Gandhi

Richard Attenborough's Gandhi is one of the best film fantasies we've ever seen. It is remarkably consistent. The Mahatma has a vision, and the people respond. The Mahatma fasts, and the people stop fighting. The Mahatma stands up to empire, and it caves in. Gandhi represents a super-idealistic vision of the relationship between leadership and "the people." Wrap that up with ultra-pacifism, hyper-anti-racism, and "we all worship one god" talk and, PRESTO! the ultimate liberal fantasy. Yet we admit, though, that despite its blasphemies we were taken in with the film's vision, being as we are against oppressive empires and all. The fictional-Gandhi's resilience and determination to resist the bureaucratic governance of outsiders, while practicing a non-violent approach, provides a fine example,we think.

This is not exactly Attenborough's film; the Indian government financed Gandhi, reminding us all to keep heeding the old slogan "Follow the Money." Gandhi pumps the message of Indian nationalism and unification into our brains every twentieth frame, but that message rests on the ridiculous assertion that Muslims and Hindus can get along and will, one day, lounge in an economic paradise. Perhaps if we all only followed the Mahatma's example. In almost every scene he weaves his own clothes and deals with farm animals (so much for the division of labor!). In a pivotal scene, he makes his own salt from the ocean. By the end of the movie, he has few teeth. Pardon us for shunning socialist delusions, but we do appreciate a free market of clothing and dentistry.

It's necessary to distinguish between the historical-Gandhi and the fictional-Gandhi. The film compares the latter to Christ over and over again, while the Mahatma mouths his dedication to "god," whatever that is. But we learned a few things from perusing the excellent essay, "The Gandhi Nobody Knows." We learn that Gandhi was an opportunist, stressing non-violence only in some situations but imperial wars in others. As a Hindu, he worshiped cows and was obsessed with bowel movements. As a holy man in a false religion, he uttered more self-centered double-talk than most modern-day presidential candidates. This does not discredit the fictional-Gandhi. It only points out his fictionality.

When we tell people that Amadeus is one of our favorite films they often respond that Mozart really wasn't like that. True enough. But all art uses materials--historical and imagined--to construct an artifice, a point we have to consider when evaluating the final piece. If we'd wanted Mozart's life, we would've picked up a biography. If we'd wanted character study--to try to learn a little about ourselves and others--we'd watch Amadeus. The same is true with historical-Gandhi and Gandhi the movie. For that we give a partial recommendation, just so long as you don't try to believe what you see.

Entertainment: 7
Intelligence: 3
Morality: 8
View of God: -100,000