Based on E.M. Forster's novel, "A Passage to India" was Director David Lean's last film, and it's now available on dvd from COLUMBIA TRISTAR.  Judy Davis stars as the young, privileged fiancé of an English city magistrate to India. While traveling there with her future mother-in-law, a series of events unfold, pitting her culture against that of Indias' and a chance for Forster to explore various themes and sub-plots without ever having to come to any definitive conclusions.  This will undoubtedly annoy some viewers, as even in the film's conclusion, much is left unsettled.  Still, Lean's films are always stunning to look at, and he typically has great actors, as is the case there!  Alec Guinness, Davis, and everyone else, is extremely effective.  Even
with staggering images, the film does have a few spots that drag, but the
film manages to pick up its pace near the end, and there's a terrific
courtroom drama that surfaces.  While some of the characters resemble
stereotypes at times, the film doesn't take the "easy" way in the end.  It
ends up being much smarter than we're led to expect.  There is no "correct" side to the important issues explored in this film, and there are crazy people on both sides!
COLUMBIA TRISTAR has provided a stunning transfer for this dvd release.  We were very surprised to find that Lean chose not to use his typical 2.35:1 aspect ratio for this film.  Instead, it's slightly less than 1.85:1.  The image is flawless!  Enhanced for 16:9 screens, there's incredible resolution in every scene.  The colors are solid and vibrant.  The color scheme is extremely wide, with burnt browns to lush greens and blues, but never a hint of oversaturation and there's always stunning clarity.  The contrast is perfect, with deep blacks and grays.  Fleshtones appear natural throughout.

The Dolby 2.0 Surround mix is a little disappointing, due to a lack of "any" directional effects.  While the musical score is wonderful, even it doesn't engulf the listener as is typical with a David Lean film.
COLUMBIA TRISTAR has included a brief interview segment featuring the great director himself in a featurette, "REFLECTIONS OF DAVID LEAN".  It's wonderful, but we were sad to see it end so quickly.