The Far Pavilions

Set against the revolution for India's freedom from England , it deal with marvelous adventures , tragic love stories and British/Indian battles during the second Afghan war . An India adventure with all the usual ingredients , including glowing colour , wonderful settings , spectacular scenarios and distinctive photography . After his true identity is discovered at the age of 11, Ashton Pelham-Martyn is sent to England to complete is education. At the age of 5, his daddy was killed in the Mutiny and Ash was rescued and raised by his Indian nanny and an adoptive father (Omar Shariff) . He returns to India as a young man (Ben Cross) , he becomes an appropriately noble British officer in a Regiment stationed on the Northwest Frontier . He is assigned by his stiff-upper-lipped Commandant (Robert Hardy ) to a risked mission with his infantry : to custody two princesses (Amy Irving , Sneh Gupta) who have been promised in an arranged marriage to a tyrannical governor . As he is reunited with a infancy friend, Anjuli (Amy Irving) , nowadays a gorgeous young woman and he falls in love with her , then things go wrong . He is forced to accompany her and her sister to their wedding and although they are very much in love, they are forced to part company. When Anjuli's husband, the Rana of Bhitor (Rossano Brazzi) dies , there takes place a horrible fate . Along the way the brave protagonist faces off the violent attack on the British delegation in Kabul and other warring events .

HBO's first mini-series formed by three parts , set in 19th century British colonial India about a story of forbidden love in 1800s involving an ethnic romance between a British cavalry officer and an Indian princess, along with war battles , betrayal and emotion as well as intense drama and honor . Enjoyable adventure movie that brings me back to my childhood, when I loved to see the Oriental movies because of the magical happenings and wonders around abound . This adventure movie contains thrills , frantic action , exuberant outdoors , luxurious interiors and a complicated love story. The film is essentially a romance story and in the midst of fighting , treachery , impressive action and surprising outdoors . A delightful Naive Adventure , as the film is fairly entertaining and, as can be expected from a grade-A European production of the eighties , handsomely mounted but it mainly survives today on its high quotient of nostalgia . The Far Pavilions is a rousing , moving , stirring tale , above average , and adding action as well as thrills with a great sense of wonder , including attractive scenarios . It is an entertaining and brilliant mini-series, plenty of noisy action , thrills , glamorous cinematography with wonderful camera work , luxurious costumes , catching score ; all meld together under Peter Duffell's nice direction . Although the story has been told before , tight filmmaking and nice acting win out . This lavish production was budgeted at thirteen million dollars and it was considered to be one of the most expensive at the time . Belonging to a cycle of British productions set in India , shot early 1980s , many of them based on E.M. Forster novels , though this one is based on the romantic bestseller written by M.M. Kaye . Being a perfect combination of overwhelming landscapes and palace battles , fights and full of villainy , romance , and heroism . The picture is enjoyable , exciting and thrilling right up with climatic final when our hero has to rescue his lover when she is expected to join her deceased husband on his funeral pyre so it is left to Ash to save her . Lavish spectacle and good casting overcomes the somewhat sluggish storytelling that combines a number of familiar Oriental fares . In any case, this satisfactory viewing has brought back fond childhood memories of similar costume pictures and has certainly whetted my appetite for more . Main cast is franky excellent , such as : Ben Cross , Benedict Taylor and the beautiful Amy Irving who at the time married Steven Spielberg . They are well accompanied by a pretty good support cast , such as : the always great Christopher Lee , the Italian Rossano Brazzi who is miscast as despotic ruler Rana of Bhithor , Saeed Jaffrey , Sneh Gupta , Omar Sharif , John Gielgud , Robert Hardy , Mary Peach , Anthony Sharp , Felicity Dean , Peter Arne , John Forbes-Robertson , Art Malik and a young Rupert Everett .

This Technicolor adventure fantasy is well adorned by stunning cinematography by the prestigious Jack Cardiff . Shot on location in Samode Palace, Samode, Rajasthan, India and North Wales, Wales, UK . Striking and evocative musical score by Carl Davis . This British/India spectacle was glamorously directed by Peter Duffell . Although there are two versions : the complete version aired on television whose runtime is 315 min and another rendition about one hour and fifty minute cut of this mini-series was theatrically released as a movie . The good craftsman Peter Duffell directed various mini-series and several TV episodes from notorious series , such as : The Bill , Space precinct , Tales of the Unexpected , Inspector Morse , The Waterfall , The famous five , Journey to the Unknown , Man in a Suitcase , The adventures of Black Beauty , Strange report and The Avengers , among others . Rating : 7/10 . Better than average . Essential and fundamental watching . Well worth seeing .

Someday, a distributor will make the complete miniseries available for the consumer. Any release of about 300 minutes has about 2 or 3 episodes cut from the original. The opening scenes of the current releases showing flashes of Ash's youth are pieces of these episodes which have been dropped since they would be considered nothing more than superfluous exposition to most Western viewers. But in order to fully appreciate M.M Kaye's story, they are vital and should be restored. These lost episodes impress the viewer with the customs of India, the background of Ash and Anjuli, the treachery of Biju Ram, the love of Sita and the wisdom of Koda Dad. Without them you don't really fully appreciate why Ash and Juli are so close, why Ash is torn between two cultures, and his relationship with Gulkote. The exposure to life in an Indian royal court contained in the lost episodes adds so much to the experience. So until you see a release that has a running time of about 400-500 minutes, let the buyer beware -- you are not getting the complete original of the mini-series.

This miniseries is set in the 19th century British colonial India.It tells about the battles of a young man named Ashton Pelham-Martyn and his forbidden love with the princess Anjuli.The Far Pavilions (1984) is directed by Peter Duffell.It's based on M.M. Kaye's novel from 1978.The actors are all good.Ben Cross does very good job as Ash.Amy Irving is terrific as Anjuli.Christopher Lee, who turns 90 this year, is great as Kaka-ji Rao.Omar Sharif is brilliant as Koda Dad.Benedict Taylor is excellent as Wally.Great job by John Gielgud, who plays Cavagnari.I just saw this miniseries on a DVD.It looks very good.The battle scenes are very well made.I liked the love story.And you learn a little bit of India's history while you're watching it.

The Far Pavilions is a very long movie made for a mini series (I expect) and its length is the one major drawback to the film. The acting, especially of the principals and more particularly of Ben Cross, is quite fine all around. The cinematography is beautiful of the Indian countryside. This is one of the better mini series made.

I recommend it to you.

This miniseries came hot on the heels of 'The Jewel in the Crown', 'A Passage to India' and a fascination with all things Indian.

Ash (played by Ben Cross, best known for 'Chariots of Fire') and Wally (played by Benedict Taylor, who had featured in children's TV series 'Barriers') were the main players in this drama. Ash had been brought up to think of himself as Indian rather than officer class, and so falls in love with the sultry Anjuli (played by Amy Irving, at that time I think Mrs Steven Spielberg).

The other characters are stock faces from the glory days of the British Raj - while big name actors appear in the more adventurous parts (Christopher Lee, Omar Sharif, Rossano Brazzi). Look out for a young Rupert Everett (post-Another Country) in the cast as well.

Bits of the The Far Pavillions will stay in your mind. The futility of war. The ceremony of suttee (the burning of a living widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The forbidden love across castes and classes.

Recently revitalised as a big budget West End musical, The Far Pavillions is well worth your time. Brilliantly cast, scripted, and directed, it was a definite plus point of 1980s British TV.