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| Released: |
1984 |
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| Genre: |
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| Origin: |
GB |
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| Colour: |
C |
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| Length: |
163 |
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A repressed English spinster (Judy Davis) claims that an Indian (Victor Bannerjee) attempted to rape her in the Malabar caves. |
Reviewed by Chris Tookey
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| Beautiful, craftsmanlike and (for the most part) wonderfully acted, with some powerful scenes which show director Lean (at 75) somewhere near his best. He downplays E.M.Forster's hatred of colonialism, but adds some inspired touches of his own, such as Miss Quested's visit to a ruined temple, which beautifully illustrates the sexual feelings that lie beneath her repressions. Ernest Day's photography, John Box's art direction and David Lean's editing were all Oscar-nominated - so why is the film so uninvolving? Part of the reason is that we never know for certain what did happen in the caves - but there is something curiously detached about Lean's approach, throughout. Not all the acting convinces: Alec Guinness is sadly miscast, and Michael Culver fights a losing battle with a Scottish accent. And, at two and three-quarter hours, the film is overlong; the narrative often seems to plod, and loses momentum altogether after the courtroom climax. | |
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, Alec Guinness 
, Victor Bannerjee 
