Gandhi – Screenplay by John Briley – Winner of the 1983 Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, also Best Motion Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director…a total of eight Academy Awards, and many other trophies - 10 out of 10

 

Gandhi – Screenplay by John Briley – Winner of the 1983 Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, also Best Motion Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director…a total of eight Academy Awards, and many other trophies

 

10 out of 10

 

Mahatma Gandhi was one of the greatest men of the last century, and indeed, of all time, someone we need to celebrate, especially seeing that the world has some ghouls in leading positions, and nobody comes even close to the stature of a leader that was short physically, but grandiose metaphorically, even if not perfect

 

India itself does not have a prime minister that could hold a candle to the majestic Gandhi, Narendra Modi is popular, admittedly, he packs stadiums when he visits, but the man has such a dark history, what with that demolishing of a mosque, his ultra nationalism, he is not someone to admire, if you ask me, which you shouldn’t

Do not get me started on Orange Jesus already, that should come later, so let me try and put in a few words about the Glorious Mahatma – and this spectacular movie, indeed, one of the best of all time…let me think, I will put it on my top twenty list, notwithstanding the fact that this top twenty will in fact have some two hundred listings

 

 It opens with the death of the illustrious man, he is shot dead by a terrorist, and then we have the huge ceremony, where it looked like millions were in attendance – if you ask Orange Jesus, obsessed as he is with himself, the size of his crowds, which connect with his penis, as Obama joked at the Democratic Convention, he will say he has more fans

 An American journalist, Walker aka Martin Sheen, is there, for they had become friends in South Africa, there is a eulogy, in which there is emphasis on the lack of functions, possessions, titles, Mahatma Gandhi lived in poverty, aspired to no position of power – in South Africa, he insisted on cleaning the latrines

 

One of the few episodes – we have to insist that there are some - wherein we see the weakness of the man (he is no saint) involves his wife and the ashram in South Africa, where she is unhappy with the task of cleaning toilets, that is something for the pariah, the untouchable, she says, but then her spouse says they have none of those there

So, she is grumbling, but since he is the husband, and she respects traditions (hence the idea that the pariah does these menial, lower, objectionable things) so she has to obey her husband, and will do it, against her will, so he gets furious and rough, saying she has to leave, that ashram is not for her, in a moment of anger

He is repentant, and almost all his life has been one without violence, he preached abstinence, he wanted peace, even when there was immense pressure to fight, even kill enemies, stating with South Africa and his first moves for equality, emancipation, fighting the apartheid, unfair laws, discrimination and abuse all his life

 

After the funeral, the narrative takes us on a train in South Africa, where Mahatma Gandhi is travelling first class – he would say that this is how he had done in Britain – not for long, because he attracts the ire of a white passenger, who gets the conductor to fix this insufferable insult to the white men of that part of the empire

The official is wrathful, what do you mean travelling at first class, and then Gandhi explains that he had bought the ticket by mail, which explains how they gave it to him, if he were in person at the office, they would apply the apartheid laws on the spot, as it is, he is told to get his things and move to third class, where he ‘belongs’

 

Furthermore, there is the question of his stating that he was a lawyer, which the white passenger who called for the Indian to be removed says it is impossible, ‘there are no colored attorneys there’, they do throw him off the train, and this is the instance which makes Mahatma Gandhi act to remedy this disgusting situation

He had been hired for a court case, and then he gets more work, and takes his first stand, organizing a gathering, where he burns some permits, saying that it is against the principles of the British Empire – something like that – the Indians are abused, they have to show these papers, are not allowed to walk with the whites and much more

 

When they have this protest, there are policemen, and the one in charge threatens, then beats Gandhi with his stick, hitting him over and over, the determined, resilient man keeps putting permits on fire, just as he is thrown to the ground, showing a superhuman resistance, and then he has a speech in a large hall

The law was such that only marriages between whites were legal, so Mahatma Gandhi emphasizes that the authorities can do whatever they want, can enter the house, abuse their wives, daughters, and the reaction from the public is that a couple of men insist they will kill anybody, white, if need be, trespassing, insulting their honor

 

However, Gandhi proclaims from that early time, the beginning of his campaign for peace, emancipation, that they will kill nobody, they will not use violence – he would inspire so many, indeed, one would be the African American icon, Martin Luther King – they will only take the offences, but they will not attack their opponents

They will resist, not give in, demand their rights, equality, and show strength, but not physical fights, Gandhi will never change tune, and his march will become so successful that India will become independent…

 

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/unique-in-world.html?q=unique+in+the+world – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

 

 There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

 

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/realini-in-newsweek-participant-in.html

 

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

 

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

 

‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’

 

“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”