin , John Ratzenberger , Shane Rimmer , John Savident , Gerald Sim , John Vine , Marius Weyers , Jalal Agha , John Boxer , Ray Burdis , Peter Cartwright , Ernest Clark , Richard Vernon , Neena Gupta , Barry John , Stanley Lebor , Supriya Pathak , Graham Seed , David Sibley , James Snell , Dalip Tahil , Jon Croft , Jack McKenzie , Colin Farrell

It was Richard Attenborough's lifelong dream to bring the life story of Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi to the screen. When it finally reached fruition in 1982, the 188-minute, Os... read more read more...car-winning Gandhi was one of the most exhaustively thorough biopics ever made. The film begins in the early part of the 20th century, when Mohandas K. Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of "passive resistance," endeavoring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed. In the horrendous "slaughter" sequence, more extras appear on screen than in any previous historical epic. The supporting cast includes Candice Bergen as photographer Margaret Bourke-White, Athol Fugard as General Smuts, John Gielgud as Lord Irwin, John Mills as the viceroy, Martin Sheen as Walker, Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield, and, in a tiny part as a street bully, star-to-be Daniel Day-Lewis. Gandhi won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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41 critics

PG, 3 hr. 11 min.

Directed by: Richard Attenborough

Release Date: December 6, 1982

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

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Stats: 2,725 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,725)

  • spielberg00
    November 28, 2011
    spielberg00
    What makes GANDHI such a fascinating cinematic piece is that although it runs for well over three hours, almost every single minute is profoundly watchable and surprisingly interesting. Because I did not recognize the director, and I only recognized three actors who were cast (B... read moreen Kingsley, Martin Sheen, and Richard Griffiths), I did not expect much of a film. Instead, I felt rewarded by a well-written screenplay, outstanding performances, solid directing, and (of course) a lot of historical information I never would have learned otherwise.

    Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-vC
  • fb701560354
    October 9, 2011
    fb701560354
    Watching Ben Kingsley play Indian politicial and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi is a truely breathtaking and remarkable experience to say the least, but Richard Attenborough's film drags in the first half, and then finds it's voice. Looking at the film as a whole is a must, and... read more once you've done that, it becomes clear that Richard Attenborough's Gandhi is a humbling but exhilirating, lengthy biopic.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    September 25, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Starring Ben Kingsley, Gandhi is an impressive film. Director Richard Attenborough who is known to craft epic pictures directs this larger than life biopic. Gandhi is one of cinema's greatest films. Kingsley is remarkable in his performance as Mahatma Gandhi and he definitely des... read moreerved that Oscar. The film recounts the beginnings of Gandhi and how he fought for Indian independence without resorting to violence. Gandhi is a terrific film and has a very strong cast that all deliver great performances. However Ben Kingsley is really the best here. He looks, and acts like Gandhi. He is Gandhi. This is a well made biopic that though not perfect, gets it right just enough to get the facts across the screen. The film is engaging and tells an important story. Attenborough's attempt at bringing Mahatma Gandhi's life to the screen pays off, and even if it's a tad flawed, the film has too many strong points to overcome the bad that it doesn't even matter. Gandhi is a masterwork of cinema. With brilliant acting, storytelling and directing, it's no surprise that Gandhi is now regarded as a cinematic milestone. Gandhi is a superb film with an engaging story. The film is a must see for cinema buffs everywhere. Kingsley's performance alone makes this films flaws forgettable and a definite must see. This is one of Richard Attenborough's greatest achievements and his vision can only be described as epic. A wonderful film.
  • DreamExtractor
    August 17, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    A classic drama of one of the most influential men of all time.
  • SirPant
    July 20, 2011
    SirPant
    Richard Attenborough's Gandhi begins with the statement; 'No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no way to give each year its allotted weight, to include each event, each person who helped to shape a lifetime. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to the... read more record and to try to find one's way to the heart of the man'.

    With that in mind, this is still one of the most honest and faithful biopics of one amazing individual. The Attenborough's are a passionate bunch, I think many aspects of what was going on in India under British rule at the time was not mentioned due to the fact that this film is more about the man, rather than the world at that time. That said, it doesn't shy away from the brutality and its, or rather, Gandhi's message is still loud and clear. The world would be doing itself a favour in revisiting the story of Gandhi, especially in these climates. A wonderful film about a wonderful man.
  • garyX
    May 25, 2011
    garyX
    Richard Attenborough's reverential biopic of Mohandas K. Gandhi that charts his progress from idealistic young lawyer fighting for civil rights in South Africa through to his assassination by a Hindu nationalist in 1948. A remarkable film about a remarkable man, it won 8 Oscars a... read morend had an epic scale rarely seen before. It shows how Gandhi was a deeply spiritual man who saw not man and woman, Hindu and Muslim or black and white; just people who all deserved the same respect; a very unusual attitude for a "holy man"...He preached non-violence and used the media in a way never seen before to shame his oppressors through the use of passive resistance, showing that it takes a lot more courage to take a beating than give one and in doing so was all but responsible for the dissolution of the British Empire. It's maybe a little too reverential, Gandhi being shown as all but a saint and we see little of his personal life but it's beautifully shot and performed and a fitting memorial to one of the greatest men to have ever lived.
  • ScoopOnline
    March 17, 2011
    ScoopOnline
    What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?
    ~Mahatma Gandhi~



    Friends recommended it to me long time ago but I j... read moreust thought I know enough about Gandhi till per coinciedence I caught it on TV.
    The other thing about this Movie were the Actors, not only Hollywood but some great Bollywood actors came together, such as Omrish Puri, Saeed Jaffrey, oh and my fav Jalal Agha(Sholay) and many others.
    What a great Movie!

    Ben Kingsley`s perfomance: OUTSTANDING!
  • ajv2688
    January 12, 2011
    ajv2688
    A fantastic film about a fantastic man. This is an excellent biographical drama, and I highly recommend it.
  • fb733768972
    April 24, 2010
    fb733768972
    If Ben Kingsley was excluded from this picture, then the movie would have flopped. He brought everything that was not there, to the table with flying colours! It does become dull in a few instinces, but the execution of the film is completed very well!
  • smith44
    March 2, 2010
    smith44
    As always Old Fashioned Hollywood Superb portrait of India's great political and spiritual leader comes to life in Ben Kingsley's authoritative yet sensitive performance. Director Richard Attenborough's epic-scale production re-creates Gandhi's life and times, especially his use ... read moreof non-violence and hunger strikes to bring together the diverse peoples of India and unify them as a nation. The funeral sequence was filmed on January 31, 1981, 33 years to the day after Gandhi's real funeral. Approximately 300,000 extras were used in that scene, the most for any filmepic Winner of my Top Biopic Films.

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Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel
February 24, 2010
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

In playing Gandhi, an actor must be less concerned with physical verisimilitude than with spiritual presence, and here Kingsley is nothing short of astonishing. Full Review

Variety Staff
January 29, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Once in a long while a motion picture so eloquently expressive and technically exquisite comes along that one is tempted to hail it as being near perfect. Full Review

Dave Kehr
December 17, 2006
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Attenborough's work lacks even the undercurrent of personality that David Lean brought to his films: the film has no flavor but that of the standard Hollywood hagiography. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A remarkable experience. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

[Of] importance is the possibility that the film will bring Gandhi to the attention of a lot of people around the world for the first time, not as a saint but as a self-searching, sometimes fallible h... Full Review

Liz Perle
January 2, 2011
Liz Perle, Common Sense Media

Brilliant biography will engage preteens and up. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 25, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Attenborough's crowning achievement as a director. Full Review

Douglas Pratt
January 29, 2008
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser

Ben Kingsley's title performance is amazing, particularly in the way he ages across the five decades which the film depicts.

January 29, 2008
Film4

It's safe to say that if you knew nothing about Gandhi before going in to the movie, you wouldn't know a whole lot more coming out. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
March 5, 2007
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine

Gandhi is less personal than Reds, but also less complacent than Chariots of Fire and less doddering than Lean's own orderly post-colonial apologia, A Passage to India. Full Review

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    • Mahatma Gandhi: If you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.
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Gandhi Trivia

  • Who directed the film Gandhi?  Answer »
  • Names the actor who appeared in Apocalypse Now, Gandhi, and Catch me if you can  Answer »
  • In "Gandhi" (1982), who is the leading actor playing the character Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi "Bapu"?  Answer »
  • What movie starring Ben Kingsley is this quote from? "Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail. Think of it: always."  Answer »
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