The Mahabharata

1989

2h 51m

Drama

List

Reviews

86%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

This adaptation of the Indian epic poem and subsequent stage play tells the story of two warring clans. The Pandava brothers come into conflict with the Kauravas, as both tribes, descended from deities, feel they can lay claim to power. Yudhishthira (Andrzej Seweryn), the eldest of the Pandavas, is told by the god Krishna that his destiny is to be king. And his brother Arjuna (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) has a talent for battle. But is war inevitable? Krishna's actions are fraught with ambiguity.

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Rated: 4/5

Apr 15, 2008

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 4/5

Aug 16, 2005

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Mark R. Leeper

rec.arts.movies.reviews

One of the great stories of world literature--fifteen times the length of the BIBLE--comes to the screen in a supremely boiled-down CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED format.

Rated: 5/10

Sep 18, 2004

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TV Guide

Rated: 4/5

Sep 18, 2004

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Audience Member

My Indian friends consider this enacting of the Indian epic history of mankind's origin to be a little bit campy. But it serves well to illustrate some of the central stories of Indian mythos. If you're curious about the context in which the Bhagavad Gita emerged, who Krishna was in Indian lore, what role dharma plays in our lives, then this dramatization will give you a broad overview. This is a far better yarn than the Ramayana, expertly rendered for the stage by British director Peter Brook.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

I saw it and it made me supremely and reverently unhappy. Why were there no Indian people? I feel like in the making of a movie that takes place in India, the casting of people who look even remotely Indian should be paramount. Why is it also just the most unattractive, albeit diverse, group of people I've ever seen. Also, since you decided not to narrow down your casting options by staying true to the script, you could have at least found good actors

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

One of my favourite films of all-time. The casting was intriguing and gave the story even more depth. Definitely a film that brings together art and philosophy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

Relied on acting, rather than computer generation. Imagine that!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

beyond evaluation...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Audience Member

You'll be a different person when you get to the end of this!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Peter Brook

Director

Robert Langdon Lloyd

Vyasa

Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan

The Boy

Bruce Myers

Ganesha

Vittorio Mezzogiorno

Arjuna

Andrzej Seweryn

Yudhishthira

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Synopsis

This adaptation of the Indian epic poem and subsequent stage play tells the story of two warring clans. The Pandava brothers come into conflict with the Kauravas, as both tribes, descended from deities, feel they can lay claim to power. Yudhishthira (Andrzej Seweryn), the eldest of the Pandavas, is told by the god Krishna that his destiny is to be king. And his brother Arjuna (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) has a talent for battle. But is war inevitable? Krishna's actions are fraught with ambiguity.

Director: Peter Brook
Producer: Michel Propper
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Nov 25, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.5K
Runtime: 2h 51m