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Fresh and Exciting

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I first saw this shortly after its TV release in 1984, but didn't ever get back to it again till this year; you can get it on DVD of decent quality and it's definitely worth the price. I really recommend it. The 1000-page epic novel by M.M.Kaye, set during the height of the British Raj (late 1800's India), is given lavish treatment though with some appropriate condensations to make it fit into the 5-hour run time. It was one of several big-budget historical miniseries with international casts produced at the time (e.g. Shogun, or The Jewel in the Crown). Stories like this never go out of style. In terms of plot, The Far Pavilions is like a really high-level Harlequin romance -- forbidden love, heroes and villains, plot twists and coincidences, military adventure, intrigue and betrayal, daring rescues, lives lost and saved, and finally victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. What would an epic fantasy romance be without all of those? But at its most basic it's the Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Gets Girl story (when in doubt, go with the classics!). Full credit to the production for using settings spotted throughout western India, which by themselves make this worth seeing: gorgeous palaces, ancient ruins, towns, citadels, massive processions and crowd scenes that are impressive and authentic - no special effects nonsense here.So, the story is that English soldier Ash (the ruggedly handsome Ben Cross) and half-blood Indian princess Anjuli (Amy Irving, who is stunningly beautiful here) knew each other as young children in the northwest India palace of Gulkote, but tragic circumstances (what else?) carried them apart. While Ash grows up in England and trains for the military, Anjuli endures a rather sad and lonely upbringing as an unwanted 'half-caste' in her own home. Many years later fate brings them together again and they fall deeply in love, but (of course) must surmount apparently impossible obstacles having much to do with the Western/Indian cultural divide. Ben Cross is fine if unexceptional, playing Ash as a slightly hot-headed idealist. He gets most of the screen time and the military sections in which he features are all well done. But the true center of this epic is the love story, and that's controlled by Irving's character. She quietly dominates every scene she is in, giving Anjuli deep wells of emotion but also a kind of unshakable spiritual nobility that would do credit to an angel. In fact, she's too loyal and self-sacrificing for her own good, particularly in relation to her jealous half-sister Shushila (Sneh Gupta).The middle section 'Journey to Bhithor', where the major characters and plot lines are drawn together, is excellent. But the final section of the story is the one that really sticks in the mind -- particularly the masterful staging of the suttee ritual, in which Ash must rescue Anjuli from being burned alive (or as it turns out, something even worse). The dramatic tension slowly ratchets up to excruciating levels as we see it played out from beginning to end (and I don't know of any other TV or movie production in which this horrific ceremony is shown so completely).If this were filmed today we'd rightfully expect that all the many non-English roles would actually be filled by Indian actors. That wasn't so much the custom 30+ years ago for Western productions, so here we see name-value Westerners fill some of the prominent Indian parts (Omar Sharif, Christopher Lee, Rossano Brazzi, as well as Irving). Nevertheless, they all do pretty well with their roles.The Far Pavilions has characters you want to root for who will ultimately win through to a happy ending -- just what we want out of an epic romance.

The Far pavilions is based on M.M.Kaye's book 'The far pavilions'. It is a good but not completely faithful adaptation of a 1200 page novel condensed into a 5-hour miniseries, on a two-disk set.It is a visual feast depicting the British period in India, in the 19th century. The central character Ashton/Ash Pelham-Martyn spends first 11 years of his life in India, as an Indian (Ashok), after his birth parents who are British, are dead. Upon his return to India (from England), as a member of the British Army, Ash meets again the love of his life- Princess Anjuli- who was his childhood friend. She is about to be married to an old man who is a ruler of a princely state (Bhithor) in India. Anjuli is doing this only to help her younger sister, while sacrificing her own love. Anjuli, a Rajput woman with one-fourth Russian blood in her, would keep her word even though it means sacrificing her love for Ash/Ashok. While narrating their struggle against a society that strongly believed in caste and race, the movie paints a picture of the British and the Indians in that period of history quite well. The art direction, background music, and cinematography are excellent, showing the richness of the land. Many scenes were filmed in Rajasthan, a western state, that is rich in history of its people. The snow capped peaks of the Himalyas are lovely.Ben Cross does a superb job of expressing the inner struggle of Ash (Ashok/Ashton) as "two persons in one body" and the passionate but disappointed lover of the princess Anjuli. Amy Irving succeeds in showing the quiet strength, pride and sadness of Anjuli. Many well known actors have added to the characters- Christopher Lee as Rao Saheb (the uncle of the two princesses), Omar Sheriff as Koda Dad- the horse expert, and others.Where the movie/miniseries comes up short is toward the end.SPOILERS AHEAD...........About three fourth of the miniseries stays faithful to the book. However, the last 300 pages have been condensed considerably, and the events are shown in a different order. The fight in Afghanistan and the death of Wally Hamilton (and others) takes place earlier in the movie.In the book Anjuli, after escape from Bhithor, goes through a period of recovery. She has been emaciated due to starvation and torture. There are few signs of this in her appearance when she escapes Bhithor with Ash and his companions. In the book Ash marries her on a boat, because no one would perform religious rights for them. Although married, it is too dangerous for them to openly live as a couple. They eventually decide to move to a valley in the Himalayas -their Far Pavilions. The miniseries ends after escape from Bhithor, when Ash and Anjuli are finally together for good. Some of the earlier scenes (the wedding, the Suttee ceremony) are long drawn out. They could have been shortened to include the rest of the story, in its original order (the Afghan war takes place after the escape from Bhithor in the book).I had a problem with making Koda Dad such a major character in the movie. In the book, although an important influence on young Ash, he was not on that trip to Bhithor. He had long retired. Including him took away from some of the other characters like Sarji and Ash's favorite horse Dagobaz. The first disk is much more entertaining and more faithful to the book than the second one.The end in the miniseries seems sudden, compared to the slowness of earlier parts, and has less impact than in the book, which takes the time to show the struggles and strengths of the two main characters.Other than that, this is a good adaptation of the book. It fits in the 'movie' format. I like the book better for its details, but the movie is a feast for the eyes. It created in me the desire to read more about this period in history. Definitely recommended.

Someday, a distributor will make the complete miniseries available for the consumer. Any release of about 300 minutes has about 2 or 3 episodes cut from the original. The opening scenes of the current releases showing flashes of Ash's youth are pieces of these episodes which have been dropped since they would be considered nothing more than superfluous exposition to most Western viewers. But in order to fully appreciate M.M Kaye's story, they are vital and should be restored. These lost episodes impress the viewer with the customs of India, the background of Ash and Anjuli, the treachery of Biju Ram, the love of Sita and the wisdom of Koda Dad. Without them you don't really fully appreciate why Ash and Juli are so close, why Ash is torn between two cultures, and his relationship with Gulkote. The exposure to life in an Indian royal court contained in the lost episodes adds so much to the experience. So until you see a release that has a running time of about 400-500 minutes, let the buyer beware -- you are not getting the complete original of the mini-series.

This miniseries came hot on the heels of 'The Jewel in the Crown', 'A Passage to India' and a fascination with all things Indian.Ash (played by Ben Cross, best known for 'Chariots of Fire') and Wally (played by Benedict Taylor, who had featured in children's TV series 'Barriers') were the main players in this drama. Ash had been brought up to think of himself as Indian rather than officer class, and so falls in love with the sultry Anjuli (played by Amy Irving, at that time I think Mrs Steven Spielberg).The other characters are stock faces from the glory days of the British Raj - while big name actors appear in the more adventurous parts (Christopher Lee, Omar Sharif, Rossano Brazzi). Look out for a young Rupert Everett (post-Another Country) in the cast as well.Bits of the The Far Pavillions will stay in your mind. The futility of war. The ceremony of suttee (the burning of a living widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The forbidden love across castes and classes.Recently revitalised as a big budget West End musical, The Far Pavillions is well worth your time. Brilliantly cast, scripted, and directed, it was a definite plus point of 1980s British TV.