Ghandi - 1982

(FP Gal review: Good guy, too bad they shot him. This is why I write the reviews.)

This is a powerful movie about a man who believed in the goodness of mankind and the ability of one person to make a difference in the world. The movie opens with Ghandi's final moments and then flips back to his youth in South Africa. As a young man he learned of discrimination there and found ways to fight it. His method was novel, break the law peacefully and don't fight back. His cause was just and the obvious cruelty that he endured made him a cause celbre. Journalists told his story and the British government caved into his reasonable demands.
When he returned to India he was already a national hero. The Independence movement tried to adopt him as their own but they found him difficult to lead. He quickly adopted (returned to?) the methods of the more simple villages. His nonviolent protests quickly caught on and the nation loved him. The Brits responded with violence (the massacre at Amritsar being the worst). The movement towards an indendent India was finalized in 1947. At which point the country erupted in sectarian violence that Ghandi was instrumental in stopping. Truly powerful.
The lessons of Ghandi are tricky. He was undoubtably a successful figure. But...he had the right opponents for his methods. The British public were quickly ashamed at the thought of brutalizing the weak. They respected Ghandi and his followers. At a point late in the movie, Ghandi is being interviewed. He's asked if his methods would work against Hitler. He remarks that the price would be terrible. I believe the price would have been catastrophic.
The second crucial component that benefited Ghandi was the attention of a media free to investigate and report on what they saw. If the Brits had cut off the press, the nonviolent movment would have smothered. These are important considerations as pacifism is considered.
The movie is powerful. Ben Kingsley is outstanding. His work is all the more impressive when you consider the enormous make up job he must have gone through. The story is well told. This is a great movie.