Set in late 19th Century India, the film revolves around a 17-year old young woman who is convinced by her father-in-law that she is the incarnation of a goddess he worships where he and other follows believe she can save everyone while her husband is skeptical about all of this following his return from his studies in Calcutta. It is a film that explore this idea of religious beliefs as it reaches elements of fanaticism and its conflict with rational thinking during a crucial period in India’s history under British rule. Satyajit Ray’s screenplay explore this family dynamic under the rule of this landlord in Kalikinkar Roy (Chhabi Biswas) who is a devoted worshipper of the goddess known as Kali while his younger son Umaprasad (Soumitra Chatterjee) is studying to become a teacher as well as learn English as doesn’t agree with his father’s beliefs but doesn’t challenge them. Leaving for Calcutta to finish his studies, Umaprasad leaves his young wife Doyamoyee (Sharmila Tagore) with his father, older brother Taraprasad (Purnendu Mukherjee), his wife Harasundari (Karuna Banerjee), and their young son Khoka (Arpan Chowdhury) whom Doyamoyee is fond of.
When Kalikinkar has a dream about Kali, he sees Doyamoyee’s face in his dream where he ponders of she is the goddess Kali. It would take a few small things for Kalikinkar to be convinced as does Taraprasad and a few of Kalikinkar. Yet, Harasundari is skeptical for much of the film where Doyamoyee is given her own room but it also comes with a sense of isolation and an identity crisis. Even when a man whose grandson becomes ill where he prays to Doyamoyee and beg her to heal his grandson as it is a key moment in the second act that play into Kalikinkar’s own faith but also Doyamoyee’s identity crisis as she becomes more confused. When Umaprasad returns from Calcutta, he is baffled but also troubled by the throngs of people going to his wife knowing that she’s just an ordinary young woman.
Ray’s direction is definitely ravishing in not just the intimate moments that occur in the film but also the scope of the locations as it is shot largely in the Bengal region in India. While there are some wide shots of the locations in the areas near the rivers and long grassy fields, Ray does maintain some simplicity in his compositions in the way he presents Doyamoyee as she is in the middle of this shrine being worshipped through close-ups and medium shots. The scenes at the home are simple with the rooms being also claustrophobic as it play into Doyamoyee’s isolation as well as the tension that looms in the house with Kalikinkar making the home a place of worship with servants treating Doyamoyee with caution fearing they might cause trouble. Even as Ray keeps the close-ups tight while creating some unique imagery that play into this sense of fanaticism including a wide shot of people walking on the beach of the river as they line-up to meet Doyamoyee.
The film’s third act that relates to Umaprasad upon his return from Calcutta where he is troubled by what he is seeing as he is this representation of someone that is rational and is worried about his wife’s psyche. Even as he tries to get her out of his family’s house, Doyamoyee is just unsure where Ray’s camera is fixed upon this shadow of a shrine as if it is telling her something while Umaprasad is confused as he goes to his professor (Kali Sarkar) who gives him some advice as it relates to this conflict about rationality and faith. Even as it play into its climax where Ray definitely makes some commentary about the idea of blind faith and its fallacies where the end results are tragic. Overall, Ray crafts a riveting and somber film about a young woman who is seen by her father-in-law as the reincarnation of a goddess that leads to chaos.
Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its natural lighting for the daytime scenes along with some unique schemes for some of the daytime interiors as well as scenes at night. Editor Dulal Dutta does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the drama. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does fantastic work with the look of the home where the family live in as well as the shrine that Kalikinkar has created for Doyamoyee. The sound work of Durgadas Mitra is brilliant for its natural approach to sound in how some of the music is presented on location as well as the sparse moments in the river. The film’s music by Ali Akbar Khan does incredible work with the film’s score with its usage of sitars and percussions to play into some of the dramatic tension as well as how some of the music is played on location including a song sung by a man that becomes a key moment in the film.
The film’s superb ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Anil Chatterjee as a friend of Umaprasad in Bhudeb who go to him for advice in pursuing a widow, Kali Sarkar as Umaprasad’s professor who gives him advice on how to confront his father but also to not create further chaos, Mohammed Israil as an old man who renounced his faith in Kali until his grandson becomes ill, Karuna Banerjee as Taraprasad’s wife Harasundari who is skeptical about Doyamoyee’s persona as well as what her father-in-law believes in, Purnendu Mukherjee as Umaprasad’s older brother Taraprasad who is skeptical about Doyamoyee until he becomes convinced that she is an avatar of Kali, and Arpan Chowdhury as Taraprasad and Harasundari’s son Khoka whom Doyamoyee is fond of as she often plays with him until he deals with her new role as this goddess. Chhabi Biswas is excellent as Kalikinkar Roy as the patriarch of the family and a landlord as he is also a devoted follower of Kali where he is convinced that Doyamoyee is an incarnation of Kali where he loses sight of rationality while also is blinded by his delusions.
Sharmila Tagore is brilliant as Doyamoyee as Umaprasad’s wife as a 17-year old woman who is believed by her father-in-law to be this incarnation of Kali where she becomes confused by her identity as it added to some emotional and mental torture over the new role she’s playing. Finally, there’s Soumitra Chatterjee in an amazing performance as Umaprasad Roy as a young man who is hoping to bring a good life for his wife while he goes to Calcutta for his studies to become a teacher while learning English where he later deals with the chaos his father has brought and the anguish his wife is dealing with.
The 2021 Region A Blu-Ray release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new 4K digital restoration in its original 1:37:1 aspect ratio with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack that is also restored in its original Bengali language with a new English subtitle translation. The Blu-Ray release feature two special featurettes relating to the film as the first is a sixteen-minute, twenty-second piece from 2013 with interviews with two of the film’s stars in Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee where they both talk about the film, their experiences working with Ray, and the controversy about the film following its release in 1960. Tagore was only 14 when she made the film as it was her second collaboration with Ray as she was aware of the subject matter as well as what her character was going through. Chatterjee revealed a lot of the conflict that the film discussed as it was also happening in the late 1950s/early 1960s as it relates to the view of orthodox Hindus and their ideals which Chatterjee described as backwards. Tagore revealed that the film upon its release wasn’t well-received by both critics and audiences in India yet Ray was undeterred knowing that he was going to cause problems with that audience.
The 17-minute video essay by film scholar Meheli Sen discusses the film and its themes as well as the original short story that Ray would expand upon. Notably as it play into some of the social tension that was happening with modern ideals and the views of orthodox Hindus as it still happens in the 21st Century but on a smaller scale. Sen also talks about the role that women had to play in the late 19th Century and how the character of Doyamoyee was someone who never had any independent thoughts until she met Umaprasad. Sen also talks about the clash between rational thinking from the modern world and the irrational ideas from orthodox Hinduism as it relates to the film but also the times in which there were people wanting to break from these ideas in society in the hope they can create a better future despite being under British colonial rule.
The Blu-Ray set also features a booklet that includes an essay entitled Devi: Seeing and Believing by Devika Girish, who is the co-deputy editor of Film Comment magazine as she writes about the film. Notably as she describes the film as Ray’s most political film as it relates to the conflict with post-colonial India, just years removed from the Partition, from the orthodox Hindus and young people wanting a more rational idea that doesn’t believe in superstition. Girish felt that Ray would use the source material of the book to comment on this current conflict by setting the story in the late 19th Century as well as how Ray portrays women who are stuck in a certain identity they have to play. Even as it would begin a new theme that Ray would explore in his films about women trying to find their own voice in India as it is a great essay to read about this film.
Devi is a sensational film from Satyajit Ray that features great performances from Chhabi Biswas, Sharmila Tagore, and Soumitra Chatterjee. Along with its supporting cast, ravishing visuals, its exploration of religious fanaticism and loss of identity and rationality, and its haunting music score. The film is definitely a mesmerizing yet somber film that explore a family being undone by an old man’s delusions towards his daughter-in-law as she struggles with her identity and her husband trying to make sense of all of this chaos. In the end, Devi is a spectacular film from Satyajit Ray.
Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) – The Music Room - Apur Sansar - (Teen Kanya) – (Rabindranath Tagore) – (Kanchenjunghar) – (Abhijan) – The Big City - Charulata - (Two) – (Kapurush) – Nayak - (Chiriyakhana) – (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) – (Aranyer Din Ratri) – (Pratidwandi) – (Sikkim) – (Seemabaddha) – (The Inner Eye) – (Ashani Sanket) – (Sonar Kella) – (Jana Aranya) – (Bala) – (Shatranj Ke Khilari) – (Joi Baba Felunath) – (Hirak Rajar Deshe) – (Pikoo) – (Sadgati) – (Ghare Baire) – (Sukumar Ray) – (Ganashatru) – (Shakha Proshakha) – (Agantuk)
© thevoid99 2022
Based on the novels of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhahyay, Aparajito (The Unvanquished) is the story of a young boy who comes of age as he copes with loss as well as growing up where he goes to the big city with big dreams to become a writer. Written for the screen and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is the second part of a trilogy of films that relates to the life and growth of Apu Roy as he copes with living in a new village and the modern world as he is played by Pinaki Sen Gupta and Smaran Ghosal in their respective personas as a boy and as a young man. Also starring Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Ramani Ranjan Sen, Charuprakash Ghosh, and Subodh Ganguli. Aparajito is a riveting yet enchanting film from Satyajit Ray.
The film would revolve Apu coming of age as he adjusts to his new surroundings where he encounter not just some life changes but also going into different places where he tries to find himself. It’s a film that plays into the life of a boy where he becomes a man and tries to take advantages of the opportunities he is given. Yet, he is torn in his devotion to make something of himself and be there for his mother (Karuna Banerjee) who is still reeling from loss and loneliness. Satyajit Ray’s script is plot-driven as it plays into Apu’s evolution as a boy and as a young man as the first half is about Apu as a boy adjusting to his new living environment in Varanasi near the Ganges River and then moving to the more rural Mansapota village. The second half has Apu becoming a young man where his growth in his formal education gives him the chance to go to Calcutta to study science despite his mother’s plea to become a priest like his father (Kanu Banerjee). Still, Apu has to endure not just being away from the environment he knew but also would learn to grow up in order to survive in the city.
Ray’s direction is very intoxicating to watch in the way he shoots the different areas in India as it is clear that it is a bigger film with visuals that recalls elements of what was happening in European cinema. Much of it involve some gorgeous wide shots of scenes set in Varanasi near the Ganges River as well as shots of the sky with birds flying in the air for the film’s first act. The usage of medium shots and close-ups would play up the intimacy of the world of Varanasi where Apu and his parents live in an apartment where they had to share with other lodgers. At times, it feels a little cramped but Ray plays off this feeling of a family still trying to find their footing but events would change things forcing Apu and his family to live at the home of Sarabajaya’s uncle Bhabataran (Ramani Ranjan Sen) and eventually move to the rural village of Mansapota.
The look of the scenes in Mansapota are more intimate with its close-ups and medium shots where it plays a world that is sort of cut-off from modern society while it also has something that attracts Apu as an individual. Most notably the idea of going to school and learn something where it is clear that he is a gifted student that has so much to offer than being a priest. By the time the film is set in Calcutta, it is this very modern world where Apu is confused but also homesick as it his this very first full-on encounter with the modern world as it’s really cramped but also has some wide scenery where Apu looks at the River Ganges again. Its ending isn’t just another end to a phase in Apu’s life but also the end of Apu as a child and him becoming a man whose roots he has to break away from. Overall, Ray crafts a very evocative yet rapturous tale of a boy becoming a man.
Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the beauty of the exteriors set in the River Ganges that has this pristine yet naturalistic look to some of the scenes set at night that features some unique lighting with its usage of candles and oil lamps. Editor Dulal Dutta does excellent work with the editing in utilizing some stylish dissolves and rhythmic cuts to play into the drama as well as a few montages that play into Apu‘s progress as a student. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does fantastic work with the look of the village home in Mansapota as well as the interiors of the homes Apu would live in during his time in Calcutta and at Varanasi.
Sound recordist Durgadas Mitra does superb work with the sound in capturing many of the atmospheric moments in the Mansapota village to the raucous sounds that happens in Calcutta and Varanasi. The film’s music by Ravi Shankar is amazing for its traditionally-based Indian music filled with ferocious sitar playing and string arrangements along with layers of percussion instruments that play into key moments of the drama along with more somber pieces in the quieter moments.
The film’s phenomenal cast includes notable small roles from K.S. Pandey, Meenaski Devi, and Chadruprakash Ghosh as fellow neighbors in the apartment building, Moni Srimani as a school inspector who is impressed with the young Apu’s reading, Hermanta Chatterjee and Anil Mukherjee as a couple of Apu’s Calcutta schoolteachers, Kalicharan Roy as Apu’s boss at a printing press, and Subodh Ganguli in a superb performance as Apu’s headmaster at the Mansapota village school who sees the potential in the young Apu. Ramani Ranjan Sen is fantastic as Sarbarjaya’s uncle Bhabataran who would help Apu and his family find a home after a life-changing event in Varsani.
Kanu Banerjee is excellent as Apu’s father Harihar who returns to his job as a priest as he also tries to keep spirits high while coping with the demands of his job. Karuna Banerjee is amazing as Sarbarjaya as Apu’s mother who doesn’t just deal with the new living situations but also loss and loneliness where she and Apu bond during their time in the village despite the fact that she couldn’t bear the idea of him leaving to Calcutta. Finally, there’s Pinaki Sen Gupta and Smaran Ghosal in remarkable performances in their respective roles as the young and teenage Apu with Gupta providing a sense of energy to his role as the 10-year old Apu who deals with not just loss but also big changes while Ghosal brings a determination but also a sadness as the teenage Apu who is torn with being with his mother and broadening himself to become a man.
Aparajito is a sensational film from Satyajit Ray. Featuring a great cast, beautiful cinematography, a premise that is heart wrenching, and a sumptuous soundtrack. The film is definitely a coming-of-age story that manages to be very realistic but also engaging. In the end, Aparajito is a spectacular film from Satyajit Ray.
Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - (Parash Pathar) - The Music Room - Apur Sansar - Devi - (Teen Kanya) - (Rabindranath Tagore) - (Kanchenjungha) - (Abhijan) - The Big City - Charulata - (Two) - (Kapurush) - (Mahapurush) - Nayak - (Chiriyakhana) - (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) - (Aranyer Din Ratri) - (Pratidwandi) - (Sikkim) - (Seemabaddha) - (The Inner Eye) - (Ashani Sanket) - (Sonar Kella) - (Jana Aranya) - (Bala) - (Shatranj Ke Khilari) - (Joi Baba Felunath) - (Hirak Rajar Deshe) - (Pikoo) - (Sadgati) - (Ghare Baire) - (Sukumar Ray) - (Ganashatru) - (Shakha Proshakha) - (Agantuk)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) is the story of a young boy living in rural Bengal with his poor family as he endures poverty, social changes, and tragedy in the course of his young life. Written for the screen and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is the first of a trilogy of films that follows the life of a boy named Apu who would grow up in the years living in India. Starring Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Uma Dasgupta, Chunibala Devi, and Tulsi Chakrabarti. Pather Panchali is a tremendous yet heart-wrenching film from Satyajit Ray.
The film is a simple coming-of-age story about a young boy named Apu (Subir Banerjee) from his birth to encountering death, hunger, poor living conditions, and everything else in a small rural village in Bengal where his family struggle to make ends meet. Satyajit Ray’s script doesn’t really have much of a plot despite a traditional three-act structure that plays into Apu’s growth as a boy and his relationship with his older sister Durga (Uma Dasgupta) who would be a maternal figure of sorts for him. While Apu’s mother Sarbajaya (Karuna Banerjee) and father Harihar (Kanu Banerjee) deal with mounting debts, lack of resources, and having to care for Harihar’s aging cousin Indir (Chunibala Devi). It adds to a family dealing with little of what they have with Harihar struggling to find work as he often has excuses about not doing this or that which adds to a lot of frustration for Sarbajaya. Other issues include accusations from the family’s neighbor over Durga stealing fruit from their orchard which she often gives to Indir while Apu is just a child just trying to understand everything around him.
Ray’s direction is very mesmerizing for not just the beauty of the locations but also in creating something that feels very real in a world that is very different. Shot largely on location in Boral near Calcutta, India, the film does play into this world of rural India where it is poverty-stricken as well as being sort of removed from modern society. Especially a scene in the fields where Durga and Apu look at these towers with wires as it indicates it’s near a railway as the train is a glimpse into the modern world which they’re removed from. Ray’s compositions definitely range with its intricate usage of wide and medium shots to not just capture the location but also create some intimacy such as a typical night in the life of this family where despite their social status. They are together and always doing something together no matter how little money or food that they have.
Ray’s usage of close-ups are also evident as it plays into how everything is being seen from Apu’s perspective as this young boy who is coming of age as he is surrounded by trees and living a home that is often falling apart. Ray would also infuse things that play into a boy’s own sense of innocence as he, like any child, is someone that wants sweets and to participate in things that every other child is doing or seeing. Notably as he would encounter things that might be too complicated for a child to understand such as some of the events in the third act when his father has to go to the city to find work and is away for months. It has this air of realism of what Apu would see and what his mother would be doing but also the tragedy that he would encounter as the film’s ending marks the end of not just his innocence but also the end of a certain moment in his life. Overall, Ray creates a very compelling yet rapturous film about the life of a family in Bengal from the eyes of a young boy.
Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does incredible work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it has this air of naturalistic quality into the lighting for many of the scenes set in the day while the scenes at night also has something that is real where Mitra would use some additional lights to play into the beauty of those scenes. Editor Dulal Dutta does excellent work with the editing by using some dissolves and rhythmic cuts to play into the dramatic moments of the film as well as some of the very intense moments. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does fantastic work with the look of decayed home of Apu and his family from the brick wall that is full of holes to the shacks that look like they‘re going to fall apart that is in contrast to the home of their neighbor which looks like it‘s been taken care of with numerous repairs.
Sound recordist Bhupen Ghosh does amazing work with the sound to capture many of the moments in the film‘s location from the sounds of nature to the sounds of the train in the train scene. The film’s music by Ravi Shankar is brilliant for its traditionally-based Indian music filled with sitars and various percussions along with some string-based pieces that includes additional music by the film’s cinematographer Subrata Mitra.
The film’s superb cast features notable small roles from Hardihan Nag and Binoy Mukherjee as a couple of village elders, Kshirod Roy as a priest, Harimohan Nag as the village doctor, Roma Ganguli as Durga’s friend Ranu, Haren Banerjee as a sweets seller, Tulsi Chakraborty as Apu’s schoolteacher, Aparna Devi as a kind and helpful neighbor who offers to help Sarbajaya, Reba Devi as the mean neighbor who is always angry at Durga stealing a fruit from her orchard, and Shampa “Runki” Banerjee as the young Durga. Chunibala Devi is excellent as the elderly Indir as a woman who could barely walk as she is someone that craves fruit and often encourages Durga to steal while being a nuisance to Sarbajaya.
Uma Dasgupta is brilliant as Durga as a young teenager who would be the maternal figure for Apu as she helps him get food and such while showing him the ways of the modern world as she also copes with growing up. Kanu Banerjee is amazing as Apu’s father Harihar as a kind-hearted man that means well but his unwillingness to take advantage of opportunities and desires to become a writer only to take action in order to provide for his family. Karuna Banerjee is fantastic as Apu’s mother Sarbajaya as a mother who copes with her surroundings and trying to keep the house afloat only where she becomes frustrated by the lack of progress in her home. Finally, there’s Subir Banerjee in a phenomenal performance as Apu Roy as a young boy who deals with his surroundings and the events in his life as it’s a very lively and innocent performance that is very natural but also full of wonderment considering what the child goes through as he comes of age.
Pather Panchali is an outstanding film from Satyajit Ray. Armed with a great cast, a powerful story, and amazing technical work, the film is truly a coming-of-age tale that manages to be so much more as it plays into the world seen from the eyes of a young boy in India. In the end, Pather Panchali is a magnificent film from Satyajit Ray.
Satyajit Ray Films: Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) - The Music Room - Apur Sansar - Devi - (Teen Kanya) - (Rabindranath Tagore) - (Kanchenjungha) - (Abhijan) - The Big City - Charulata - (Two) - (Kapurush) - (Mahapurush) - Nayak - (Chiriyakhana) - (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) - (Aranyer Din Ratri) - (Pratidwandi) - (Sikkim) - (Seemabaddha) - (The Inner Eye) - (Ashani Sanket) - (Sonar Kella) - (Jana Aranya) - (Bala) - (Shatranj Ke Khilari) - (Joi Baba Felunath) - (Hirak Rajar Deshe) - (Pikoo) - (Sadgati) - (Ghare Baire) - (Sukumar Ray) - (Ganashatru) - (Shakha Proshakha) - (Agantuk)
© thevoid99 2016
