History Trivia / APassageToIndia

* CreatorChosenCasting: Creator/DavidLean cast Creator/JudyDavis after a two-hour meeting with her. When she gave her interpretation of what happened in the caves — "She can't cope with her own sexuality, she just freaks out" — Lean said that the part was hers.

* CareerResurrection: For James Fox. Following a prominent start in the 1960s, he became heavily involved in drug culture, which (along with his father's death) precipitated a physical and mental breakdown. Fox left cinema for 14 years to become a Christian missionary. This film gave him a major comeback, both as a leading man and popular character actor.

** The relationship between Creator/DavidLean and Creator/AlecGuinness deteriorated during the making of the movie. The final straw came for Guinness when he found out that a large chunk of his scenes had been left on the cutting floor by Lean. Neither man ever met or spoke to the other again. Lean also had frequent on-set clashes with Judy Davis, who said he didn't understand women and accused him of having lost his touch, not having directed for 15 years. Victor Banerjee argued with Lean over Aziz' accent and dismissed him as a hack compared to Creator/SatyajitRay, who had directed him in ''Pikoo'' in 1981. And while Lean hurled a constant barrage of insults at James Fox over his performance, Fox mostly shrugged them off.

** Creator/AlecGuinness testified in his diaries to the toxic atmosphere on set, resulting in cast and crew insulting Lean behind his back, and occasionally to his face. Creator/JudyDavis told Lean "You can't fucking well direct" and claimed he didn't understand women. Victor Banerjee argued with Lean over Aziz's accent, calling him "obnoxious" and a hack compared to Creator/SatyajitRay, with whom he'd previously worked on ''Pikoo''. Creator/PeggyAshcroft disliked Lean's altering the novel and "lack of respect" for her co-stars. James Fox suffered near-constant, unmotivated insults from Lean over his performance, but, unlike his co-stars, he mostly shrugged them off. Finally, of course, was Guinness himself: playing the Indian mystic Godbole, he spent weeks learning an intricate Hindu dance, only to have Lean cut the entire scene in post-production.

* HostilityOnTheSet: The relationship between Creator/DavidLean and Creator/AlecGuinness deteriorated during the making of the movie. The final straw came for Guinness when he found out that a large chunk of his scenes had been left on the cutting floor by Lean. Neither man ever met or spoke to the other again. Lean also had frequent on-set clashes with Judy Davis who accused him of having lost his touch, not having directed for 15 years.

* TroubledProduction: Compared to Creator/DavidLean's other shoots, his final film was a breeze, with even the Indian location shooting going smoothly. Except for one thing: Lean and his stars were constantly at each others' throats. Creator/AlecGuinness testified in his diaries to the toxic atmosphere on set, resulting in cast and crew insulting Lean behind his back, and occasionally to his face. Creator/JudyDavis told Lean "You can't fucking well direct" and claimed he didn't understand women. Victor Banerjee argued with Lean over Aziz's accent, calling him "obnoxious" and a hack compared to Creator/SatyajitRay. Peggy Ashcroft disliked Lean's altering the novel and "lack of respect" for her co-stars. Finally, of course, was Guinness himself: playing the Indian mystic Godbole, he spent weeks learning an intricate Hindu dance, only to have Lean cut the entire scene in post-production.

** Various filmmakers tried adapting the novel over the years, but Forster refused to grant the rights as he feared that any film would take the side of either the English or Indians. Among the early candidates was Creator/DavidLean himself, who read the novel in the late '50s and wanted the novel as a follow-up to ''Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai''. Santha Rama Rau, who wrote the stage adaptation of ''Passage'', interested Creator/SatyajitRay in adapting it, but Forster again turned them down. Creator/MerchantIvory also attempted to buy the rights in the late '70s.
** Creator/DavidLean hoped to reunite the stars of ''Film/BriefEncounter'' - Creator/CeliaJohnson and Creator/TrevorHoward as Mrs. Moore and Richard Fielding. They both passed. Also, Johnson died before the film was released.

** Creator/PeterOToole was the first choice for Richard Fielding.

* CareerResurrection: For JamesFox. Following a prominent start in the 1960s, he became heavily involved in drug culture, which (along with his father's death) precipitated a physical and mental breakdown. Fox left cinema for 14 years to become a Christian missionary. This film gave him a major comeback, both as a leading man and popular character actor.

* CareerResurrection: For Creator/JamesFox. Following a prominent start in the 1960s, he became heavily involved in drug culture, which (along with his father's death) precipitated a physical and mental breakdown. Fox left cinema for 14 years, became a born-again Christian and disavowed his earlier career. This film gave him a major comeback, both as a leading man and popular character actor.

* TroubledProduction: Compared to Creator/DavidLean's other shoots, his final film was a breeze, with even the Indian location shooting going smoothly. Except for one thing: Lean and his stars were constantly at each others' throats. Creatror/AlecGuinness testified in his diaries to the toxic atmosphere on set, resulting in cast and crew insulting Lean behind his back, and occasionally to his face. Creator/JudyDavis told Lean "You can't fucking well direct" and claimed he didn't understand women. Victor Banerjee argued with Lean over Aziz's accent, calling him "obnoxious" and a hack compared to Creator/SatyajitRay. Peggy Ashcroft disliked Lean's altering the novel and "lack of respect" for her co-stars. Finally, of course, was Guinness himself: playing the Indian mystic Godbole, he spent weeks learning an intricate Hindu dance, only to have Lean cut the entire scene in post-production.

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* TroubledProduction: Compared to Creator/DavidLean's other shoots, his final film was a breeze, with even the Indian location shooting going smoothly. Except for one thing: Lean and his stars were constantly at each others' throats. Creatror/AlecGuinness testified in his diaries to the toxic atmosphere on set, resulting in cast and crew insulting Lean behind his back, and occasionally to his face. Creator/JudyDavis told Lean "You can't fucking well direct" and claimed he didn't understand women. Creator/VictorBanerjee argued with Lean over Aziz's accent, calling him "obnoxious" and a hack compared to Creator/SatyajitRay. Creator/PeggyAshcroft disliked Lean's altering the novel and "lack of respect" for her co-stars. Finally, of course, was Guinness himself: playing the Indian mystic Godbole, he spent weeks learning an intricate Hindu dance, only to have Lean cut the entire scene in post-production.

** Lean offered Creator/KatherineHepburn the role of Mrs. Moore.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Creator/PeggyAshcroft was a stage actress who had appeared in films only sporadically. She was initially not enthusiastic when Creator/DavidLean asked her to be Mrs Moore. "Mr Lean, I’m 75-years-old," she protested. "So am I," he replied. Although she had recently worked in India on Series/TheJewelInTheCrown, she said, "I thought, 'Oh dear, I really don’t want to do it', but it's very difficult to turn down a Lean film."

* CareerResurrection: For James Fox. Following a prominent start in the 1960s, he became heavily involved in drug culture, which (along with his father's death) precipitated a physical and mental breakdown. Fox left cinema for 14 years, became a born-again Christian and disavowed his earlier career. This film gave him a major comeback, both as a leading man and popular character actor.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Forester originally wrote that Aziz did indeed rape Adela, but later decided against it.
** Creator/DavidLean hoped to reunite the stars of Film/BriefEncounter - Creator/CeliaJohnson and Creator/TrevorHoward as Mrs. Moore and Richard Fielding. They both passed. Also, Johnson died before the film was released.

** Creator/DavidLean hoped to reunite the stars of ''Film/BriefEncounter - Creator/CeliaJohnson and Creator/TrevorHoward as Mrs. Moore and Richard Fielding. They both passed. Also, Johnson died before the film was released.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Creator/PeggyAshcroft was a stage actress who had appeared in films only sporadically. She was not enthusiastic when Creator/DavidLean asked her to be Mrs Moore. "Mr Lean, I’m 75-years-old," she protested. "So am I," he replied. Although she had recently worked in India on ''Series/TheJewelInTheCrown, she said, "I thought, 'Oh dear, I really don’t want to do it', but it's very difficult to turn down a Lean film."

* FakeNationality: British Alec Guinness as Hindu Brahmin Professor Godbole.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Forester originally wrote that Aziz did indeed rape Adela, but later decided against it.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[KeepingUpAppearances Richard Bucket]] plays a much more forceful character in Major Callendar.