Ghandi Movie

Essay by duckslovemeCollege, UndergraduateA+, March 2004

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The movie Gandhi begins with the assassination of Mohandas K. Gandhi on January 30, 1948. His assassination occurred because of the separation of Hindus and Muslims into India and Pakistan. The movie quickly moves back into Gandhi's earlier life where at this time during the story he is a practicing attorney. While traveling on a train in South Africa the conductor of the train wants him to move from his first class seat. The reason being he is an Indian. He refuses to give up his first class seat. This causes him to become upset and he decides to organize a burning of the discriminatory codes.

Gandhi is very spiritually oriented and taught non-violence resistance throughout his entire life during the movie which eventually leads to India's independence from British colonial rule. He believes that everyone is equal in God's eyes. During the film he becomes very involved with many religious movements.

Other Indians are very mad because British rule is continuously limiting their rights of freedom. Gandhi's supporters promise to fight the British to the death. He constantly discourages the violent behavior.

In a certain part of the movie Gandhi is in prison. While some of his supporters are gathered quietly in a little square, police lock up the square killing over 1,000 victims located within. This upsets Gandhi and he becomes dispirited. Even after the tribulation he continues to urge non-violence; however his fellow Indians are still fighting among the police.

He and his wife Kasturba live off of the land entirely. During one scene, they ask all of Gandhi's followers to burn all of their clothes that were made in Britain and wear only what they have made themselves. Gandhi religiously practices this for his entire life. He is usually seen wearing only a loincloth.

During a protest against the British rule all Indians stopped what work they were doing, causing many cities to cripple. During another scene, he led a 165 mile walk to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt. Gandhi led many influential protests.

The western press in where the reporters witnessed a scene in which Indians tried to get into a factory and were brutally beaten by soldiers. During the scene you see women pulling the injured and even dead away. Later a reporter for Time Magazine met Gandhi while he was in jail. The reporter took pictures of him, and basically informed the world of who he was.

Gandhi eventually travels into Europe to discuss India's freedom. They talk of many things. However, the actual let go comes many years down the road, in August of 1947. After the freeing of the Indian people there is a civil war between the Hindus and the Muslims. This causes them to be forcefully moved to different places being India and Pakistan. This sends Gandhi into another one of his fasts where he refuses to eat until he is certain all fighting has ended. His assassination takes place not too long after all of this has happened.

Overall I believe that Gandhi was an exceptional movie. It was very moving. I found myself actually getting emotional, and easily had my family watching it with me. I never knew where the saying "an eye for an eye" came from, but it was definitely from the inspiring Gandhi. Ben Kingsley's does a fantastic job while playing Gandhi. He portrays him as a very low-key spiritual man. This is exactly what he was. Gandhi really did change the world, and is a very historic man in my eyes, and millions of others. From costumes to acting I found this movie being superb in all categories. I can see why this movie won so many awards, because everything was portrayed exactly the way it was and so vividly well done. Gandhi was a great man who did many great things for the Indian people, and did a lot for many to be appreciative for. His determination to fight prejudice, and tyranny took him on a life-long journey that humbled the British Empire and established independence for his beloved fellow Indians. The movie in a little over 3 hours long and did take some time to watch, but was till very good.

I remember Gandhi's own words, spoken near the end of one of the hunger strikes, when asked why he persisted in a world that seemed unwilling or unable to live according to his precepts: "I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail. Think of it: always." The movie's strength emerges out of the man's message one which is certainly timely in these days of worldly violence. I only hope people will watch this movie and see how well Gandhi acted towards his people, family, and even enemies. There is so much violence in the world today and throughout the movie Gandhi was portrayed as a great role model.