A Passage to India guide

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)