Satyagraha (1983 TV Movie) User Reviews

A great effort by *almost* everyone

[mike-1106 · 9/10 · 15 October 2002]

First, let me preface my comments by noting that 25% of my music collection is Philip Glass music, so I was naturally predisposed to love it even before I saw it.

The composition is top notch of course, the performers were excellent, the choir went above and beyond what a typical choir is called upon to do ... but it is live theater, so you will see a few "mistakes". I wont point them out here, because if you don't notice them, all the better for you.

There are however two occasions in the recordings where a choir or cast member would go out of tune. As these are professional singers, I assume it was because they couldn't hear themselves on stage. Oh well, blame it on 1983.

Advice: turn the subtitles off. By intent, the subtitles don't line up with the sanskrit. The subtitles basically just give you the entire text in a lump sum. It's a very distracting way to dole out the lyrics, but eventually they leave you alone to enjoy the music.

A fascinating production, if a letdown from a technical stand-point

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 20 October 2012]

Satyagraha I find a brilliant and very interesting work, and I found this production equally fascinating. From a technical standpoint, it is a disappointment, the video directing does at times have a skippy quality to it and the picture quality with its blurred image, grainy dark backgrounds, washed out colours and signs of wear(especially in Act 2 Scene 1) needed much more focused. However, the costumes and sets are highly elaborate and I enjoyed looking at them. The bright neon lights were a nice touch too. The staging is a very "everything but your kitchen sink" sort of staging, but apart from the odd moment where it does feel cluttered it is never dull. Some may find that this style doesn't fit exactly with Glass' very minimalist score, and that is understandable, but I liked seeing the mix of dancers, dwarfs and animals. Not sure though whether the television monitors worked for me. The chorus are outstanding, as is the conducting. The orchestra are on the most part impressive, the woodwind can run out of breath on the long repetitive phrases they have to do and it is not always well balanced, but the musicality, textures and sense of line are there. The performances are equally very well-done, there are a great many and nobody is bad without outshining one or the other. I am most familiar with Leo Goeke, I haven't always been a fan but alongside his Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress his performance as Gandhi 1 is one of his better ones. In conclusion, fascinating but the picture and video quality didn't do it justice in my opinion. 8/10 Bethany Cox