The Far Pavilions
Product Details | Similar Products | Customer Reviews | Starring: ~ Ben Cross, Amy Irving Christopher Lee Rossano Brazzi Saeed Jaffrey List Price: $24.99 Our Price: $21.99 You Save: $3.00 (12%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours  |
|
 | Product Details: Studio: Acorn Media Region: 1 Rating:   Sales Rank: 13417 | | Look for similar DVDs by genre: | | Customers who bought this item also bought:
| | Customer Reviews: British Rule In Mid Nineteenth Century India (01 July 2010)BEWARE of film adaptations of great books! There are a few exceptions. For example, I enjoyed the film adaptation of Pearl S. Buck's, THE GOOD EARTH. However, I'm not sure if I enjoyed the film version because it was a great movie, or if I enjoyed the film because it had been many, many years since I had read the novel. The film, THE FAR PAVILIONS was a different matter entirely. It was a grave disappointment ... in every way possible: the characters played by Ben Cross and Amy Irving were unconvincing; the cinematography failed to capture the shear grandeur of the era; and the host of other supporting characters in the film were [at best] shallow compared to those in M.M. Kaye's epic novel. Worse, the film version could not possibly effect the nuances of tension caused by petty jealousies between members of the Hindu royal courts/kingdoms, or the centuries long clashes between rival ethnic groups in India and her princely states, and various tribes in Afghanistan. Forgo the film and purchase the book. You will not be disappointed. I purchased M.M. Kaye's sprawling epic, THE FAR PAVILIONS two years ago from a library book sale. I could not put it down. Set in mid-nineteenth century British India, this was an excellent story about love, war, valor, and defeat. The two main characters in Kaye's voluminous book [960+ pages], Ash [Ashton/Ashok] and the half-caste Hindu little girl Anjuli, who would become a Princess, is a magical tale of adventure, lavish settings, unscrupulous villains, hopeless battles, and trustworthy heroes. This magnificent novel keep me engrossed by Kaye's superb plots, and the romantic and heroic trysts of Ash and Anjuli. But also, Kaye's descriptions of India in its heyday of glory during British rule is expertly spun with extravagant settings, majestic and lavish princely courts, castles, and kingdoms, which leaves the reader spellbound. M.M. Kaye accomplished what few writers are able to achieve. She told an exciting and adventurous story set in India, that you will long remember ... and re-read again and again. Maizie Lucille James June 30, 2010 Poor quality recording (27 October 2009)The quality of this recording is very poor. Certain sections were so dark they were barely watchable. I owed this series on VHS years ago, and there were no problems. The Far Pavilions (01 June 2009)I love this movie. Until I found it on Amazon.com, I never thought I would find it on dvd but when I did, I had to buy it Not the Wolf of Kabul that's for sure. (19 March 2009)This is a miniseries par excellence, which although a slow drama, feels like events are rushing by. What enthralls me most about this film is the way in which it illuminates the British rule in India in a different way that the regular official histories would have us believe. It certainly highlights the similarities between the British class system and the caste system within the Indian sub-continent. It is also a singular case of dispelling one myth perpetuated around the world, that India is a single homogenous country when indeed, it is a great mix of tribes, and peoples many of whom are at odds with each other and divided not the least by religion, class and custom. The plot itself is very believable where a member of the Raj is brought up as an Indian and falls for a princess who is a half-caste. Certainly a good piece of artistic license there. The film spans great distances in space and some of the cinematograhy is excellent. One can only imagine what a remastering for Blu Ray release will uncover, a bit like cleaning off a 17th century masterpiece. I was very impressed with the characters played by Art Malik and Saheed Jaffrey. Malik is superb in the part he plays and it is a shame that he has not achieved a greater degree of celebrity for his performances. The other notables in the cast including Christopher Lee who turns in his usual perfect pieces and Omar Sharif remind me of Lawrence of Arabia in the sense of cross-cultural communication between conquered and conqueror. If fact one of the legacies of the British Empire was the ability of each of the constituent countries to participate in a shared sense of community whatever the differences between them may have been. The living legacy of this was the Commonwealth which remains almost as global as the Empire was. The Far Pavilions has stood the test of time very well. I personally prefer this to the Passage To India for a variety of reasons. Above all this is a love story, set against a gorgeous panorama of countryside and spectacle. Indeed it is a love story which raise many issues about the role of men and women and the ideogy of religion and civilised valuse. My only reservation is that the quality of photography is not matched by the DVD version. By the way I have not read the book but it is my opinion that the two are distinct works of art and should not be compared diectly. The Far Pavillions (05 February 2009)The video was in excellent shape and delivery came at the right time. Thank you for your service to me. |
