

One of the great masterpieces of world literature comes to vivid life in an elaborate production from acclaimed theater and film innovator Peter Brook. This collection of ancient Sanskrit stories (composed into the longest book ever written) comprises a series of enlightened fables at the heart of countless beliefs, legends, and teachings; indeed, its very title means "the great story of mankind." Brook and writer Jean-Claude Carriere worked for eight years to develop this epic concerning two sides of a royal family, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, whose struggle leads to a fascinating voyage of emotions, passion and vision of glory. Briefly, the Mahabharata is a tale of two rival sets of brothers, cousins to eachother, each born into royalty and with divinely guided paths in life. The result, however, is a great war, death, destruction - a vast epic.
Ratings
3.5
Cast

Vittorio Mezzogiorno
Arjuna

Bruce Myers
Ganesha; Krishna

Miriam Goldschmidt
Kunti

Robert Langdon Lloyd
Vyasa

Andrzej Seweryn
Yudhishthira

Yoshi Oida
Drona

Tuncel Kurtiz
Shakuni

Georges Corraface
Duryodhana

Sotigui Kouyaté
Bhishma, Parashurama
Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan
Boy

Bruce Myers
Ganesha/Krishna

Mamadou Dioumé
Bhima
Jean-Paul Denizon
Nakula
Mahmoud Tabrizi-Zadeh
Sahadeva
Mallika Sarabhai
Draupadi
Ryszard Cieślak
Dhritarashtra

Hélène Patarot
Gandhari
Myriam Tadesse
Gandhari's servant
Urs Bihler
Dushasana

Jeffery Kissoon
Karna

Maurice Bénichou
Kitchaka

Sotigui Kouyaté
Parashurama / Bhishma

Ciarán Hinds
Ashwatthaman

Erika Alexander
Madri / Hidimbi

Bakary Sangaré
Kindama / The Sun / Rakshasa / Ghatotkacha

Tapa Sudana
Pandu / Shiva / Salya

Akram Khan
Ekalavya

Nolan Hemmings
Abhimanyu
Julie Romanus
Princess
Ken Higelin
Deathless boy
Corinne Jaber
Amba / Sikhandin
Velu Vishwanadhan
The hermit
Crew
Director
Original Music Composer
Producer
Director of Photography
Details
Release Date
1990-01-24
Runtime
173 min
Original Language
English
Languages
English
Hungarian
Production Companies
MP Productions
Channel 4 Television
The Brooklyn Academy of Music
Countries
Australia
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Iceland
Ireland
Japan
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States of America
Genres
Drama
War