You have to read about Attenborough’s deep commitment to the subject, because you couldn’t guess it from what’s on the screen. There is no trace of a point of view; the film feels as if it were directed by a committee.

While this is a good and worthy film rather than a great one, there is greatness in the performance of the British actor Ben Kingsley.

Like the man himself, Gandhi is not totally successful, but it comes closer to perfection than most.

Of course, it’s Gandhi himself who will continue to make Empire’s quake, but this film adaptation of his life brings him to the masses in a profoundly digestible and artful way.