Stars: Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Hugh Bonneville
Storyline
New Dehli in March 1947. The huge and stately Viceroy's Palace is like a beehive. Its five hundred employees are busy preparing the coming of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who has just been appointed new (and last) viceroy of India by prime minister Clement Attlee. Mountbatten, whose difficult task consists in overseeing the transition of British India to independence, arrives at the Palace, accompanied by his Edwina, his liberal-minded wife and by his eighteen-year-old daughter Pamela. Meanwhile, in the staff quarters, a love story is born between Jeet, a Hindu, and Aalia, a Muslim beauty. Things will prove difficult - not to say very difficult - both on the geopolitical and personal level.
Writers: Paul Mayeda Berges, Paul Mayeda Berges, Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Hugh Bonneville, Manish Dayal, Simon Callow, Lily Travers, Simon Williams, Om Puri, Huma Qureshi, Nicholas Blane, Lucy Fleming, Sarah-Jane Dias, Samrat Chakrabarti, Terence Harvey, Roberta Taylor, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Gillian Anderson -
Lady Edwina Mountbatten
Michael Gambon -
General Lionel Hastings Ismay
Hugh Bonneville -
Lord Louis Mountbatten
Manish Dayal -
Jeet Kumar
Simon Callow -
Cyril Radcliffe
Lily Travers -
Lady Pamela Hicks
Simon Williams -
Archie Wavell
Om Puri -
Ali Rahim Noor
Huma Qureshi -
Aalia Noor
Nicholas Blane -
Sir Olaf Kirkpatrick Caroe
Lucy Fleming -
Lady Wavell
Sarah-Jane Dias -
Sunita - Aalia's Friend
Samrat Chakrabarti -
Mohsin
Terence Harvey -
Sir Fred Burrows
Roberta Taylor -
Miss Reading
Taglines:
The end of an empire. The birth of two nations.
Goofs:
As the plane flying the new Viceroy to India is over the Caucasus Mountains, the view out of both windows is identical, with the sun coming from the same direction. The shadows should have been reversed in the window on the other side. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
This is a lovely film.
This is a quintessentially British film. Another piece in our seemingly
unending historic jigsaw puzzle. Trying to chronicle our imperial past,
without the constant need for self-flagellation.
The film is set in the Viceroy's House in 1947, during the partition of
India. This was obviously shortly after the end of the second world
war. When millions of Indians had stood with the British on the
battlefields of Europe, in our fight against the Germans. It was now
our turn to return the favour, and give India, back to the Indians. It
also didn't help that we didn't have the resources to hold on to India
anymore, and everyone involved knew it. This meant that the factions
within India were no longer scared to make demands.
This is a strong and important story, one, which is rarely told, or
taught here in the UK, and it really should be. We need to understand
our mistakes, so we're less likely to repeat them again in the future.
We also need to understand what we did right, and learn from those
decisions as well.
There are a number of good, solid performances here. Hugh Bonneville
plays Lord Mountbatten without fault. He comes across as charming, and
typical of the fighting aristocracy of the time. He cared about his
legacy. He cared about doing what was right. Most importantly, he cared
about India, her people, and its long-term future.
Michael Gambon plays General Ismay, an archetypal, political
pragmatist. He doesn't care about India. He isn't really interested in
her people. He only cares about Britain, and its future.
We also have an ongoing love story between Jeet Kumar, played by Manish
Dayal, who's a former policeman and a Hindu, and Aalia Noor, played by
Huma Qureshi, who works at the Viceroy's House and is a Muslim.
The love story is used to help the viewer understand the deeply
entrenched division between the religions at the time (although let's
be honest they haven't improved much since). The film doesn't really
mention the Indian cast system, but in real life that didn't help the
situation either. It also gives a story, set at the highest levels of
government, a more human feel.
A special mention needs to go to Gillian Anderson. Her performance as
Lady Mountbatten is wonderful. Many will be shocked that Anderson
actually has an English accent, but she has spent a large amount of her
life this side of the pond. However, her accent here was a real
surprise. The received pronunciation was perfect. It was as if she were
the Queens little sister. Her character adds heart, she adds a moral
core, to both Lord Mountbatten, and in my eyes, to the film in general.
I was impressed to say the least how beautifully she slipped into the
role.
I would also like to mention the fact that Gillian Anderson appears to
be getting better looking with each passing year. It's as though she
stole Dorian Gray's picture, and had it repainted with her own
portrait. If she carries on this way, by the time she's 80 her beauty
will be so unbelievable, it may very well start a new religion.
Not only is she becoming more beautiful, but her acting ability seems
to improving with everything performance. It's getting to the point
where I will watch anything she's in, just to see her. I'm just hoping
someone gives her the roles she deserves to show that she can be this
generations Meryl Streep, or Katherine Hepburn. I genuinely think she
is capable of hitting those heights.
All in all, this is a well-cast, well-acted, well-written film with
beautiful production values. Visually it's stunning. The buildings
used, the props, the costumes, everything looks wonderful. There are
some cleaver uses of photo-video cuts. It also uses historical footage
nicely.
This has to be Gurinder Chadha's biggest film since Bend it like
Beckham, and if this is the level that she's working at now, then I'm
really looking forward to her next project.
If you're a fan of historical drama, or just good old fashioned
colonial history, then give this film a chance. It may open your eyes
to some history to weren't taught at school, and you'll also be able to
enjoy a rather charming film.
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