| | | Starring Naveen Andrews (Lost) - Includes David Bowie Music Video!
Features: DVD, English, Subtitled
Before Velvet Goldmine, there was The Buddha of Suburbia, the coming of age story of Karim, an assimilated Indian in London during the swinging seventies. Winner of seven international film awards. Soundtrack by David Bowie.
Editor's Note
Based on the 1990 novel by author/screenwriter Kureishi (MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDERETTE), this frank, funny BBC mini series originally ran on UK television in 1993. It is the mid-1970s, and Karim (Andrews) is a teenager of Pakistani descent in London. His office worker father (Seth) suddenly becomes a neighborhood guru, teaching meditation classes around the neighborhood. Before long, Karim's father has a mistress (Fleetwood), whose son, a glam rocker who is also the coolest kid in school (Mackintosh), Karim finds himself strangely attracted to. Will Karim be able to navigate the confusion of youth and make a mark in theater? Kureishi's funny and expansive tale, full of interesting characters, is given due treatment here, with a fine soundtrack by Bowie.
| Features | Audio Commentary | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 5/27/2008 |
| Running Time: 238 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1992 | | Catalog ID: 1000037775 | | UPC: 00883929014323 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1994) | | | British Academy Awards, Roger Cann, Best Design | |
Nominee (1994) | | | British Academy Awards, Alexandra Byrne, Best Costume Design | | | British Academy Awards, Kevin Loader, et. al., Best Drama Serial | | | British Academy Awards, John McGlashan, Best Film or Video Photography (Fiction/Entertainment) | | | British Academy Awards, David Bowie, Best Original Television Music |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA affirms how rare it is to find a vision as perceptive and blunt as [Kureishis's]. It is a relief to find him in top, entertaining form..." 12/09/1994 p.C8Variety
"...Consistently entertaining, provocative....BUDDHA remains assured and grounded throughout..." 05/09/1994 Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] cannily cast and well-scripted drama..." 10/01/2007 p.129 The Onion A.V. Club 6 of 10
Based on Hanif Kureishi's semi-autobiographical novel, Buddha is all over the place, as Andrews' character careens through life, encountering poorly drawn characters representing the various social concerns of the '70s, from the birth of punk, to group sex, to drug use, to revolutionary politics, to wacky experimental theater groups, to, finally, fame and stardom as an actor-playwright. Along the way, Andrews' character learns that actresses are flighty, racism is bad, English people have a condescending attitude toward Indians, and fame and money are not all they're cracked up to be. It's all very bland, obvious and predictable, and one of the movie's main problems is that its lead character comes off as good-looking but dull--never the fiery, talented artist the film seems to want to view him as. Both Blethyn and Seth are good actors wasted in under-written parts, and none of the other actors are really given anything to work with. The incidental music by David Bowie is good but not nearly as prominently featured as the predictable soundtrack of glam, punk and new-wave golden oldies used to signify the passing of time. Unfortunately, the movie's four hours seem to pass almost as slowly as the eight years of the protagonist's life covered in the film. - Nathan Rabin
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