Mahabharata

As Vyasa (the storyteller) says at the beginning. "If you listen closely, at the end you'll be someone else." Shakespearean layer upon layer of meanings. Gives westerners a glimpse (sometimes shocking) into the different mindset of the East.

All our western ideas of 'good' and 'evil'; 'truth' and 'justice' are flipped on their heads.

And the acting... particularly Krishna,,, is subtle and sublime.

Rather than try to render the 'cast of millions' they strip it down to a minimalist production where only the barest essentials are there. This puts the acting on full display and these people, from around the world, do not disappoint.

Unforgettable. Unique. Incomparable.

We follow the Indian great families of gods and demi-gods, and the conflicts that arise between them. Yudhisthira is a righteous man, but can succumb to great foolishness when it comes to gambling. Arjuna the great warrior hero, is prepared for war but yet is besieged by doubts. Is war unavoidable, and is it possible to fight a war without losing? Krishna takes on an ambiguous trickster role, as he proceeds in guiding the Pandava family, but towards what?

This is very much a theatrical version of the story, do not expect any special effects or such, you wont get any here. The stripped down production gives it a timeless feel, and it has its logic, after all how do you do visual justice to gods and great mysteries? The acting is strong, some of the characters are fantastic to just listen to, and more or less the whole cast manages to tread the thin line between the grandiosity and humanity, that the characters possess.

I am a little annoyed that the full version is not available on DVD. Isn't DVD about putting things out in their full length and then some? It feels like an unnecessary loss that we don't get the see the play in its full.

I love these great epics, but the Mahabharata in particular can be a pain in the butt to try and read, in its enormous length, so to get condensed version of it as a play, this well executed and acted out, is well, a god-send.

Peter Brook's magnum opus- The Mahabharata is a film everyone should watch- not only does it magnificently translate a difficult play on screen, it captures all the inherent philosophies of what is perhaps the greatest epic ever written. The acting is top notch and the style of storytelling unique- the 5 hour running time slips past unnoticed.

One scene which deserves particular mention is the story of Ahbimanyu and the magic disc- it is so wonderfully handled and serves as one of the high points of the movie.

Perhaps the ending slackens the pace a bit, but is still apt and a fitting one.

Brooks has done an amazing job of distilling the monumental indian epic into less than a 6 hour film. In the process, a lot of good stuff had to left out, but what remains is pure gold.

The style is spare and theatrical, with fairly minimal sets. Rather than detracting from the sense of immediacy, however, the lack of background serves to throw the characters into bolder relief. And what characters! Arjuna, Yudhisthira, Draupadi, Bhima, Krishna - marvelous characters all. And the 'bad guys' are nearly as good - flawed, but complex and even somewhat sympathetic. The minor characters too are arresting - bhishma and drona especially.

This movie translates the power of myth to the screen better than any other by far. Maybe when LotR is complete that will change, but for now Mahabharata reigns supreme.

This movie was a MASTERPIECE! i loved it. The variety of characters really made my mind work to the degree it was meant to. I must say the best scene of the entire movie was when she(forgive my memory has forgotten her name)was giving birth and her maid had to hit her across the stomach with an iron rod and then a ball came out of her. BOY what a creative idea! I must say the entire movie was extremely well done, everything from the characters to the story line, nothing at all was boring about it. The only complaint i can give is that it was WAY TO SHORT. there were so many unanswered questions and i never wanted the movie to end! I give it 4 stars and two thumbs WAY UP! Good job director Peter Brook!