MAHABHARATA, THE {EPISODE 6}: THE GATES OF PARADISE (TV)
Summary
The second of two programs on this tape. Continued from T91:0046. The final part of this six-part television adaptation of Peter Brook's critically acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music production of the epic Indian tale "The Mahabharata." The saga constitutes the Hindu history of mankind and examines the roots of India's mythology, religion, and history. In the final part, the great war of the Pandavas and the Kauravas ends with a Pandava victory, but Yudishthira is surprised by what he finds at the gates of paradise at the end of his life. With the war still waging, Arjuna and Drona face each other, each getting several arrows into the other. Krishna decides that the only way to get Drona is to tell him that his son Aswatthaman has been killed. Yudishthira does not want to lie, so Bhima kills an elephant named Aswatthaman and tricks Drona by saying that "Aswatthaman has been killed." Drona, in his grief, allows himself to be killed. Karna fights Yudishthira, but does not kill him because of his promise to Kunti; Dushassana attacks a seemingly weakened Bhima, but Bhima defeats him, drinks his blood, and has Draupadi wash her hair in it in retaliation for his treatment of her before the Pandavas were sent into exile. Arjuna and Karna fight; when Karna's chariot wheel gets stuck, Krishna urges Arjuna to strike the unarmed Karna. Karna forgets his call for the ultimate weapon, just as predicted, and Arjuna shoots him in the heart. In the final fight, Yudishthira challenges Duryodhana, who ends up fighting Bhima. Duryodhana refuses to strike Bhima when he is down, but Bhima, prompted by Krishna, strikes Duryodhana on the legs. Duryodhana accuses Krishna of evil -- pointing out his trickery and the way he broke the rules. Aswatthaman tells the dying Duryodhana that he has killed all the Pandava heirs in retaliation for the death of his father. Kunti reveals that Karna was her son. Gandhari accuses Krishna of participating in the battle although he said he would not, but Krishna claims that a "light has been saved" by the victory of the Pandavas and decides himself to die at that moment. The scene then jumps thirty-six years later with the deaths of Gandhari, Kunti, and Dhritharastra in a forest fire. Yudishthira looks for the gates of paradise after all this brothers and Draupadi have died on the way. Vyasa takes him into paradise, but there he finds Duryodhana instead of his family; Vyasa then takes him to hell where he hears his family. Yudishthira condemns the gods and dharma and says he will stay with his family, to which Vyasa says only that this is the "final illusion."
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Details
- NETWORK: Channel 4 (United Kingdom)
- DATE: December 10, 1989 12:05 AM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:48
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T91:0047
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Hinduism; India - History; India - Religious life and customs; International Collection - United Kingdom; Theater Collection, The
- SERIES RUN: Channel 4 (United Kingdom) - TV, 1989
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Michael Birkett … Executive Producer
- Harvey Lichtenstein … Executive Producer
- Michael Kustow … Executive Producer
- Michel Propper … Producer
- Edward Myerson … Co-Producer
- Rachel Tabori … Co-Producer
- Micheline Rozan … Co-Producer
- William Wilkinson … Co-Producer
- Peter Brook … Director, Writer
- Marie-Helene Estienne … Writer
- Jean-Claude Carriere … Based on the play by
- Toshi Tsuchitori … Music by
- Sarmila Roy … Singer, Songs interpreted by
- Erika Alexander … Cast, Madri/Hidimbi
- Maurice Benichou … Cast, Kitchaka
- Amba Bihler … Cast, Virata's daughter
- Lou Bihler … Cast, young Karna
- Urs Bihler … Cast, Dushassana
- Ryszard Cieslak … Cast, Dhritharashtra
- Georges Corraface … Cast, Duryodhana
- Jean-Paul Denizon … Cast, Nakula
- Mamadou Dioume … Cast, Bhima
- Miriam Goldschmidt … Cast, Kunti
- Hapsari Hardjito … Cast, Abhimanyu's wife
- Nolan Hemmings … Cast, Abhimanyu
- Ken Higelin … Cast, deathless boy
- Claran Hinds … Cast, Aswatthaman
- Gisele Hogard … Cast, 1st princess
- Corinne Jaber … Cast, Amba/Sikhandin
- Lutfi Jakfar … Cast, Uttara
- Akram Khan … Cast, Ekalavya
- Jeffrey Kissoon … Cast, Karna
- Sotigui Kouyate … Cast, Bhisma
- Joseph Kurian … Cast, Drishtadyumna
- Tuncel Kurtiz … Cast, Shakuni
- Robert Langdon Lloyd … Cast, Vyasa
- Clement Masdongar … Cast, Gazelle
- Leela Mayor … Cast, Satyavati
- Vittorio Mezzogiorno … Cast, Arjuna
- Bruce Myers … Cast, Ganesha/Krishna
- Yumi Nara … Cast, Virata's wife
- Tamsir Niane … Cast, Urvasi
- Yoshi Oida … Cast, Drona
- Helene Patarot … Cast, Gandhari
- Abbi Patrix … Cast, Salva
- Julie Romanus … Cast, 2nd princess
- Bakary Sangare … Cast, the Sun/Rakshasa/Ghatotkatcha
- Mallika Sarabhai … Cast, Draupadi
- Andrzej Seweryn … Cast, Yudhishthira
- Mas Soegeng … Cast, Virata
- Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan … Cast, the boy
- Tapa Sudana … Cast, Pandu/Shiva/Salya
- Mahmoud Tabrizi-Zadeh … Cast, Sahadeva
- Myriam Tadesse … Cast, Gandhari's servant
- Velu Vishwanadan … Cast, the hermit