Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6165 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-05-30
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 312 minutes

Synopsis
Based on the legend central to Indian culture, this tells the story of the feud between two groups of cousins which escalated and resulted in a devastating global war.

Customer Reviews

Un pur chef d'oeuvre
Il est incontestable que cette version du Mahabharata diffère de la repésentation traditionnelle de cette épopée indienne.
Pourtant, son essence y demeure.
La sobriété du décor et des costumes rehausse la beauté du texte, et les acteurs, si variés, sont formidables chacun dans leur rôle.
Il y a une grande poésie dans la mise en scène, très théâtrale d'ailleurs.
Ce film est une véritable splendeur qui rend hommage à ce joyau et coeur de la culture,indienne certes, mais mondiale surtout.

This is anything BUT The Mahabharat
Having studied several versions of this great litterature, this presentation by Peter Brook had my lips curl in disgust. He misses totally the whole point of the epic and fails miserably to present the true character and greatness of the main personalities (like the majestic general and warrior Bhisma, the fearless yet humble Arjuna, the righteous and benevolent King Yudhisthira, etc). For the true connoisseurs of The Mahabharat, this movie is an intellectual, artistic and cultural affront.

I later watched the version by B.R.Chopra (presented as a set) and would strongly recommend that version instead for a true and pleasurable experience of The Mahabharat (but with a few oddities one may expect from Indian producers).

Brooks' Mahabharata
Like a fine dish prepared one way and the same dish prepared another, the Chopra and Brooks Mahabharatas compliment rather than compete. As another reviewer pointed out, this version is a play, and it should be viewed as a play. I love this Brooks Mahabharata because it is intimate, mystical and universal, while the Chopra is grand, concrete and very Indian. These are different perspectives, both valid, both worth experiencing.

Because it's a play, Brooks' Mahabharata is a quiet film. Even the battle scenes are tightly focused on the heroes, Arguna, Karna and Bhima -- all, of course, under the spell of Krishna. Brooks' Mahabharata, in contrast to Chopra's, is more even-handed amongst the feuding families, endowing the Kouravas with a measure of integrity and the Panduvas with a measure of guile: the grand moral issues are not black and white.

I strongly suggest you see this one first. I deduct one star because when I saw the series on TV, Peter Brook himself introduced each episode. His insights were most helpful, and it's a shame they are missing on the DVD.