MAHABHARATA, THE: WAR {EPISODE 5} (TV)
Summary
The first of two programs on this tape. Continued from T91:0045. The fifth 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 fifth part, the war wages, with both sides suffering great defeats. The spurned Amba returns to tell Bhisma that she has died and now comes in the shape of a warrior on the Pandava side named Sikhadin. The Pandavas come to Bhisma and ask him to end the war. Bhisma, who can choose the hour of his death, says he will die at the hand of Sikhandin; but when Sikhandin is faced with killing Bhisma, the warrior cannot remember Amba's hatred, and Arjuna sends the mortal arrow. Karna, kept from the battle by Bhisma, now asks to enter and Bhisma agrees. Kunti tries to convince Karna to change sides and come back to his Pandava brothers; Karna rejects her offer, but promises to only kill Arjuna and not her other sons. The battle wages at night, despite the rules. Arjuna is ready to engage Karna, but Krishna stops him, knowing that Karna has a divine spear that cannot fail to kill, although it will only work once. Instead, Krishna calls up Ghatotkatcha, Bhima's son with the monster Hidimbi, and tells his that his father is wounded on the battlefield. Ghatotkatcha, who promised to protect his father in his hour of need, wages a fierce battle against Karna and the Kauravas, eventually forcing Karna to use his divine spear against him. Later, Arjuna is drawn away by an attack from the north, leaving Drona free to attack with his powerful disk of warriors. The young Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son, knows how to open the disk, so Yudishthira sends him in. The youth opens a breach, but the disk immediately closes around him, and he is killed within. Krishna urges Arjuna not to let his heart get bitter at the loss of his son. Yudishthira confesses his own misgivings about being responsible for the death of the child Abhimanyu, and Bhisma tells him to talk with the deathless boy who says that "death does not exist." Continues with T91:0047.
The acquisition and cataloging of The Theater Collection was made possible by The Park Foundation, Inc., and the Verizon Foundation.
Details
- NETWORK: Channel 4 (United Kingdom)
- DATE: December 9, 1989 11:09 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:55:18
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T91:0046
- 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
- Jean-Claude Carriere … Writer
- Marie-Helene Estienne … Writer
- Toshi Tsuchitori … Music by
- Philippe Eidel … Music (Misc. Credits), Music Production
- 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