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Nearly 35 years after its original debut at the Venice Film Festival, Peter Brook’s epic film adaptation of “The Mahabharata” is returning to the Lido in a meticulously restored 8K version. The restoration, spearheaded by the late director’s son Simon, marks a new chapter for the groundbreaking 1989 production that brought the ancient Indian epic to global audiences.

“The Mahabharata” holds a unique place in Peter Brook’s storied career. Based on his nine-hour stage production, the film version clocked in at a still-substantial three hours. It featured an international cast performing in English and was shot in a Paris studio. The ambitious project aimed to distill the essence of the vast Hindu epic, exploring themes of war, ethics and power across generations.

Brook wanted to make a six-hour film initially, but this was deemed unfinanceable, so the decision was taken to shoot concurrently a three-hour film version and a six-hour TV version.

Peter Brook, the innovative film and theater director known for groundbreaking adaptations of classic literary works and bringing prominent non-Western influences into the theater world, has died at the age of 97. The news was confirmed by BBC.

For the majority of the 20th century, Brook was consistently viewed as one of the most important directors working in the theater world. Born in London in 1925, he began directing Shakespeare productions at Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1940s. He quickly became known for his willingness to infuse classic texts, including operas and Christopher Marlowe plays, with experimental aesthetic choices. After several of his productions transferred to Broadway in the 1960s, Brook moved to Paris in the early 1970s. He founded an experimental theater company known as the International Centre for Theatre Research, which traveled throughout Africa and the Middle East to work with local artists on collaborative theater pieces.

As time went on,...

How’s your week been? Maybe it could have been better with just a little bit of preparation. This week we’re on hand to help you get to grips with making the most of your well-earned downtime in the weeks ahead. So book early, be ballsy and live your best London life one showtune at a time. Be seen on screen.Set an alert on your phone for this Thursday when public booking opens for next month’s BFI London Film Festival. Highlights include new films from directors Luca Guadagnino, the Coen Brothers and Steve McQueen, as well as red carpet appearances from actors Viola Davis, Keira Knightley and Jamie Dornan. Awards season contenders If Beale Street Could Talk, Destroyer, The Favourite and Suspiria are also set to play. More cinematic delights to be announced in coming weeks. (Tickets from £5) Mendes and Brook talk shop.Coming up this week...

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