This week we are reviewing the 1982 biographical epic Gandhi — directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, written by John Briley, and featuring one of the greatest performances ever committed to film by Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi.
The film covers Gandhi's extraordinary life from a defining moment in 1893 — being thrown off a train in the Colony of Natal for sitting in a whites-only compartment — right through to his assassination and funeral in 1948. It is the story of one man's mission to lead India to independence from the British Empire through non-violent resistance, and it is absolutely towering cinema.
We kick things off with a bit of Frank Sinatra and Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If' before we get into it.
The Aussie comes out swinging from the start — he is in the best form he has ever been on the podcast and absolutely rips into the Scotsman for a boring story. It is the funniest takedown we have had in a while and a sign of things to come.
The Scotsman's mission this week was to get the Aussie to see Sir Ben Kingsley in the most extreme contrast imaginable — from the terrifying, unhinged Don Logan in Sexy Beast to the gentle, transcendent Gandhi. It is about as far apart as two performances can be.
He could make that leap. And then some.
The Aussie not only loved Gandhi — he dominated the entire episode. Thoughtful, articulate, full of insight and understanding — he gave the Scotsman a well-earned break from doing all the heavy lifting.
The Aussie has been driving his wife mad quoting Gandhi all week, claims he has been "so chilled out" since watching it, and even watched it on a bigger screen. That is the Gandhi effect.
The Scotsman gets pressed on the big question — does he love or hate the English? It is a fair question given the subject matter and one he cannot dodge.
Scores are high across the board. This is a long one and every minute of it is worth your time.
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