Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3619 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-31
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

DVD Description
Earth, the second film in Deepa Mehta's controversial trilogy is an emotionally devastating love story set within the sweeping social upheaval and violence of 1947 India. As her country teeters on the brink of self rule and instability, 8-year old Lenny, an innocent girl from an affluent family, is in danger of having her world turned upside down. As the simmering violence around them reaches a boiling point, Lenny's beautiful nanny Shanta (Nandita Das) falls in love with one of Lenny's heroes, the charismatic and peace-advocating Hassan. Love, however, can be dangerous when religious differences are tearing the country apart, and friendships and loyalty are put to the test. Building to a shattering climax, Earth is a devastating human drama in which desire unfolds into a stirring tale of love and the ultimate betrayal.

Customer Reviews

A Must-Watch if ever there was
I have just watched EARTH and I am quite simply shattered. I had been trying to get hold of the film for quite a while and of course I was somewhat afraid it might not be up to my expectations - it has exceeded them by far. It just is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. But be warned - it is by no means a Bollywood film or what has come to be understood by the term. The action takes place in Lahore, august 1947, and shows the cruel aspects of the Partition - the old, old story of politics suddenly turning friends into deadly enemies: Hindus turn against Muslims, Muslims turn against Hindus and in the midst of it there is an eight-year-old girl who watches it all and understands nothing - but still she experiences extreme sadness and suffering that will change her life forever. One of the most heartrending scenes is the one where she re-enacts one of the cruel scenes she has witnessed. Don't get me wrong - the atrocities are hinted at rather than explicitly shown; they are mostly in the head (they always are the worst kind, of course, because you can't shake them off - especially as you know they really did happen - and are still happening). The action centres around the girl and her nanny and her group of friends, of different religions and different social backgrounds. It all starts pleasantly and even funnily enough - but given the historical background you just know that the characters' destinies are spiralling to an unavoidably tragic climax where love turns into hate and trust is unforgivably betrayed. There is no happy ending, there just can't be - worse even, there is not even a glimpse of hope left one of the persons involved might have survived emotionally if bodily. The actors are all of them beyond par and Aamir Kahn is second to none - Hollywood, Bollywood or whatever. To my mind there are few actors if any who can bring great emotions across by this minimalistic means. This film will leave you drained but it is worth every minute of it.

Innocence betrayed
Earth is based on the semi-autobiographical novel "Cracking Earth", by Bapsi Sidhwa. Little Lenny-Baby is the focus of the film and is narrated through her experience. The background is the division of India in 1947 which saw the biggest movement of people in history - 5 million criss-crossed the Indian sub-continent.

A group of young friends who are Muslims, Sikhs or Hindus regularly spend time together in a park with banter, but all are drawn by Shanta's beauty. In the film we are witnessing this harmony slowly unravel, with each of the friends standing symbolically for their people, descending into terror and murder. Each group sees their people being murdered and the divisions among the friends grow - to the last betrayal, made innocently by Lenny.

Excellent acting, underscored with a beautiful soundtrack, it nevertheless turns into a deeply upsetting - yet beatiful film. An absolute 'must see' for all who are interested not only in the legacy of the British empire but who love India, its customs and people.

A First Class Film
This film is about the partition of India and the terrible tragedies that surround it. It is seen through the eyes of Lenny-baby,a young parsee girl who because of her lack of prejudice towards any side, brings home the sadness of it all. The film does not take sides and this is one of its biggest strengths. The main actors are Aamir Khan and Rahul Khanna. Both give outstanding performances as each one's character reacts to the unfolding situaution very differently. In Aamir, the situation brings out the monster in him while in Rahul, the gentle man comes to the fore. You have to see this movie. No review can convey how amazing it is.