City of Joy Movie Review 1992

Disillusioned American heart surgeon Swayze flees to India after losing a patient. In Calcutta he is beaten by a street gang and loses his money and passport, but finds help from a farmer (Puri) who takes him to a nearby clinic in the City of Joy, one of Calcutta's poorest areas. Collins runs the clinic and recruits the reluctant doctor, who undergoes a life-changing transformation. The squalor of Calcutta is shown, but the city's portrayal as a magical place where problems miraculously disappear is unrealistic. Swayze lacks the emotional range for his part, but Collins and Puri are excellent in their roles. Adapted from the book by Dominique Lapierre.

Distribution

Sony Pictures Home Video, Sony Pictures Plz., 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: (310)244-7306, Fax: (310)280-2485, URL: http://www.spe.sony.com, Remarks: Formerly Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment

Available on VHS
Running time 134 minutes.
Originally from British, French.

Cast and Crew

Genres

India, Hospitals & Medicine, Doctors & Nurses, Hard Knock Life, Calcutta, Culture Clash

Screenplay

Mark Medoff

Cast

Patrick Swayze, Pauline Collins, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Art Malik, Ayesha Dharker, Santu Chowdhury, Imran Badsah Khan, Shyamanand Jalan

Cinematography

Peter Biziou

Director

Roland Joffe

Music

Ennio Morricone

Other

Sam Wanamaker

Producer

Tri-Star Pictures, Jake Eberts, Roland Joffe