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Pather Panchali (1955)
One of the greatest feature film debuts and also the most beloved of all Ray's films by the public and a large proportion of critics, this is the first in what would become known as the Apu Trilogy. Set in the early twentieth century this is the story of a poor family living in a remote village in Bengal. The father is a Brahmin priest and is away a lot, leaving his wife Sarbajaya and daughter Durga and an ancient cousin to cope with little shelter and less to eat. Life is a daily struggle without much in the way of pleasure until Apu is born. The two children form a strong bond and for a while at least life is filled with less pain and more pleasure. To reveal more would be to spoil the film somewhat but at the end the family move from their village in search of a new life. This film understandably made quite a splash when it was released in the west as most had never been afforded a glimpse into this exotic land or witnessed the true poverty on the other side of the world. Ray directs this with astounding craft and confidence for a first film. |
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Aparajito (1956)
Second of the Apu trilogy. All three are tremendous but if I had to pick just one it would be this one. Apu is at a crossroads here - torn between his mother and his ambition to learn more about the world. He's full of such promise and we're willing him to do well for both of them. His mother - an excellent performance by Karuna Bannerjee - is conflicted between wanting him to stay at home to help her and keep her company, and the knowledge that he has to leave the nest to grow and better himself. This complex dynamic between Apu and his mother is the heart and soul of the film and is fascinating to watch develop. Ray masterfully weaves the two characters' lives together then gently teases them apart as we know Apu must expand his horizons. The scenes of Apu gaining more and more knowledge and experience are deftly handled and as a viewer it's impossible not to be deeply invested in his future. This wasn't actually planned as the middle film of a trilogy which seems strange looking back, as the first thing you want to do after watching this is get a hold of the final film to see how things turn out. |
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The Music Room (1958)
Biswambhar Roy is a Zamindar (landlord) in 1930s Bengal. He loves music and throwing lavish parties featuring the best classical Indian singers and musicians to perform in front of invited guests in the most grand room in his palace - the music room of the title. This is the lifestyle Roy has become accustomed to over the years but things are changing much faster than he can cope with. The nearby river is eroding away his lands and the once grand palace is falling into disrepair and ruin. The money he inherited from his ancestors has been slowly squandered through the years on grand living and Roy is unwilling to do anything but continue living in the past. He resents the new neighbour who's moved in next to his palace and slowly becomes a recluse, eventually closing even his beloved music room. Apparently Ray planned this film along the lines of a more traditional Bangali film, complete with musical interludes, but while working on the script it became a much darker affair. In fact this is one of the most psychologically troubling films Ray has made. Chhabi Biswas gives a monumental performance as the deluded landlord, and the musical performances are superb. |
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Apur Sansar - The World of Apu (1959)
This is the final film in the Apu trilogy. Apu's all grown up now and is on his own in the world. He's left university as a graduate, and moved to Calcutta, but finds himself among the vast population of unemployed. He's living hand to mouth, selling his textbooks to make ends meet, and is so far behind with his rent he has to sneak in and out of his flat without his landlord seeing him. Apu still has dreams, but the steady grind of an unfulfilled and discouraging life with seemingly little prospect of change for the better are diminishing his optimism day by day. He begins writing a novel based on his life and, many turns of fate later, ends up leaving the city and living life as a wanderer. The series of events that follow sound like a soap opera when put down on paper but everything is handled so masterfully that it doesn't seem cliched or forced and everything is bolstered by fine performances, especially Soumitra Chatterjee, who plays the grown Apu. A brilliant final chapter of a seminal trilogy. If Ray had not made another film after these three his legacy as a top director would have been assured by these alone. |
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Charulata - The Lonely Wife (1964)
Satyajit Ray has been quoted as saying that this is his most perfect film, and that if he were able to make it again he wouldn't change anything. It's surely the most underrated film of his career because it really is one of his very best and it's rarely mentioned on lists of greatest films where Pather Panchali or Apur Sansar usually make an appearance. Set in the late nineteenth century the story centres around Charulata, a beautiful but unfulfilled young woman who is married to Bhupati who although he loves her has no time for her. Instead spending his days and nights editing and publishing his political newspaper. Charulata has nothing to do all day, and sensing her boredom Bhupati invites Charu's brother Umapada and his wife to visit and keep her company, to no avail. Then Amal, Bhupati's cousin turns up and he and Charu strike up a relationship. Of course things get a bit tricky from this point. The performances here are all fantastic especially the three leads. This a great study of the emerging modern women in colonial India, and as usual Ray's technique is flawless. The depth of emotion on display here is vastly impressive considering how sparse the dialogue is at times. An elegant masterpiece. |
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Days & Nights In The Forest (1970)
Four friends take a trip to the countryside for a holiday. Doesn't sound like much but with some films it's the telling of the tale, not the tale itself that matters. This is a complex and fascinataing character study, and a subtle commentary on the Indian middle class, their lifestyles and attitudes. As with a lot of the more interesting films around it's about people, what makes them tick and how they relate to one another. If you have a group of talented actors that have a great script to work from then that's really all you need for a good film. The four characters are brash city dwellers looking to unwind at a rural village rest house they come across on their travels. All but one find love - or some sort of tryst at least - when they find a group of women in a nearby rest house, and during the course of their stay each learns a little about themselves the more they get to know those around them. They socialise, have some fun, drink a lot and get into some sticky and sometimes quite funny situations. This is a breezy and engaging film full of lots of interesting discussions, wonderful acting and subtle camerawork and editing. Though there is a veneer of playfulness throughout the film there's actually a lot of psychological depth to the proceedings and each of the four main characters is distinct and well drawn, as are their female counterparts. Chalk up another couple of great performances from Soumitra Chatterjee and the beautiful Sharmila Tagore. |
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The Adversary (1971)
First of what has become known a The Calcutta Trilogy, and an interesting stylistic departure of sorts for Ray. This is the first film where there is any obvious flashy techniques such as jump-cuts, dream sequences in negative and the like. It reflects the turmoil and uncertainty rife in India, being peripherally concerned with the widespread corruption in government and the naxalite (militant communist) terrorist goups active at that time. The main character, Siddartha, is a middle class student forced to discontinue his medical studies when his father dies. His brother is ostensibly a student, but seems to spend most of his time involved with the naxalites and radical political activities. Most of Siddartha's time is spent attending soul destroying job interviews. There are many things that happen around this character pushing him to respond, but although he tries on occasion he can always see both side of every issue and so is denied the conviction required to act decisively. Finally, he considers leaving Calcutta for a rural life, when a chance meeting with a young woman conflicts his plans again. This is Satyajit Ray's most political film, dealing as it does with the struggling middle class in a time of great turmoil and aside from the unorthodox (for Ray) technique and structure in this film it boasts a fine performance by Dhritiman Chatterjee, and certainly leaves us with some food for thought. |
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Distant Thunder (Ashani Sanket - 1973)
Set towards the end of the second world war this is a subtle but devastating commentary on the famine of that struck Bengal while India was under British rule. In fact, as the film ends and the screen fades to black we're presented with a title card telling us that "Over 5 million died of starvation and epidemics in Bengal in what has come to be known as the man-made famine of 1943". Man-made because the British commandeered all the civilian food supplies to feed their armies during this time. Most of the great films that deal with social issues focus on individuals over looking at the larger picture, because it's individuals and their plights that we as an audience can most readily identify with. Distant Thunder is a glimpse of the Bengali famine of 1943 in microcosm. Ray focusses his attention on just a few characters, chiefly Gangacharan - a Brahmin, and his wife. Gangacharan is played by Ray regular Soumitra Chatterjee, who once again delivers a marvellous performance as a slightly pompous but well meaning teacher/doctor who can't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation he and his wife find themselves in until it's too late. The supporting players are all first rate too. This is a sad tale, made all the more authentic by Ray's usual understated and balanced style of filmmaking. |
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Company Limited (1974)
Second part of the Calcutta trilogy, this details a young executive's climb up the corporate ladder and his gradual slide into corruption as things start to spin out of control and he sees no other way of achieving his goals. Shyamal Chatterjee is a young manager in an electrical appliance corporation, and is within spitting distance of running the whole company. He has money and property and he's quite proud of what he's achieved, throwing parties for the right people, being seen at country clubs and buttering up his superiors in an effort to advance his career. His young sister in law Tutul visits him for a while in his fancy apartment and he's happy to have her sample the high life he leads, but she is visibly disappointed in what he is becoming. When a potential disaster threatens his chances of promotion Shyamal hatches a risky and underhanded plan to keep the directorship in his sights, and from this point on Tutul becomes his conscience, and she becomes more and more despairing of the person he's willing to be, and the lengths to which he will go to achieve his aims. This is an astute pyschological study of the power of corruption and greed and the effect the pressures of modern life have on people. It again features a brilliant central performance, this time by Barun Chanda as the ambitious executive, and another fine turn by the sublime Sharmila Tagore as the sister in law. The final scene is cinematic gold in terms of direction, acting and emotion. |
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The Middleman (1976)
Final part of the Calcutta trilogy, and what a cracker to finish with! This is Ray's darkest and most pessimistic film, as it shows the stifling effect the city of Calcutta with its myriad pressures brings to bear on an idealistic young man. Pradip Mukherjee delivers a fabulous performance as Somnath Banerjee - a university graduate full of hope who's thrust into the job market after receiving a disappointing result in his degree (through no fault of his own, rather it turns out the examiner was unable to read Somnath's tiny handwriting, and this after Somnath witnessing some blatant cheating by fellow students). Undeterred he applies for jobs in earnest, but finally gives up in disgust after being asked in an interview how much the moon weighs. Faced with this impossibly steep uphill battle and after a chance meeting with a self-made businessman who advises him to go into business himself he decides to do just that. Things go well for a while and he starts to make inroads as an order supplier working on commission - a 'middleman' but once again faces tough decisions the higher he climbs until we feel that to clinch that final big order he almost has to sell his soul. Ray lays out the progression of Somnath's physical and psychological journey with a great eye for detail and makes the whole process of establishing oneself in the business world utterly fascinating. Once again things are helped immeasurably by the wonderful acting by all the players. This is definitely one of the best undiscovered gems of world cinema. |
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