David Lean's last film is also Sony's launch of their "Classic" series on Blu-Ray. It is a good disc to premier the series as it brings together beautiful cinematography, a mysterious storyline, and great performances from the entire cast. The story is adapted from E.M. Forster's novel, also a classic. Lean tried to be as faithful to the novel as possible, with few exceptions.
The story involves a young woman, Miss Quested (Judy Davis) who travels to 1923 India with her future mother-in-law, Mrs. Moore(Peggy Ashcroft) to meet her fiance Ronny(Nigel Havers), who is a local magistrate. Davis got an Oscar nomination for her performance. Upon her arrival, she is appalled over the treatment of the local people, and the British prejudice towards them. She is also mysteriously drawn to a set of caves, high above the city. She meets a progressive Englishman, (James Fox), who introduces her to some locals; one a Hindi professor at thecollege (Alec Guiness) and a local Dr.Aziz (Victor Banerjee). Guiness' role was controversial because he was English but Lean wanted him there and Guiness accepted. His role is a bit like Obi-Wan, a man who knows much more than he tells.
Dr.Aziz proposes a picnic trip up above the city to the caves with the two women and they eagerly accept. It is on that trip where things don't go as planned and the story takes a unique and bizarre twist.
This long film has many beautiful shots of India and its people. Shot in 1984, there was no CGI to paste people in; the masses are real and Lean, a master at his craft, shows us a magnificent country. Most impressive are the different shots of water in the film, from flowing streams from a railroad tressel, to mighty rivers reflected in the moonlight.
The Blu-Ray transfer is what I was most interested in, as this is an older film and it came through with just a few flaws. The print used is absolutely clean from start to finish. The only thing that brought the picture grade down a notch were a few scenes that really showed a lot of film grain. Colors are punchy and skin tones are excellent. Alec Guiness must have gone through a lot of time in makeup because he was as brown as a nut. Details are unbelievably sharp on the Indian officers uniforms and many indoor scenes.
The soundtrack is offered in English and French Dolby TrueHD 5.1. The mix is very good and all speakers are utilized to enhance the India experience as much as possible, from the crowded marketplace, which totally surrounds you, to the mysterious echoes in the caves.
Extras included on the disc are both old and new and are offered in both standard and high definition. Surviving members of the crew offer insights into the production and working with Lean, who was 81 during filming, while cast members (Nigel Havers, James Fox and others) offer their recollections of working on the film. It was disappointing not to have comments from Davis though, since she played such a key role in the film. The disc also includes a graphics in track feature (sort of a fancy pop-up ) which is well worth a look. Commentary is provided by RIchard Goodwin, producer of the film. Lastly, there is old footage of Lean speaking about this filmand his other films in different segments; only wished it had been longer, as it only lasts about 10 minutes.
"A Passage To India" is not the greatest film directed by Lean; that debate could go on for days as he produced so many great ones but it is a grand finale for the talented director. This Sony Blu-Ray disc offers a beautiful picture and story, excellent cast and substantial extras for a fine introduction to their "Classic" line of films.
