It's a good movie by David Lean, it struck me as sharing a few similarities with To Kill a Mockingbird. In true David Lean fashion the scenery and environments are fantastic. The only thing I felt was slightly disappointing was the third act. It didn't seem compelling enough of a reason that Ms. Quested simply suffered a hallucination and just out of the blue assumed that she had been the victim of attempted rape. It just seems like there wasn't enough backstory to support that sort of accusation. It's hinted that she might be "mad" as one character asks her just after she withdraws the charges but there isn't enough characterization to support that either. Staring too long at a bunch of erotic statues doesn't exactly build up enough mental cause to swing the story in that direction, in my opinion. It's just odd filmmaking for David Lean, perhaps his hands were totally tied by the book and its source material.

The movie gives no explanation why Miss Quested makes the key “accusation” or why she ultimately withdraws it. That is a pretty big flaw in the storytelling.

Enjoyed this movie. Great acting by Judy Davis. Movie shows the class system and Anglo occupation in India in a true perspective.