Gandhi

"His triumph changed the world forever."

1982 3h 12m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

🍅

89%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.6TMDB · 2,586🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes●79Metacritic★8IMDB · 245,835

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, 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', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.

“His triumph changed the world forever.”

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Cast

Ben Kingsley
Mahatma Gandhi
Candice Bergen
Margaret Bourke-White
Edward Fox
General Dyer
John Gielgud
Lord Irwin
Trevor Howard
Judge Broomfield
John Mills
Lord Chelmsford
Rohini Hattangadi
Kasturba Gandhi
Martin Sheen
Vince Walker

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Attenborough
Writers: John Briley
Languages: English, Hindi
Countries: India, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 192 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hindi.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: India, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

310+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Attenborough, shot by Ronnie Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Attenborough directs. Ronnie Taylor behind the camera. George Fenton scores. John Bloom cuts. A long sit — settle in. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in India, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Hindi.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 192 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
2Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.
344 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hindi.
5International production across 2 countries: India, United Kingdom.
6310+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
7Directed by Richard Attenborough, shot by Ronnie Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor John Bloom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Ben Kingsley and Candice Bergen and Edward Fox carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "His triumph changed the world forever.".
12IMDB entry: tt0083987 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 25 themes, including "muslim", "strike", "prayer", "freedom".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ronnie Taylor
Original score: George Fenton
Editing: John Bloom
Production design: Stuart Craig
Costume design: Bhanu Athaiya
Makeup / hair: Connie Reeve
Sound: Gerry Humphreys
Stunt coordinator: Gerry Crampton
Runtime: 192 min · 3h 12m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $22,000,000
Box office: $77,737,889
Return: 353% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Gandhi (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 79/100
IMDB rating: 8/10 · 245,835 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Won 8 Oscars. 35 wins & 23 nominations total

National Board of Review Award for Best Film
Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Academy Award for Best Production Design
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Director
Academy Award for Best Costume Design
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Richard Attenborough

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-01-26
★ 7/10
As career defining roles go, this has to one of the more masterful efforts from Ben Kingsley who manages to engage right from the start with his sprightly, intelligent and considered portrayal of this visionary and independently minded man of peace. Arriving in South Africa, his baptism into a sea of bullishness and racism quickly tests his mettle and soon has him on the radar of a General Smuts (Athol Fugard) government that was as yet unused to any sort of challenge from the non-white elements of society. Unafraid to take a beating, or to challenge the cultural norms without own his own caste-driven society, he is swiftly back in India where, flushed with a degree of success, he allies with Pandit Nehru (Roshan Seth) and becomes even more determined to use the sheer size of the dominated Indian population to rebel against the last vestiges of post war Raj. His strategy of non-cooperation sees him incarcerated and separated from those he loved but, again, his patience and determination made even the most formidable of his foes realise that this man was just a bit different - and that he was on a path to a victory that necessitated a dignified, but definite, retreat. The latter part of the story illustrates well that old adage about the difficulties of winning the peace, made more difficult by intolerances of an all together different nature, before a denouement that history dictated for all. Richard Attenborough told a story of his first meeting with Prime Minister Nehru when he was planning this film, and of how that ten minutes of courtesy ended up considerably longer and more beneficial to the look of this beautifully filmed biopic. Using grand scale cinematography that focusses on the vastness and variety of the country, but also using an intimate and really quite tough to watch style of photography as the brutish behaviour towards the colonised was clearly demonstrated. As to the exact nature of the history, I'm not sure that detail mattered so much as the overall assemblage of some of the great from British stage and screen who seemed, by themselves, to offer an heart-felt apology for what had gone on as the sun did start to set on the Empire. There features also a gently supporting effort from Geraldine James's Mirabehn and Candice Bergen also helps the narrative's chronology along as the photo-journalist never far from Gandhi's side. It's long and can be a little sluggish at times, but the sheer participatory nature of this is reminiscent of the epic cinema of the days when crowds were real, cheap, colourful and enthusiastic - and that all adds to the richness of this classy and stylish production. Big screen experiences don't come much more poignant and this is well worth a watch in a cinema if you can.

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