A Passage to India

A Passage to India - 1994 | 163mins | Drama | Colour

The Production Team

Director: David Lean.
Producer: John Bradbourne and Richard Goodwin.
Associate Producer: John Heyman and Edward Sands .
Script: David Lean. (based on the novel by E.M. Forster and the play by Santha Rama Rau)
Cinematography: Ernest Day.
Editing: David Lean.
Associate Editor: Eunice Mountjoy.
Production Designer: John Box.
Art Direction: Clifford Robinson, Leslie Tomkins, Herbert Westbrook, Ram Yedekar and Hugh Scaife.
Costume Design: Judy Moorcroft.
Make-Up Dept: Eric Allwright, Elaine Bowerbank, Jill Carpenter and Vera Mitchell.
Sound: John Mitchell.
Sound Editor: Winston Ryder.
Music Editor: Robin Clarke.
Music Score: Maurice Jarre. (theme "Freely Maisie" by John Dalby).

The Cast

Judy Davis - Adela Quested
Victor Banerjee - Doctor Aziz
Peggy Ashcroft - Mrs. Moore
James Fox - Richard Fielding
Alec Guinness - Professor Godbole
Nigel Havers - Ronny Heaslop
Richard Wilson - Turton
Michael Culver - McBryde
Art Malik - Mahmoud Ali
Saeed Jaffrey - Hamidullah

Plot Synopsis

Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, A Passage to India was director David Lean's final film. The film is set in colonial India in 1924. Adela Quested (Judy Davis), a young and headstrong British woman arrives in India accompanied by Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft), the mother of her fiancé. Here she meets and becomes friendly with Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee), feeling relaxed with Adela, Aziz invites her to accompany him on a visit to the mystical Marabar caves. Adela emerges from the caves showing signs of injury and accuses Aziz of raping her. The British authorities urge Adela to go to court, practically convicting Aziz before the trial even commences. Though he is eventually acquitted due to lack of evidence, Aziz is ruined in the eyes of both the British and his own people. Peggy Ashcroft won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Mrs. Moore. Maurice Jarre received an Oscar for his music score.