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{{About|Peter Brook's 1989 film|the Indian epic|Mahabharata}} | {{About|Peter Brook's 1989 film|the Indian epic|Mahabharata}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} | |||
{{Infobox film | {{Infobox film | ||
| name = The Mahabharata | | name = The Mahabharata | ||
| image = TheMahabarata1989.jpg | | image = TheMahabarata1989.jpg | ||
| caption = DVD cover | | caption = DVD cover | ||
| director = [[Peter Brook]] | | director = [[Peter Brook]] | ||
| producer = | | producer = | ||
| writer = Peter Brook<br />[[Jean-Claude Carrière]]<br />[[Marie-Hélène Estienne]] | | writer = Peter Brook<br />[[Jean-Claude Carrière]]<br />[[Marie-Hélène Estienne]] | ||
| narrator = <!-- Non-breaking spaces in starring field intentional. Please, do not remove. --> | | narrator = <!-- Non-breaking spaces in starring field intentional. Please, do not remove. --> | ||
| starring = Robert Langton-Lloyd<br />Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan <br />[[Bruce Myers (actor)|Bruce Myers]]<br />[[Vittorio Mezzogiorno]]<br />[[Andrzej Seweryn]]<br />[[Georges Corraface]] | | starring = Robert Langton-Lloyd<br />Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan <br />[[Bruce Myers (actor)|Bruce Myers]]<br />[[Vittorio Mezzogiorno]]<br />[[Andrzej Seweryn]]<br />[[Georges Corraface]]<br/>[[ Mallika Sarabhai]] | ||
| music = [[Tsuchitori Toshiyuki]]<br />[[Rabindranath Tagore]] | | music = [[Tsuchitori Toshiyuki]]<br />[[Rabindranath Tagore]] | ||
| cinematography = [[William Lubtchansky]] | | cinematography = [[William Lubtchansky]] | ||
| editing = | | editing = | ||
| distributor = | | distributor = [[Virgin Vision]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mahabharata |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-mahabharata-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yote0mdu |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |language=en}}</ref><br>R.M. Associates<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mahabharata de Peter Brook (1989) - Unifrance |url=https://en.unifrance.org/movie/9160/the-mahabharata |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=en.unifrance.org}}</ref> (United Kingdom)<br>[[BAC Films]] (France)<br>[[MK2 Films|MK2 Productions]] (United States)<br>Festival Video<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 March 1992 |title=MAHABHARATA, THE |url=https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/mahabharata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318110518/https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/mahabharata |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 March 2025 |access-date=March 13, 2025 |website=[[Australian Classification Board]]}}</ref> (Australia) | ||
| released = 1989 | | released = {{Film date|1989}} | ||
| runtime = | | runtime = 171 minutes (theatrical release)<br>330 minutes (miniseries) | ||
| country = | | country = United Kingdom<br>Japan<br>Denmark<br>France<br>Belgium<br>United States<br>Australia<br>Ireland<br>Iceland<br>Sweden<br>Portugal<br>Norway<br>Netherlands<br>Finland | ||
| language = English | | language = English | ||
| budget = $5 million | | budget = $5 million | ||
}} | }} | ||
== | '''''The Mahabharata''''' is a 1989 film adaptation of the [[Indian epic poetry|Hindu epic]] ''[[Mahabharata]]'', directed by [[Peter Brook]]. Brook's [[The Mahabharata (1985 stage play)|original 1985 stage play]] was nine hours in length and toured worldwide for four years. In 1989, and abridged adaptation, just short of six hours, was made as a [[television]] [[miniseries]]. This was in return edited into a nearly three-hour cut for theatrical release. The screenplay was the result of eight years' work by Brook, [[Jean-Claude Carrière]] and [[Marie-Hélène Estienne]]. | ||
It was restored in [[8K resolution]] in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|first=Naman|last=Ramachandran|title=‘Mahabharata’ 8K Restoration Brings Peter Brook’s Epic Back to Venice|url=https://variety.com/2024/artisans/festivals/mahabharata-8k-restoration-peter-brook-venice-1236129755/|date=4 September 2024|website=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Restored version of Peter Brook’s ‘The Mahabharata’ to premiere at London Indian Film Festival|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/restored-version-of-peter-brooks-the-mahabharata-to-premiere-at-london-indian-film-festival-2025/cid/2110315|date=28 June 2025|website=The Telegraph}}</ref> | |||
==Synopsis== | |||
{{Main|Mahabharata}} | {{Main|Mahabharata}} | ||
In general terms, the story involves epic incidents between two warring families, the [[Pandavas]] (representing | In general terms, the story involves epic incidents between two warring families, the [[Pandavas]] (representing good) and the [[Kauravas]] (representing evil). Each side, being the offspring of kings and gods, struggles for dominion. They have both been advised by the god [[Krishna]] to live in harmony and abstain from the bloody lust for power. Their fights come to threaten the very order of the Universe. The plot [[framing device|is framed]] by a dialogue between the [[Brahmin]] sage [[Vyasa]] and the Hindu deity [[Ganesha]], and directed towards an unnamed Indian boy who comes to inquire as to the story of the human race. | ||
==Cast== | ==Cast== | ||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
*[[Robert Langdon Lloyd]] as [[Vyasa]] | *[[Robert Langdon Lloyd]] as [[Vyasa]] | ||
*{{ill|Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan|fr|}} as Boy | *{{ill|Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan|fr|}} as Boy | ||
*[[Bruce Myers (actor)|Bruce Myers]] as [[Ganesha]]/[[Krishna]] | *[[Bruce Myers (actor)|Bruce Myers]] as [[Ganesha]]/[[Krishna]] | ||
*[[Vittorio Mezzogiorno]] as [[Arjuna]] | |||
*[[Andrzej Seweryn]] as [[Yudhishthira]] | *[[Andrzej Seweryn]] as [[Yudhishthira]] | ||
*[[Mamadou Dioumé]] as [[Bhima]] | *[[Mamadou Dioumé]] as [[Bhima]] | ||
*[[Georges Corraface]] as [[Duryodhana]] | *[[Georges Corraface]] as [[Duryodhana]] | ||
*[[Jean-Paul Denizon]] as [[Nakula]] | *[[Jean-Paul Denizon]] as [[Nakula]] | ||
*{{ill|Mahmoud Tabrizi-Zadeh|fr|}} as [[Sahadeva]] | *{{ill|Mahmoud Tabrizi-Zadeh|fr|}} as [[Sahadeva]] | ||
*[[Mallika Sarabhai]] as [[Draupadi]] | *[[Mallika Sarabhai]] as [[Draupadi]] | ||
*[[Miriam Goldschmidt]] as [[Kunti]] | *[[Miriam Goldschmidt]] as [[Kunti]] | ||
*{{ill|Ryszard Cieślak|lt=Ryszard | *{{ill|Ryszard Cieślak|lt=Ryszard Cieślak|fr|3=Ryszard Cieslak}} as [[Dhritarashtra]] | ||
*[[Hélène Patarot]] as [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] | *[[Hélène Patarot]] as [[Gandhari (character)|Gandhari]] | ||
*[[Myriam Tadesse]] as Gandhari's servant | *[[Myriam Tadesse]] as Gandhari's servant | ||
*[[Urs Bihler]] as [[Dushasana]] | *[[Urs Bihler]] as [[Dushasana]] | ||
*[[Lou Elias Bihler]] as Young [[Karna]] | *[[Lou Elias Bihler]] as Young [[Karna]] | ||
*[[Jeffrey Kissoon]] as [[Karna]] | |||
*[[Maurice Bénichou]] as [[Kitchaka]] | *[[Maurice Bénichou]] as [[Kitchaka]] | ||
*{{ill|Yoshi Oida|fr|}} as [[Drona]] | *{{ill|Yoshi Oida|fr|}} as [[Drona]] | ||
*[[Sotigui Kouyaté]] as [[Parashurama]] / [[Bhishma]] | *[[Sotigui Kouyaté]] as [[Parashurama]] / [[Bhishma]] | ||
*[[Tuncel Kurtiz]] as [[Shakuni]] | *[[Tuncel Kurtiz]] as [[Shakuni]] | ||
*[[Ciarán Hinds]] as [[Ashwatthama]] | *[[Ciarán Hinds]] as [[Ashwatthama|Ashwatthaman]] | ||
*[[Erika Alexander]] as [[Madri]] / [[Hidimbi]] | *[[Erika Alexander]] as [[Madri]] / [[Hidimbi]] | ||
*{{ill|Bakary Sangaré|fr|}} as The Sun / [[Rakshasa]] / [[Ghatotkacha]] | *{{ill|Bakary Sangaré|fr|}} as [[Kindama]] / [[Surya|The Sun]] / [[Rakshasa]] / [[Ghatotkacha]] | ||
*[[Tapa Sudana]] as [[Pandu]]/[[Shiva]] | *[[Tapa Sudana]] as [[Pandu]]/[[Shiva]]/[[Shalya|Salya]] | ||
*[[Akram Khan (dancer)|Akram Khan]] as [[Ekalavya]] | *[[Akram Khan (dancer)|Akram Khan]] as [[Ekalavya]] | ||
*[[Nolan Hemmings]] as [[Abhimanyu]] | *[[Nolan Hemmings]] as [[Abhimanyu]] | ||
*[[Hapsari Hardjito]] as Utari (Abhimanyu's wife) | *[[Hapsari Hardjito]] as [[Uttarā (Mahabharata)|Utari (Abhimanyu's wife)]] | ||
*[[Mas Soegeng]] as [[Virata]] | *[[Mas Soegeng]] as [[Virata]] | ||
*[[Yumi Nara]] as Virata's wife | *[[Yumi Nara]] as [[Sudeshna|Virata's wife]] | ||
*[[Amba Bihler]] as Virata's daughter | *[[Amba Bihler]] as Virata's daughter | ||
*[[Tamsir Niane]] as [[Urvasi]] | *[[Tamsir Niane]] as [[Urvasi]] | ||
*[[Lutfi Jakfar]] as [[ | *[[Lutfi Jakfar]] as [[Uttara (Mahabharata)|Uttara]] | ||
*[[Gisèle Hogard]] as 1st princess | *[[Gisèle Hogard]] as [[Ambika (Mahabharata)|1st princess]] | ||
*[[Julie Romanus]] as 2nd princess | *[[Julie Romanus]] as [[Ambalika|2nd princess]] | ||
*{{ill|Abbi Patrix|fr|}} as Salvi | *{{ill|Abbi Patrix|fr|}} as [[Salwa kingdom#Salwa king contemporary to Bhishma|Salvi]] | ||
*[[Ken Higelin]] as Deathless boy | *[[Ken Higelin]] as [[Markandeya|Deathless boy]] | ||
*{{ill|Corinne Jaber|fr|}} as [[Amba (Mahabharata)|Amba]] / [[Sikhandin]] | *{{ill|Corinne Jaber|fr|}} as [[Amba (Mahabharata)|Amba]] / [[Sikhandin]] | ||
*[[Joseph Kurian]] as [[Dhristadyumna]] | *[[Joseph Kurian]] as [[Dhristadyumna]] | ||
*[[Clément Masdongar]] as Gazelle | *[[Clément Masdongar]] as [[Pandu#Kindama's curse|Gazelle]] | ||
*[[Leela Mayor]] as [[Satyavati]] | *[[Leela Mayor]] as [[Satyavati]] | ||
*[[Velu | *[[Paris Viswanathan|Velu Viswanathan]] as [[Parashara|The hermit]] | ||
{{div col end}} | {{div col end}} | ||
==Production== | ==Production== | ||
The French and eventual English version of the ''Mahabharata'' took several years for Brook and Carrière to write and bring to the stage. Three years before the film version was made, Peter Brook staged their adaptation in [[French language|French]] at a quarry in [[Avignon, France]]. This and the eventual filmed version were the first time that the entire (albeit abridged) story of the ''Mahabharata'' was brought to the stage and made into a feature film.<ref name="race">{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/magazine/881133/mahabharata-doesnt-belong-to-one-country-or-race-peter-brooks-nine-hour-play-is-proof-of-that|title='Mahabharata' doesn't belong to one country or race – Peter Brook's nine-hour play is proof of that | The French and eventual English version of the ''Mahabharata'' took several years for Brook and Carrière to write and bring to the stage. Three years before the film version was made, Peter Brook staged their adaptation in [[French language|French]] at a quarry in [[Avignon, France]]. This and the eventual filmed version were the first time that the entire (albeit abridged) story of the ''Mahabharata'' was brought to the stage and made into a feature film.<ref name="race">{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/magazine/881133/mahabharata-doesnt-belong-to-one-country-or-race-peter-brooks-nine-hour-play-is-proof-of-that|title='Mahabharata' doesn't belong to one country or race – Peter Brook's nine-hour play is proof of that | ||
|website=scroll.in|access-date=21 October 2019 |first=Sanjukta |last=Sharma |date=14 June 2018}}</ref> In his book ''In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook 1982-1985'', Carrière speaks about the difficulty of adapting the [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] into the European languages, particularly in regards to choosing the right words for certain terms. An example of this is [[Ātman (Hinduism)|atman]], which is translated in the adaptation as ''depth of | |website=scroll.in|access-date=21 October 2019 |first=Sanjukta |last=Sharma |date=14 June 2018}}</ref> In his book ''In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook 1982-1985'', Carrière speaks about the difficulty of adapting the [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] into the European languages, particularly in regards to choosing the right words for certain terms. An example of this is [[Ātman (Hinduism)|atman]], which is translated in the adaptation as ''depth of one's being''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Carriére |first=Jean-Claude|date=2001|title=In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook|location=New Delhi|publisher=Laxmi Publications|isbn=0333937201}} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
| Line 85: | Line 85: | ||
}} | }} | ||
Using an [[epic theatre|elaborate-yet-minimal]] set and multi-racial cast from 16 different countries for the film, Brook's ''Mahabharata'' stood in contrast with the | Using an [[epic theatre|elaborate-yet-minimal]] set and multi-racial cast from 16 different countries for the film, Brook's ''Mahabharata'' stood in contrast with the "opulently religious melodrama" of the 94-episode [[Mahabharat (1988 TV series)|BR Chopra version of the ''Mahabharata'']] which aired a year before the Brook-Carrière adaptation appeared on TV. Along with one Indian actress, other actors of Caucasian, African, Asian ancestry filled the cast of Brook's version, including [[Vittorio Mezzogiorno]] as [[Arjuna]], [[Sotigui Kouyaté]] as [[Bhishma]], and Tapa Sudana as both [[Pandu]] and [[Lord Shiva]].<ref name="race"/> | ||
While working on the adaptation, [[Marie-Hélène Estienne]] travelled across Nepal and India, journeying from [[Manipur]] to [[Kanchipuram]], in order to learn of the many different forms of the ancient epic from | While working on the adaptation, [[Marie-Hélène Estienne]] travelled across Nepal and India, journeying from [[Manipur]] to [[Kanchipuram]], in order to learn of the many different forms of the ancient epic from "Brahmins and writers and dancers and theatre people" across the subcontinent. Music composer Tsuchitori Toshiyuki remained in India for months on request from Brook to make sure the play would "not use the music which everybody knows". Musicians from [[Iran]], [[Turkey]], and [[Denmark]] joined the production in order to score musical elements discovered by Tsuchitori, who was particularly influenced by [[Rabindra Sangeet]].<ref name="notes">{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/803515/the-mahabharata-does-not-leave-you-notes-from-peter-brooks-third-play-about-the-epic|title='The Mahabharata does not leave you': Notes from Peter Brook's third play about the epic|website=scroll.in|access-date=21 October 2019 |first=Saumya |last=Ancheri |date=15 February 2016}}</ref> | ||
==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
The film version of the ''Mahabharata'' received a 20-minute standing ovation at the [[Venice Film Festival|1989 Venice Film Festival]] and received an [[Emmy Award]] after the film was aired on TV.<ref name="notes"/> The production's use of an international cast caused heated intercultural debate.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}} On the topic of the multi-racial cast, Mumbai-based writer and critic Sanjukta Sharma writes: | The film version of the ''Mahabharata'' received a 20-minute standing ovation at the [[Venice Film Festival|1989 Venice Film Festival]] and received an [[Emmy Award]] after the film was aired on TV.<ref name="notes"/> The production's use of an international cast caused heated intercultural debate.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}} On the topic of the multi-racial cast, Mumbai-based writer and critic Sanjukta Sharma writes: "The epic becomes intelligible and universal – and tells us why something as captivatingly human as the ''Mahabharata'' should not belong just to one nation or race."<ref name="race"/> | ||
==Awards== | ==Awards== | ||
In 1990, the film won the award for [[List of International Emmy Award winners#Performing Arts|Performing Arts]] of the [[International Emmy Awards]] and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the [[São Paulo International Film Festival]]. | In 1990, the film won the award for [[List of International Emmy Award winners#Performing Arts|Performing Arts]] of the [[International Emmy Awards]] and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the [[São Paulo International Film Festival]].{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 100: | Line 100: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*{{IMDb title|id=0097810|title=The Mahabharata}} | *{{IMDb title|id=0097810|title=The Mahabharata}} | ||
*[http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/home/gfloren/mahabfilm.htm The Mahabharata at miracosta.cc.ca.us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901091515/http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/home/gfloren/mahabfilm.htm |date=1 September 2015 }} | |||
*[http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/home/gfloren/mahabfilm.htm The Mahabharata at miracosta.cc.ca.us] | |||
*[http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum210/coursepack/mahabharata.htm Mahabharata film notes at web.cocc.edu] | *[http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum210/coursepack/mahabharata.htm Mahabharata film notes at web.cocc.edu] | ||
*[ | *[https://caravanmagazine.in/reviews-and-essays/mahabharata-our-times Review of Brook's Mahabharata in Caravan Magazine] | ||
* {{Discogs master|179875}} | * {{Discogs master|179875}} | ||
{{Peter Brook}} | {{Peter Brook}} | ||
{{Jean-Claude Carrière}} | |||
{{Works based on the Mahabharata |state=collapsed}} | {{Works based on the Mahabharata |state=collapsed}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahabharata | {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahabharata (1989 film), The}} | ||
[[Category:1989 films]] | [[Category:1989 films]] | ||
[[Category:Indian historical drama films]] | [[Category:Indian historical drama films]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Indian religious epic films]] | ||
[[Category:Films based on the Mahabharata]] | [[Category:Films based on the Mahabharata]] | ||
[[Category:Hindu mythological films]] | [[Category:Hindu mythological films]] | ||
| Line 121: | Line 120: | ||
[[Category:Historical epic films]] | [[Category:Historical epic films]] | ||
[[Category:1980s historical drama films]] | [[Category:1980s historical drama films]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:1989 English-language films]] | ||
[[Category:Films based on works by Jean-Claude Carrière]] | |||
[[Category:English-language historical drama films]] | |||
Latest revision as of 02:20, 20 February 2026
| The Mahabharata | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Peter Brook |
| Written by | Peter Brook Jean-Claude Carrière Marie-Hélène Estienne |
| Starring | Robert Langton-Lloyd Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan Bruce Myers Vittorio Mezzogiorno Andrzej Seweryn Georges Corraface Mallika Sarabhai |
| Music by | Tsuchitori Toshiyuki Rabindranath Tagore |
| Cinematography | William Lubtchansky |
| Distributed by | Virgin Vision[1] R.M. Associates[2] (United Kingdom) BAC Films (France) MK2 Productions (United States) Festival Video[3] (Australia) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 171 minutes (theatrical release) 330 minutes (miniseries) |
| Country | United Kingdom Japan Denmark France Belgium United States Australia Ireland Iceland Sweden Portugal Norway Netherlands Finland |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
The Mahabharata is a 1989 film adaptation of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, directed by Peter Brook. Brook's original 1985 stage play was nine hours in length and toured worldwide for four years. In 1989, and abridged adaptation, just short of six hours, was made as a television miniseries. This was in return edited into a nearly three-hour cut for theatrical release. The screenplay was the result of eight years' work by Brook, Jean-Claude Carrière and Marie-Hélène Estienne. It was restored in 8K resolution in 2024.[4][5]
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
In general terms, the story involves epic incidents between two warring families, the Pandavas (representing good) and the Kauravas (representing evil). Each side, being the offspring of kings and gods, struggles for dominion. They have both been advised by the god Krishna to live in harmony and abstain from the bloody lust for power. Their fights come to threaten the very order of the Universe. The plot is framed by a dialogue between the Brahmin sage Vyasa and the Hindu deity Ganesha, and directed towards an unnamed Indian boy who comes to inquire as to the story of the human race.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Robert Langdon Lloyd as Vyasa
- Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan as Boy
- Bruce Myers as Ganesha/Krishna
- Vittorio Mezzogiorno as Arjuna
- Andrzej Seweryn as Yudhishthira
- Mamadou Dioumé as Bhima
- Georges Corraface as Duryodhana
- Jean-Paul Denizon as Nakula
- Mahmoud Tabrizi-Zadeh as Sahadeva
- Mallika Sarabhai as Draupadi
- Miriam Goldschmidt as Kunti
- Ryszard Cieślak as Dhritarashtra
- Hélène Patarot as Gandhari
- Myriam Tadesse as Gandhari's servant
- Urs Bihler as Dushasana
- Lou Elias Bihler as Young Karna
- Jeffrey Kissoon as Karna
- Maurice Bénichou as Kitchaka
- Yoshi Oida as Drona
- Sotigui Kouyaté as Parashurama / Bhishma
- Tuncel Kurtiz as Shakuni
- Ciarán Hinds as Ashwatthaman
- Erika Alexander as Madri / Hidimbi
- Bakary Sangaré as Kindama / The Sun / Rakshasa / Ghatotkacha
- Tapa Sudana as Pandu/Shiva/Salya
- Akram Khan as Ekalavya
- Nolan Hemmings as Abhimanyu
- Hapsari Hardjito as Utari (Abhimanyu's wife)
- Mas Soegeng as Virata
- Yumi Nara as Virata's wife
- Amba Bihler as Virata's daughter
- Tamsir Niane as Urvasi
- Lutfi Jakfar as Uttara
- Gisèle Hogard as 1st princess
- Julie Romanus as 2nd princess
- Abbi Patrix as Salvi
- Ken Higelin as Deathless boy
- Corinne Jaber as Amba / Sikhandin
- Joseph Kurian as Dhristadyumna
- Clément Masdongar as Gazelle
- Leela Mayor as Satyavati
- Velu Viswanathan as The hermit
Production[edit | edit source]
The French and eventual English version of the Mahabharata took several years for Brook and Carrière to write and bring to the stage. Three years before the film version was made, Peter Brook staged their adaptation in French at a quarry in Avignon, France. This and the eventual filmed version were the first time that the entire (albeit abridged) story of the Mahabharata was brought to the stage and made into a feature film.[6] In his book In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook 1982-1985, Carrière speaks about the difficulty of adapting the Sanskrit into the European languages, particularly in regards to choosing the right words for certain terms. An example of this is atman, which is translated in the adaptation as depth of one's being.[7]
"It’s quite impossible to ‘forget’ the Mahabharata. The poem says it itself: ‘Everything which is in the Mahabharata is elsewhere; which is not in the Mahabharata is nowhere.'"
Jean-Claude Carrière, co-writer
Using an elaborate-yet-minimal set and multi-racial cast from 16 different countries for the film, Brook's Mahabharata stood in contrast with the "opulently religious melodrama" of the 94-episode BR Chopra version of the Mahabharata which aired a year before the Brook-Carrière adaptation appeared on TV. Along with one Indian actress, other actors of Caucasian, African, Asian ancestry filled the cast of Brook's version, including Vittorio Mezzogiorno as Arjuna, Sotigui Kouyaté as Bhishma, and Tapa Sudana as both Pandu and Lord Shiva.[6]
While working on the adaptation, Marie-Hélène Estienne travelled across Nepal and India, journeying from Manipur to Kanchipuram, in order to learn of the many different forms of the ancient epic from "Brahmins and writers and dancers and theatre people" across the subcontinent. Music composer Tsuchitori Toshiyuki remained in India for months on request from Brook to make sure the play would "not use the music which everybody knows". Musicians from Iran, Turkey, and Denmark joined the production in order to score musical elements discovered by Tsuchitori, who was particularly influenced by Rabindra Sangeet.[8]
Reception[edit | edit source]
The film version of the Mahabharata received a 20-minute standing ovation at the 1989 Venice Film Festival and received an Emmy Award after the film was aired on TV.[8] The production's use of an international cast caused heated intercultural debate.[citation needed] On the topic of the multi-racial cast, Mumbai-based writer and critic Sanjukta Sharma writes: "The epic becomes intelligible and universal – and tells us why something as captivatingly human as the Mahabharata should not belong just to one nation or race."[6]
Awards[edit | edit source]
In 1990, the film won the award for Performing Arts of the International Emmy Awards and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the São Paulo International Film Festival.[citation needed]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "The Mahabharata". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ↑ "The Mahabharata de Peter Brook (1989) - Unifrance". en.unifrance.org. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ↑ "MAHABHARATA, THE". Australian Classification Board. 23 March 1992. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (4 September 2024). "'Mahabharata' 8K Restoration Brings Peter Brook's Epic Back to Venice". Variety.
- ↑ "Restored version of Peter Brook's 'The Mahabharata' to premiere at London Indian Film Festival". The Telegraph. 28 June 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Sharma, Sanjukta (14 June 2018). "'Mahabharata' doesn't belong to one country or race – Peter Brook's nine-hour play is proof of that". scroll.in. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ↑ Carriére, Jean-Claude (2001). In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook. New Delhi: Laxmi Publications. ISBN 0333937201.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ancheri, Saumya (15 February 2016). "'The Mahabharata does not leave you': Notes from Peter Brook's third play about the epic". scroll.in. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
External links[edit | edit source]
- The Mahabharata on IMDb
- The Mahabharata at miracosta.cc.ca.us Archived 1 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Mahabharata film notes at web.cocc.edu
- Review of Brook's Mahabharata in Caravan Magazine
- Template:Discogs master
Template:Peter Brook Template:Jean-Claude Carrière
