Lord Mountbatten - The Last Viceroy (1985)

Last days of the Raj

I didn't award this series 5 stars as I'm not certain about some of the historical facts being totally accurate but, as a good watch, especially if the viewer isn't au fait with the story of the British departure from India, it gives a reasonable overview of the political situation at that time. England has granted India its freedom to govern itself after hundreds of years of British rule and has sent Lord Louis Mountbatten as Vicroy to oversee the exchange between governments, civil servants and the army. The starring characters in this series are Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Jinna, all with their own agendas to either keep India undivided or to separate into two distinct countries, India with its Hindu religion and Pakistan with Islam as its main religion. The performance of Nicol Williamson as Mountbatten was strangely wooden and unconvincing but Janet Suzman who played Lady Edwina Mountbatten was rivetting, as were the parts played by Ian Richardson as Nehru and the actors who played Gandhi and Jinna. August 3, 2008

Eye-filling and wonderfully layered.

For those who like historical narrative and particularly films about the Raj, this will be a very welcome addition to your film collection. Superbly scripted, with intelligent dialogue and meticulous attention to visual detail, "The Last Viceroy" is a fascinating mini-series. My only regret is that it wasn't several hours longer.

Shot in India, England and Sri Lanka, the art direction is eyefilling and wonderfully layered; I have watched this series at least a half dozen times, and each time I discovered new details that added to my appreciation.. Direction, cinematography and editing smoothly engage the viewer in the story and match what we have come to expect from the finest in British television and filmmaking. Although "Jewel in the Crown" was much longer and more detailed in regard to the background of both the Raj and the events of Indian Independence, I prefer "The Last Viceroy" because it made better use of textured characters to create empathy for the human dilemmas implicit in this complex series of events.

Arguments that the series fails to represent all of the complicated viewpoints and actualities of the events really seem beside the point. First, because it does not purport to be a documentary; it's a narrative interpretation of both character and events and takes some literary license with both. and, second, because it's just such a fascinating story. One can always savage any novel or bio-pic because it doesn't have perfect alignment with "factual" research, whether that research is the product of six months investigation or a lifetime of pouring over historical documents. In actuality all research is interpretive--no matter what form it takes--this series is British-produced, and offers one way to tell the story; surely any thoughtful viewer will recognize that and assume there are other viewpoints. There are many interesting and well-produced Indian films that present other (and, one might add, equally diverse) overviews of the struggle for independence. This is one side of the story, and it is exceptionally well done.

One strong point in its favor (even beyond the intelligence of the script and the artistic execution of the production value), is the richness of Janet Suzman's portrayal of Lady Mountbatten. This is as much her story as it is his, and the script strongly emphasizes that fact. Edwina Mountbatten was a complex woman, born into great wealth and privilege, whose early life gave little indication of the extraordinary strength and social compassion she would display during and after the events of World War II. She came into her own during the years in Asia, and her contributions to social welfare programs and refugee relief were in no small measure responsible for the Mountbattens' collective reputation in post-war Burma and the final days of the Raj in India.

As to Lady Mountbatten's relationship with Nehru, it is hard to believe that someone could watch "The Last Viceroy" and not come away with the realization that these two had had a passionate exchange of love. Other books and films may contradict that premise, but the script and actors' presentation in this mini series clearly presents them as lovers, even though no scenes of sexual liaison are shown. Watch Suzman's face and her body language in her scenes with Richardson--surely the portrayal of a woman who has intimate knowledge of this man,

The music makes enormous contribution to both the overall mood of the piece and to the impact of individual scenes. The script gives density of character and detail without becoming ponderous, and the director balances small details of human emotion against the pageantry of historical events; he captures both the enormity of crowd scenes and the intimacy of drawing conversations with equal grace.

It startles me that some reviewers on this site have downgraded the acting; it makes me think we were watching different versions, because Williamson, Suzman and Richardson provide passion, nuance and depth to their respective characters that is as good as one could ask for.

This dvd is a treasured item in my collection. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical drama, challenging scripts, fine production values and excellent acting. Even if you have little knowledge of the Raj, you can appreciate a good story well-told.


March 28, 2008

The Last Viceroy

Comprehensive historical depiction of a very difficult period during the partitioning of British India into the independent nations of India and Pakistan in 1947 / 1948. February 29, 2008

Easy to follow, well acted, lavish sets.

We were very impressed with Lord Mountbatten - The Last Viceroy (1985). The story is relevant today. Aside from the historical content, the acting was excellent and the sets were lavish. I believe that if you are interested in Pakistan's history you will enjoy this series. December 30, 2007

I don't understand why this series has any stars (???)

I have spent the better part of two years researching the events that led up to the partition of India and subsequent fall out to validate background details for a major motion picture. This series is not a historic piece--it is an inaccurate, shameful misrepresentation of events and relationships at a very complicated time in history. This racist, myopic, and lamely acted and written series is a mockery of history and Indian tradition--cleary a propaganda piece. As a tiny example of the inaccuracies presented, Edwina Mountbatten and Nehru were deeply in love. It was widely known that the Mountbattens were not the lovey-dovey couple portrayed in this series.

August 20, 2007

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