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By:

Shoumojit Banerjee

27 August 2024 at 9:57:52 am

Sands of Empire: Revisiting Khartoum

If you thought Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was the only great desert classic, think again. Overshadowed for decades by David Lean’s masterpiece, Khartoum (1966) remains one of the great neglected historical epics. Directed by Basil Dearden and anchored by commanding performances from Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier, it deserves a place alongside the decade’s finest large-scale historical dramas. While it falls short of the towering achievement of Lawrence of Arabia, it remains a worthy...

Sands of Empire: Revisiting Khartoum

If you thought Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was the only great desert classic, think again. Overshadowed for decades by David Lean’s masterpiece, Khartoum (1966) remains one of the great neglected historical epics. Directed by Basil Dearden and anchored by commanding performances from Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier, it deserves a place alongside the decade’s finest large-scale historical dramas. While it falls short of the towering achievement of Lawrence of Arabia, it remains a worthy epic unjustly overshadowed by Lean’s film. More importantly, it belongs to a now-vanished tradition of historical filmmaking that believed audiences could appreciate history, ideas and spectacle in equal measure. Set in 19th century Sudan and Egypt, Khartoum sees the flamboyant General Charles ‘Chinese’ Gordon, played with tremendous conviction by Heston, square off against Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed ‘Mahdi’ or the ‘Expected One,’ portrayed by Olivier. Amid tangled imperial geopolitics, the British government dispatches Gen. Gordon to oversee the evacuation of Sudan, where the Mahdi has ignited a rebellion against Egyptian and British authority. The Mahdi was a nineteenth-century Osama bin Laden-like prototype – a ruthlessly charismatic religious figure capable of rallying thousands through a potent mix of faith, prophecy and political revolt. The duel between Gordon and the Mahdi is alone worth the price of admission. Heston, relishing the opportunity to play something far more nuanced than his usual larger-than-life heroes, delivers what may well be the finest performance of his career. Sporting a British accent, Heston’s Gordon is a vain man (with a monumental ego) driven equally by courage and conviction. Heston creates a character far more interesting than his celebrated household roles of Judah Ben-Hur or Moses. Indeed, Heston personally regarded Khartoum as one of his favourite films as the role allowed him to move beyond heroic certainty and explore the contradictions of a deeply complex historical figure. Olivier’s performance has long attracted controversy because of his use of blackface. Yet as an acting performance, it remains extraordinarily compelling. His Mahdi is intelligent and magnetic; a man whose seething fanaticism and certainty of purpose makes him a lethal opponent. The conflict between Gordon and the Mahdi is not simply military but philosophical. Each sees himself as the instrument of a higher cause and recognises something admirable in the other. Their exchanges possess an intellectual weight seldom encountered in contemporary blockbusters. That quality owes much to the literate screenplay by playwright Robert Ardrey who has his characters debate faith, empire and political expediency in scintillating dialogues. The supporting cast is equally distinguished. Sir Ralph Richardson is magnificent as the British Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone who embodies British pragmatism and Machiavellian statecraft in equal measure. He admires Gordon while recognising that empires cannot be run according to the impulses of heroic individuals. Richardson captures the tension between moral rhetoric and political calculation with a finesse that only a legend of his stature could. One should perhaps be thankful that such a film got made at all. Never mind today’s audiences, the tangled skein of late 19th century British imperial politics was hardly an easy sell for audiences in the 1960s as well. Americans, in particular, would likely have had little clue about Sudan, Khartoum, Gordon or the Mahdist revolt. Yet Khartoum succeeds brilliantly in bringing this forgotten era to life. The political intrigues of Whitehall and the desperate military situation on the Nile acquire genuine dramatic force. It belongs to a period when filmmakers trusted audiences to listen and follow ideas rather than watch mindless action. The 1960s were the golden age of the literate historical epic. Films such as Spartacus, El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire and The Charge of the Light Brigade combined spectacle with serious engagement with history. Khartoum stands proudly within that tradition. Gordon and the Mahdi have long gone. The British Empire has vanished. But Sudan remains trapped in seemingly perpetual cycles of conflict. Coups, civil wars, military strongmen, competing centres of authority and devastating violence have haunted the country for decades. The headlines change; the instability persists. That is what makes Khartoum feel unexpectedly contemporary. Beneath its grand costumes and imperial pageantry lies a story about a state struggling to define itself, about rival claims to legitimacy, and about the dangerous collision between political power and religious conviction. 60 years after its release, Khartoum remains not merely a superb film but a haunting reminder that history, especially in Sudan, has a habit of repeating itself.

IFFI and the Expanding Meaning of Cinema

From AI experiments to restored classics, the 56th edition of IFFI has widened the frame of Indian cinema and hinted at where it is headed next.

Last month, on the sunlit banks of the Mandovi River, the western Indian state of Goa once again transformed into a brilliant mosaic of reels, voices and visions. From November 20 to 28, the 56th International Film Festival of India saw Panaji turned into a carnival of stories, with each frame a portal to distant lands, untold lives and uncharted ideas. For filmmakers, critics and cinephiles alike, the IFFI is akin to a yearly pilgrimage, a space where the imagination of India meets the imagination of the world during the eight days the festival lasts.


Hundreds of films from around the world, along with their creators, scholars, technicians, artists, and directors associated with various aspects of cinema, come together during this event. It provides an opportunity to interact with them, understand their perspectives, and exchange views on what is new in their regions, countries, cultures, languages, and societies, and how these aspects are reflected in their films.


While this year’s 56th edition of the IFFI was no different, it sowed the seeds of several new ideas and shed light on many emerging aspects of the film industry. It is important to understand what these were and how significant they may be for the future of Indian cinema.

For the past two or three years, AI has cast its spell across artistic and non-artistic fields. It has also posed serious challenges to many sectors. Recently, Hollywood writers even staged a symbolic strike demanding restrictions on the use of AI. During the same period, several painters and graphic artists expressed their opposition to AI on social media using the “No AI” tag. At present, many Hollywood films prominently display in their credits the statement, “This film does not use AI.”


In parallel, musicians and composers have debated the role of AI in generating scores, recalling earlier controversies over synthesizers and digital editing, which were once feared to replace human skill but ultimately expanded the boundaries of musical expression.


Against this backdrop, IFFI, instead of simply opposing AI, created a space for constructive discussion on how this new technology could benefit the film industry and enrich the art form. The festival director, renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, conducted two interview-style masterclasses on the subject, demonstrating how AI could be used in positive ways. He is currently producing an AI-based film, a glimpse of which was showcased at IFFI.


Special Hackathon

Additionally, for the first time, IFFI organized a special hackathon for AI-generated short films, an AI film festival, and a competition to create an AI short film within 48 hours. Several of the short films presented at this hackathon explored imaginative storytelling techniques, showcasing how technology can expand cinematic possibilities. These initiatives clearly positioned AI as an opportunity rather than a threat. Given this approach, it would not be surprising if the number of AI-generated short films at IFFI increases in the coming years.


In recent years, the number of women directors has increased significantly in India and across the world. Women have long been prominent in short films and documentary cinema, but they are now also directing full-length feature films with confidence and artistic maturity. However, in India, except for Kerala, the work of women directors has not received sustained visibility at major film festivals.


In Kerala, a dedicated film festival for women directors has been held for several years. As a result, film enthusiasts, scholars, and filmmakers have been demanding that IFFI give due recognition to women directors and provide them with a suitable platform. This year, IFFI finally gave concrete shape to this demand by introducing a special section featuring nearly 50 films by women directors from India and abroad.


Similarly, in other sections of the festival, an emphasis on women’s independence and empowerment was clearly visible. Films such as ‘The Blue Trail’ - the opening film of IFFI - which traces a young woman’s journey of self-discovery across rugged landscapes; ‘Shape of Momo,’ ‘Girls on Wire,’ ‘Laapataa Ladies’ – the wonderful dark comedy about women reclaiming agency in a patriarchal world, and several others reflected this focus.


The restoration and presentation of older films emerged as one of the most significant features of this year’s IFFI. Many films made on celluloid in earlier decades have become difficult for contemporary audiences to watch due to scratches, fading, or damage caused by inadequate preservation. Over the past few years, the National Film Development Corporation has undertaken the restoration of several important Indian films and converted them into 4K format, ensuring that this cinematic heritage reaches future generations.

 

This year, IFFI presented special screenings of restored classics, including ‘Do Ankhen Barah Haath’ - V. Shantaram’s classic tale of prison reform; Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Sholay’ and Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction.’ These films are not just historical markers but living lessons in cinematic craft as Shantaram’s humanism, Sippy’s narrative audacity and Tarantino’s playful deconstruction of genre all demonstrate how directors shape both the imagination and the consciousness of audiences across generations. What stood out was that these screenings were not dominated by senior citizens but attracted large Gen Z audiences. Many of them had only read about or heard of these films. IFFI offered them their first opportunity to experience these works on the big screen. Their enthusiastic response reaffirmed that good cinema continues to find its audience, regardless of time or generation.


Focus on Local Cinema

One of the most encouraging developments at IFFI in recent years has been its increasing focus on regional cinema. Films from various Indian languages, including lesser-known dialects, and works by young and emerging directors, have found space in sections such as Indian Panorama. This shift reflects a broader understanding of Indian cinema.

 

IFFI, which has been held in Goa for over two decades, also introduced a dedicated Goan section a few years ago to showcase films in the Konkani language. The state government has consistently supported local language filmmaking and used IFFI as a platform to present Goan cinema to a global audience. As a result, the film culture in Goa has grown noticeably over the last eight years.

 

Alongside short films and documentaries, full-length Konkani feature films are now being produced, and high-quality works from the region are screened at IFFI every year. This has encouraged many young people in the state to take filmmaking seriously. Last year, 15 Konkani short films were screened across the Indian Panorama and Goan sections. This year, two films were selected for Gala screenings, and five short films were featured in the Goan section. This growing visibility has provided a significant boost to Goan cinema and has inspired confidence among young filmmakers to attempt full-length features in the future.

 

Each year, India and several non-English speaking countries submit a film to the Oscars in the International Feature Film category. However, many of these films do not receive theatrical releases in India, and even when they appear on OTT platforms, it is often months or years later. This delay has long disappointed film enthusiasts.

 

This year, IFFI addressed this gap by screening around 21 films submitted for the Oscars. These included ‘A Useful Ghost from Thailand’ - a poignant reflection on grief and memory; ‘Sirât’ from Spain and France; ‘A Poet from Colombia,’ a lyrical study of language and identity; and ‘The Last Repair Shop’ from the US, an exploration of human connection in a post-industrial world. These screenings were met with an enthusiastic response from audiences. In doing so, IFFI is following in the footsteps of earlier festivals like Cannes and Venice, which historically introduced audiences to gems such as Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon or Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, films that transcended borders and reshaped global cinema.

In the end, this year’s IFFI felt both expansive and quietly reassuring. By widening its curatorial lens, the festival allowed audiences to encounter a richer, more varied cinema than before. Through this widening global window came not just new films, but new ways of seeing, suggesting that the future of cinema, for all its anxieties, remains open, plural and alive.

 

(The writer is a scriptwriter and director. Views personal)

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