A Passage to India: A Brief Look at Book VS Movie

The book was written in 1924 by Edward Morgan Forster AKA E.M. Forster. There have been many versions and editions written since his original publication. He chose the title from a poem from Walt Whitman titled “Passage to India.” The story itself is based on Forster’s own experiences in India.

David Lean wrote the screenplay, edited, and directed this movie version of Passage to India. His writing was augmented by E.M. Forster’s novel and Santha Rama Rau’s play. The movie was released in 1984.

Major characters include Adela (Judy Davis), Aziz (Victor Banerjee), Fielding (James Fox), Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft), and Godbole (Alec Guinness).

This is a story that follows two women on a journey through India. An incident occurs during a tour through a cave, and an Englishwoman accuses an Indian man of attempting to rape her. What actually happens in the cave is ambiguous, but the accusations almost cause an international incident.

There seem to be a couple of really big differences between Lean’s and Foster’s versions of the story. One really important issue that Lean leaves out of the equation are the very real, palpable tensions that exist between East and West when this story takes place. He leaves out the negative images of British Imperialism that are actually an important part of this story. The subject is too important to leave out.

One other glaring difference concerns the scenery. It becomes a location, a mere backdrop…