Nine Hours to Rama (1963)

Lack of good storyline.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

A Mark Robson (Red Lion) Production, filmed on location in Delhi, Bombay, Poona, Nasik. Copyright 31 December 1962 by Red Lion Productions. Released through 20th Century-Fox. New York opening at the Astor: 3 April 1963. U.S. release: April 1963. U.K. release: 24 March 1963. Sydney opening at the Century. 11,240 feet. 125 minutes.SYNOPSIS: At 8 a.m. on the morning of 30 January 1948, Naturam Godse (Horst Buchholz) and Narayam Apte (Don Borisenko) awaken in a retiring room of the second floor of the railway station in Delhi, India. The two are hoping to hide out until 5 p.m. when they plan to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi as he arrives at a prayer meeting in the garden back of the home of Indian industrialist G. D. Birla. They are awaiting the arrival of a conspirator, who does not know who they are or when they will do the deed.But the confederate does not show up. He is arrested by Gopal Das (José Ferrer), superintendent of police, who is sure an attempt will be made on Gandhi's life. But he is not certain of time or place or who intends to commit the murder. He is determined to save Gandhi whom he believes to be India's greatest man.COMMENT: You can malign most historical figures as much as you like. Of course the further removed they are in time, the better. A hundred years, for instance, and you're safe. You can be mischievously malicious, and most people won't give a damn. The cardinal exception of course is for religious icons. A lot of people are going to get mighty upset if you portray Confucius, Buddha, Mohammed, the Christ, or Moses in anything but the most adulatory way. In fact, some folk aren't going to like it period.Mark Robson has broken both rules in "Nine Hours to Rama". His subject matter is too recent and has too much religious significance. The Indian government which co-operated in the making of the film, banned it. Not that our fellow colonists were missing out on a treat. For although it starts off most promisingly, "Nine Hours to Rama" is a stodgy affair, lumbered with flashbacks of its unsympathetic hero (glumly but nonetheless camera-hoggishly played by Horst Buchholz). These were better left on the cutting-room floor. (The only loss would be of Miss Valerie Gearon whose film roles would thus be reduced from this one to nil). The "present" story is highly suspenseful, even though we already know the terrifying outcome. We don't need to have the past of the ant- hero filled in. We hate him, we loath him, he bores us and disgusts us. Away with him! Give us more India, more Gandhi!

This is a somewhat fictional account of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The film starts off really well, and has a good climax (unless, of course, you're Gandhi), but it drags a bit in the middle as we learn about the assassin and his motivation. Horst Buchholz plays the killer; oddly, he seems less repulsive than usual, so that's a plus. Jose Ferrer is the policeman trying to track him down. A few British actors show up in small roles. The big revelation to me was the British actress Valerie Gearon, as the upper-class Indian whom Buchholz loves. I hadn't seen her in anything before; she is quite striking. Diane Baker has a small part as an Indian, and is semi-believable. Gandhi is played by J. S. Casshyap, and he certainly looks the part.It would be great if this existed on DVD with commentary since there are holes in the plot that require explanation. It's probably worth a look, if you can tolerate the flashback sequences.

Nine Hours To Rama is the story of the Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in 1948. When I saw the film Gandhi with Ben Kingsley, I looked on the IMDb message board and someone asked if Gandhi was a fictional character. So in case you're not aware, he was the founder of the independence movement that led to the creation of India and Pakistan. He believed in nonviolent resistance, which got rid of the British, but the Muslims broke away and created Pakistan. War and conflict followed.A Hindu, Nathuram Gotse, blamed Gandhi for conceding too much to the Muslim separatist leader, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He wasn't alone.The strongest performance in the film is that of J.S. Casshyap, who plays Gandhi - I actually felt like I was watching the great man himself. He did a fantastic job. Horst Buchholz, an incredibly handsome man who enjoyed a good career in America for a time, plays Gotse very well. As the police inspector, Jose Ferrer handled his role beautifully - he knows Gandhi is in danger, but Gandhi won't let him take any precautions or change his schedule.This film was released less than a year after the Kennedy assassination. The film states it is a work of fiction, as it focuses on Gotse and his various involvements.

This film is fascinating because much of it was filmed on location in India during the early 1960s. The film is worth watching just for the exterior background scenes. If one thinks of this film as a dramatic travelogue it may be more palatable. The acting is mediocre all around. Horst is almost convincing as the tormented alcoholic assassin. How much better this film could have been with an Indian cast, one can only wonder. Since the Indians produce more movies than any other country it is a shame that no Indian actors were involved in this production. Dianne Baker looks very lovely in her dark makeup and braided hair.