The Mahabharata
A film by Peter Brook
The Mahabharata is at the very heart of Indian culture – in religion, myth and legend. One of the oldest stories in the world, with the first known written versions dating back to the fifth century BC, it is also the longest poem ever written – at more than one hundred thousand stanzas long it is fifteen times the length of the Bible.
Long-time collaborators director Peter Brook and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière created the three separate plays that comprise this version of the epic, producing a globally successful nine-hour stage production, a three-hour TV version and this DVD release, at just over five hours.
The central story is of the lifelong feud between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, two closely related regal families, but the many subplots, diversions, fables and legends turn this mythological epic into a story of and for all mankind.
Format
Special features
- 24-page illustrated booklet with introductory and explanatory text written by Brook and Carrire.
- Synopses of the three stories.
- Details of the characters.
- Biographies and full production credits.
Credits
Year
1989
Country
France
Product information
Certificate
U
Colour
Colour
Languages
English
Subtitles
English for the hard-of-hearing
Original aspect ratio
1.33:1
DVD region
- 2 Europe (except Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus), Middle East, Egypt, Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Greenland, French Overseas departments and territories
Catalogue number
BFIVD697