CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Ashutosh Mishra Watching Earth was not easy but i have to admit what i watched in those 100 minutes was sheer magic of true cinema. Each and every dialogue had a very deep meaning, every scene was excellent. Probably it's one of the best cinematic experiences, credit goes to Deepa Mehta. What a class direction-truly artistic! Music score was equally good and the lyrics were awesome. Performances of the lead actors as well as supporting cast was very good, especially Nandita Das. Some people may complain about the movie as it is not showing the partition as they wanted it, in actual Deepa Mehta moves this film onto a very different level where the emotions continue the story. Weather it's jealousy or love or betrayal, every time you feel these emotions. True Magic of cinema.I am very much confident to say Earth is one of the most powerful movie ever made in India and it will remain in my heart for a very long time.10 out of 10- Magnificent and Artistic Cinema!!!

colour-me-kubrick I saw this film about 10 years back and have seen it thrice since then.Last time I saw it was on the "independence day" but this time after reading the novel "ice candy man".It made me appreciate the movie more and understand how beautifully Deepa Mehta adapted this partition story to a character study.After fire which was a brilliant film,ahead of its times in the Indian context this was her most accomplished work.Deepa Mehta keeps her objectivity without indulging or being judge-mental of the dark side of human nature as it emerges in the face of adversity.For me this movie is not about partition,but about human nature.The veil that separates us from animals becomes an anomaly in certain situation.So it is not so much the partition that drew the worst out of the characters but the demons such as lust,violence,jealousy,anger,resentment that already exist at the very core of human nature.It may or may not manifest itself in its most carnal form.But in this case it does.The innovation of songs as a part of narration was a masterstroke and when you have A R Rehamn at the fore,there will be magic."Raat Ki Dal Dal" is probably one of the most wonderfully pictured songs I have have seen in recent times,as the camera zooms in on Aamir as he is waiting for the train from India,encapsulating his anxiety.The art work is accurate enough,the cinematography is excellent(notice how the camera-work changes from being still and peaceful in first half to more vibrant in the second half).The performances of the entire cast is brilliant,whether it is the parsi family or Dil Nawaz's friend circle or even Gulshan Grover for that matter.Everyone seems to be on the money.Rahul khanna is a natural talent like his brother(which explains why he is not making it big in this superficial industry),he is rightly understated through the film.His is the only character which doesn't have as many demons and is probably at peace with himself after having the women of his dreams.Nandita Das is a brilliant actress whom I have long admired along with Seema Biswas and Konkana Sen.Her courage and talent shines through as she plays a character who is oozing sexuality,is flirtatious and maybe some what naive.In case of great actors,I try not to use the "best" and "greatest" to describe their performances,because it in a way diminishes their remaining equally brilliant body of work.But this was a new high for Aamir khan in my book.Before this movie I thought he was one of the most talented,versatile and courageous actors within the industry.This film is where he transcended to greatness and stayed there.To be very honest,most of the ground work was laid in the novel for this role,but one needs great vision to convey this charming character's journey into madness.The use of body language and "silence" is what separates the great actors from others.Al Pacino,George C Scott,De Niro,Sanjeev Kumar understood the value of it and here Aamir showcases his class especially in the climax.This film is not for the faint hearted.But that is what I have admired Deepa Mehta for.She has always been ruthlessly truthful when it comes to human nature whether it is "earth" or "fire".Unfortunately most of the Indians like the "escapist" mode just to "make them feel good about themselves".If you are one of those this not for you.P.S.Majority of the reviews here are spot on and people not aware of the horrors of partition were also able to connect on a human level which fulfills the purpose of this film.

HeadleyLamarr 1947 Earth is a story about the partition of India told from the perspective of a little Parsee girl living in Lahore. The little girl has a beautiful Nanny (Nandita Das) who takes her for many walks in the various Lahore parks. There she hangs out with men of various ethnicities - Sikh, Muslim, Hindu and various lowly occupations like masseur, ice-candy seller, lion keeper etc. Nary a woman is seen to venture anywhere near this crowd. The Parsee parents are genteel, rich and also mingle with upper crust people of various ethnicities. Talks of partition are in the air, there is chaos in the streets yet the nanny continues to take the kid out on walks and into the bustling inner city streets. The parents seem to have abdicated all responsibilities toward their child. The Ice Candy man (very well played by Aamir Khan) is secretly in love with the nanny, but she loves the Masseur (very well played by newcomer Rahul Khanna). Ms. Mehta wants to show us all the bad aspects of human nature in the Indian subcontinent, an entire trainload of Muslims butchered, talk of rape between little children, untouchables, conversion, religious bigotry, child marriage, husband worship (the Parsee wife taking off husband's shoes and then getting close, very close to his feet - do the Parsees have a thing about revering by touching feet too?) etc. But in the end she does not manage to touch my heart because of these sidelines of dramatic moments. The movie comes across as unduly sensationalist and dramatic.What redeems the film to a great extent is the excellent camera work, the divine music nd above all some great performances. This is some of Aamir's finest work (barring a few moments of insanity as a fakir) he is able to portray the dark character well. A little more expression of conflict as he turns from friend to enemy would have made this an exceptional performance. The new comer Rahul Khanna has a less complex role and does a wonderful job. Nandita Das in luminous, vulnerable, lovable. But the movie belongs to Maia Sethna - her Lenny is magical - child, adult, mixed-up, confused and every bit of it excellent.Earth tries but cannot achieve what Garam Hawa was able to do - it makes a statement of sorts but does not touch the emotions.

MartinHafer This is an important film, in that Western audiences know little, if anything, about modern India--other than, perhaps, what they saw in the film GANDHI. This film chronicles what happens in a town in the region disputed by the newly created nation of Pakistan and India in 1947. Instead of showing what occurs at a global or even regional level, the film stresses the individuals. You grow to like and care about them and slowly through the course of the film, they are murdered, run in terror or become part of the murderous masses. I particularly appreciated how the whole mess was seen through not just the viewpoint of the maid but the little girl--particularly at the end of the film. Unfortunately, due to the subject matter, the film is VERY heart-wrenching--be sure to have a box of Kleenex.The acting is excellent and the parts written for the actors were intelligently written. I really appreciate that. My only quibble, though VERY minor, is that the film was generally captioned but some of the English language dialog was tough to follow and captioning EVERYTHING or at least using closed captioning would have been helpful.Director Deepa Mehta once again uses a deft hand to skillfully guide the viewer--nothing heavy-handed or rushed and I really appreciate that. Try some of her other films, such as Bollywood/Hollywood--you won't be disappointed.