455. GREAT CINEMA ADAPTATIONS: A PASSAGE TO INDIA

Peter Josyph via Zoom

Published in 1924, E. M. Forster’s last novel is often considered his greatest. Based on Forster’s

own experience as a secretary to the Maharajah of Dewas, the story centers around Adela

Quested, a young Englishwoman; a Muslim doctor named Aziz; Adela’s fiancé, Ronny Heaslop;

Ronny’s mother, Mrs. Moore; and Richard Fielding, a school superintendent. When Adela

accuses Aziz of sexually assaulting her in a cave they have visited as a tourist attraction, a trial

ensues that emblemizes many of the English-Indian tensions during the later years of the British

Raj. Adapted in 1984 by David Lean, the film features Judy Davis as Adele; James Fox as

Fielding; Victor Banerjee as Aziz; Nigel Havers as Ronny; and Peggy Ashcroft in an Oscar,

BAFTA, and Golden Globe-winning performance as Mrs. Moore. Roger Ebert typified the

critical response by calling it “one of the greatest screen adaptations I have ever seen.” In

addition to two Oscars, the film won four Golden Globes, including Best Foreign Film and Best

Screenplay. Our discussions will include the especially difficult process of adapting the novel;

how it differs from all of Forster’s other fiction; and how Forster’s depiction of the fall of British

empire in India relates to global issues today.

1:00-2:00 p.m. / 1:00-2:30 p.m.                                                                                  2 Sessions Thursdays, May 15 and May 22                                                                           Fee:  $50

 [A Zoom link will be sent to you prior to each session, typically on the day before your class and the morning of your class.  If you have any questions or need help getting online, feel free to call us at 516-480-5733 and we’ll get right back to you with assistance.]

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Peter Josyph is an author, actor, director, and filmmaker whose films include: Liberty Street: Alive at Ground Zero; Acting Cormac McCarthy: The Making of Billy Bob Thorton’s All the Pretty Horses; Shakespeare In New York: The Sonnets; and A Few Things Basquiat Did in School. His books include: Adventures in Reading Cormac McCarthy; What One Man Said to Another, Talks with Richard Seltzer; and, The Wounded River, which was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book. He also excels in literary and film criticism.