The Far Pavilions

One of HBO's early bids for respectability, this lavish 1984 miniseries based on M.M. Kaye's hefty bestseller tells a tale of forbidden love between two “half-castes” in mid-19th-century India, during the Second Afghan War. Ben Cross stars as Ashton Pelham-Martyn, a British military officer who was born in India, orphaned, and raised by an Indian woman—a situation that leaves him with divided loyalties when he must fight against tribal leaders in the northwestern frontier. A miscast Amy Irving costars as Princess Anjuli, the childhood friend with whom Ashton reunites and falls in love—but who is promised to the aged Rana of Bhithor (Rossano Brazzi). Epic romance is interwoven with adventure, warfare, intrigue, and themes of identity and prejudice, while the $12 million budget is certainly apparent onscreen, where panoramic vistas provide the backdrop for a cast that also includes Omar Sharif, John Gielgud, Rupert Everett, and Christopher Lee. Unfortunately, the production has not aged well: the breathtaking spectacle is undermined by both campy dialogue (“It was not a brother I waited for as I grew up and became a woman”) and clumsily staged action scenes (one brawl between Ashton and some racist soldiers fails in its attempt to echo Gunga Din). Still, considering the popularity of both the source material and the miniseries itself, this is a strong optional purchase. (D. Liebenson)