A Passage to India
Based on a
novel by:
Date of
release:
Director:
Some
information about the director:
Which
scenes deal with the following issues?
1. Social injustice
2. The British as an invader
3. Sexual repression
4. Cultural gaps
5. Reconciliation
6. Identity
7. Submission
Adela
wanted to see “the real India”. What does she refer to? When does she finally
find it?
Where
does the accusation against Aziz come from? Adela or the British group?
The British India, the Media
Over the
years, a large number of films have been produced which are set in India-
“Gandhi” ”Heat &Dust”, “The Jewel In The Crown”, “Staying On”, “The Far Pavilions”
(the last three shown on TV.).
Of these,
only the first was not an adaptation from a novel.
Why is it that India should so fascinate novelists
and filmmakers? Possible reasons could be the country itself, or the culture,
or a reassessment of the British role in India.
One
question which recurs again and again about E.M. Forster’s “A Passage to India”
is whether it is a
political novel. How does it portray the relationship between the British and
the Indians?
How does it show
the differences between Hindu and Moslem, differences which, when India was
finally granted
independence, caused bitter rifts within the country.
One
further question to ask is whether the film highlights the political aspects.
Try to list any incidents in the
film where you think that there is an overt reference to politics. Do the same
with the novel.
Has the
stress been altered between the two?
Following
on from this you could consider whether Forster was actually interested in the
politics of India or
whether his concerns lay elsewhere. Public or private; which of the two
Anglo-Indian relationships
do you think interested him most, or are the two indivisible? Also important is
where Forster’s
sympathies lie. Are they with Aziz, Adela? Are the English portrayed in a bad
light? How does
Fielding fit in, both to the plot and the overall ideas of the novel?
(adapted from www.filmeducation.org)