I think the acting, on the British side at least, was very good. Especially the two women, played by Judy Davis and Peggy Ashcroft, the more the movies goes, the stronger the feeling of suffocation grows inside them and becomes contagious to the spectator. Actually, I think the Indian actors were pretty alright too, they offered a strong contrast to the British actors, and it had nothing to do with them playing wrong, I think it was just a different attitude.
Personally, I know I will remember Judy Davis face in this movie for a long time if not forever, with her tight hat, her bright eyes and her red lips, I think she makes such a very strong impression during the whole movie. I don't think it's David Lean's best, it's little epic compared to Lawrence of Arabia or Dr. Zhivago, but there is a very special atmosphere coming from this movie, something unique which is not so much communicated by dialogues than by silence, and which might leave a more durable and deeper memory in people's mind than his other movies. I've never been to India, but I believe Lean captured something of India's essence, perhaps its most outstanding trait for foreigners, a mix of fascination and revulsion. If I had to score, 8 or 9 out of 10.
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