Last month I read E.M. Forster's A Passage to India for the first time. Last week I watched David Lean's film version for the third time, but the first in at least ten years. Usually when I read a book and then watch the film adaptation, it's pretty obvious which version is more satisfying. Not so in this case.
(A quick plot summary: Miss Quested and her traveling companion Mrs. Moore travel from England to India in the 1920's. Quested is engaged to be married to Mrs. Moore's son, a British magistrate in Chandrapur. Both women soon learn that the Brits and the Indians aren't exactly the best of friends. Yet a local Indian, Dr. Aziz, is quite taken with the ladies and arranges an extravagant expedition to the Marabar Caves, where an unfortunate incident takes place. Miss Quested accuses Aziz of assaulting her in one of the caves and a trial ensues.)
Now I'm not telling you that the movie is better than the book. I'm just saying that for me, the David Lean film is more satisfying than Forster's novel.
An unfair comparison? Probably so. The novel was published in 1924, while India was still under British rule (which would last until 1947). The book's initial release no doubt stimulated heated discussions on both sides, and although it still has much to say about understanding (and misunderstanding) different cultures, it feels a little dated. Yes, Forster probably gives too many examples of just how deep animosities ran. Yes, the language used in 1924, while often beautiful, still feels stiff and takes a bit of getting used to. And yes, it's probably not fair to compare Forster's omniscient point-of-view to Lean's (which is much easier to pull off with a camera). But none of those things tip the scale to the David Lean side.
I believe that if any other director had tackled the novel, disaster would have ensued. Forster (and later his estate) never wanted a screenplay written, fearing a director would come down too hard on either the British or Indian side. (The estate finally consented to grant Lean permission to write the screenplay and film the novel.) Again, comparisons are unfair – Lean was the absolute master of painting gorgeous, unforgettable landscapes (Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia) that seem to stretch out into infinity. He was visually the perfect choice for A Passage to India.
But it's something that Lean added to the film that makes his version more satisfying.
Again, to be fair, Miss Quested appears a little too noble in Lean's version, a little too judgmental of typical British behavior in India. Forster has her questioning the prejudices of the British, as does Lean, but it's clear that she may have brought a few prejudices with her on the trip.
Yet Lean adds a scene that is nowhere to be found in Forster's novel. On a solitary bicycle ride through a wooded area, Miss Quested discovers an assortment of ancient statues, many of them depicting sexual acts. It soon becomes clear that this scene is a turning point in the story: About to be married to the ruling British magistrate of the city of Chandrapur, Miss Quested experiences a sexual awakening and begins to wonder if her fiancée may be unwilling (or unable) to meet her needs. Everything that follows, from the incident in the Marabar Caves to the courtroom trial, hinges on this scene.
Which presents an interesting situation. Lean's screenplay was approved by Forster's estate. They must have agreed that Lean's additional scene was consistent with Forster's characterization of Miss Quested. If Forster did mean to suggest a sexual incompatibility in the novel, it's so deeply hidden as to be unrecognizable (at least to me). You could make a claim that Forster was writing in 1924 when such things were seldom discussed in print and Lean was filming in 1984 when you could say/suggest/depict just about anything. Still, Lean (again, with the consent of the Forster estate) just makes a clearer, more satisfying look into Miss Quested's character.
The ending of the film seems more satisfying as well, providing maybe not a better, but certainly a different sense of closure. The final shot also leaves you with the feeling that Miss Quested will rethink what happened in that cave for the rest of her life.
Lean's film premiered in 1984, earning 11 Oscar nominations (tied with that year's winner Amadeus) and winning two (Peggy Ashcroft, Best Supporting Actress; Maurice Jarre, Best Original Score). Yet despite its success (and the fact that it was Lean's final film), A Passage to India is rarely mentioned today as one of the great films.
Read the book. Watch the movie. See what you think.
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