2022 Blind Spot Series: Devi

 

Based on a short story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Devi (The Goddess) is a landlord who is convinced that his daughter-in-law is a reincarnated version of a goddess as his delusions become troubling. Written for the screen and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is an exploration of fanaticism in late 19th Century India where this young woman is caught in the middle of a conflict involving religious ideals and the emergence of rational, modernist ideals. Starring Chhabi Biswas, Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Purnendu Mukherjee, Karuna Banerjee, Arpan Chowdhury, Anil Chatterjee, Kali Sarkar, and Mohammed Israil. Devi is a mesmerizing and entrancing film from Satyajit Ray.

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

2020 Blind Spot Series: The Big City

Based on the stories Abataranika and Akinchan by Narendranath Mitra, Mahanagar (The Big City) is the story of a woman who decides to get a job to support her family much to the protests of her bank-clerk husband amidst the struggles of their working class life. Written for the screen, scored, and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is a study of a woman trying to find her own identity in the modern world during a time of social change in India. Starring Anil Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Jaya Bhaduri, Haren Chatterjee, Sefalika Devi, Prasenjit Sarkar, Haradhan Banerjee, and Vicky Redwood. Mahanagar is a riveting and evocative film from Satyajit Ray.

The film follows a family as a housewife decides to take a job to help her family despite her bank-clerk husband’s reluctance as he believes a wife’s place is in the home amidst social changes around them in Calcutta. It’s a film that is set during a time in Calcutta where cities were becoming bigger as this middle-class family is trying to adjust to these changes with the bank clerk’s parents struggling to comprehend everything as his father feels out of step with the changing times. Satyajit Ray’s screenplay follows a simple and straightforward narrative of this family who lived in a cramped home nearby Calcutta as Subrata Mazumdar (Anil Chatterjee) is a bank clerk who is doing well but not enough for his family that includes his wife Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee), their young son Pintu (Prasenjit Sarkar), Subrata’s teenage sister Bani (Jaya Bhaduri), and his parents in Sarojini (Sefalika Devi) and his father in former professor Priyagopal (Haren Chatterjee). Arati suggests in taking a job to help out though Subrata isn’t sure while Priyagopal isn’t fond of the idea.

Taking the job as a door-to-door saleswoman, Arati would find happiness in her work while befriending the Anglo-Indian colleague Edith (Vicky Redwood) who isn’t given a great reputation by their boss Mr. Mukherjee (Haradhan Banerjee) while Arati’s family is also disapproving of the friendship. It’s a small subplot in the film that play into Arati’s own independence as it makes Subrata insecure as he thinks about getting a second job while his father isn’t immediately fond of Arati’s success as he turns to old students for help as he prefers not to speak to his son. Much of these stories take place during the first half of the film as Ray explores one generation’s struggle in these changing times with the younger generation seeing the benefits of these social changes but also some of its faults.

Ray’s direction is mesmerizing for the way he presents the world of late 1950s/early 1960s Calcutta at a time of social changes as it is shot on location in areas in and around Calcutta. Much of the direction at the Mazumdar home is intimate as it play into how small the home is and how cramped to establish Subrata’s need to give his family a better life and a bigger home despite his father’s reluctance to leave. The usage of close-ups and medium shots add to these constraints while there’s looser images in the scenes in the city including the bank that Subrata works at and the posh streets where Arati would get people to buy things. Ray’s usage of wide shots and hand-held cameras add to the splendor yet overwhelming tone of the city as Arati seems to enjoy what it offers. For Priyagopal, the city is just this monster where he’s walking with a cane in need of new glasses and money from former pupils who care about him yet the atmosphere is immense for a simple man like Priyagopal. Also doing the film’s score, Ray uses elements of strings and traditional Indian string and percussive music to help play into the drama as well as creating pieces that help maintain a somber tone where Ray doesn’t dwell too much into melodrama with his music nor with the scenes he creates to play into the struggles that his characters endure.

Notably in the second half as it relates to Subrata who encounters a harsh reality of what is going on socially in Calcutta as he has to rely on his wife’s job for security but also to swallow his pride as a man. Particularly in a scene at a restaurant where he is in the background listening to Arati from afar as she is talking to a client with some lies about her husband with claims that he’s really successful. The third act is about the role of the breadwinner in the family though it’s a role that isn’t easily accepted by Arati as it relates to the fact that she has to take a lot responsibilities while dealing with how badly mistreated Edith is because she’s Anglo-Indian. It all plays into Arati not only thinking of herself but also her husband who realizes what must be done for both of them and their family to share the role of breadwinner. Overall, Ray crafts a touching and rapturous film about a middle-class family trying to adapt to changes and new prospects in Calcutta.

Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it is largely straightforward with its lighting for the scenes at night inside the Mazumdar home with some lush imagery for the exterior scenes in the day at the posh area of Calcutta. Editor Dulal Dutta does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward for much of the film with some rhythmic cutting for the dramatic moments. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does amazing work with the look of the homes that the Mazumdar family live in as well as the more refined homes of Priyagopal’s students and the building where Arati works at. The sound work of Atul Chatterjee, Debesh Ghosh, and Sjit Sarkar do superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as the array of sounds surrounding the city to play into its overwhelming nature in contrast to the more subdued posh areas in the city and at the home of the Mazumdar family.

The film’s incredible cast feature notable small roles that include Bibhuti Banerjee, Shyamal Ghosal, and Shailen Mukherjee as a trio of former students of Priyagopal that help him out, Haradhan Banerjee as Arati’s boss Mr. Mukherjee, Prasenjit Sarkar as Subrata and Arati’s young son Pintu, Jaya Bhaduri as Subrata’s teenage sister Bani, Sefalika Devi as Subrata’s mother Sarojini, and Vicky Redwood as the Anglo-Indian Edith whom Arati befriends as she endures prejudice and questions about her background and worth as a saleswoman. Haren Chatterjee is fantastic as Subrata’s father Priyagopal as a former professor who refuses help from his daughter-in-law in his belief to do things himself despite being an old man while feeling ashamed that Arati is the breadwinner as it plays into a man whose ideals have now become irrelevant.

Anil Chatterjee is remarkable as Subrata as a bank clerk who was the primary breadwinner of his family as he tries to help out as he is reluctant to let his wife work only to lose some pride and later appreciation from his father where he later copes with circumstances beyond his control. Finally, there’s Madhabi Mukherjee in a phenomenal performance as Arati Mazumdar as a housewife who decides to take a job to help her family where she finds a sense of freedom and sense of pride while dealing with some of its faults as well as injustices around her as it is a radiant and graceful performance from Mukherjee.

Mahanagar is an outstanding film from Satyajit Ray that features great performances from Anil Chatterjee and Madhabi Mukherjee. Along with its themes of social changes as well as women’s role in these changes as well as its visuals and Ray’s eerie music score. The film is a fascinating study of social changes that is emerging in late 1950s/early 1960s India and how women prosper with these changes despite some of its faults as well as its look into racism towards mixed-races in the country. In the end, Mahanagar is a tremendous film from Satyajit Ray.

Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) – The Music Room - Apur Sansar - Devi – (Teen Kanya) – (Rabindranath Tagore) – (Kanchenjunghar) – (Abhijan) – Charulata - (Two) – (Kapurush) – (Mahapurush) – The Hero (1966 film) - (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 2020

2018 Blind Spot Series: The Hero (1966 film)

Written, directed, co-edited, and music by Satyajit Ray, Nayak (The Hero) is the story of a movie star being interviewed by a journalist on a train as he deals with his persona and status just as he’s traveling to receive a major award. The film is a study of a movie star as he looks back on his life and career as he’s also facing his first major failure as well as the image that he’s created. Starring Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Bireswar Sen, Nirmal Gosh, Premangshu Bose, Somen Bose, Sumita Sanyal, Ranjit Sen, and Bharati Devi. Nayak is an evocative and riveting film from Satyajit Ray.

A film star is traveling to Delhi via train to receive a major film award as he is also dealing with the scandal and the release of a new film that is likely to be a flop where he meets a journalist who is trying to get something for her women’s magazine. It’s a film that is told in the span of 24 hours as it play into a man that has to take a train to Delhi due to unavailable flights where he meets an array of passengers on the train as well as think about his past and other aspects of his life. Satyajit Ray’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a structure as much of the film is set in a train though it begins at a hotel where the film star Arindam Mukherjee (Uttam Kumar) is talking with his manager Jyoti (Nirmal Gosh) who is trying smooth things over. On the train, Mukherjee meets other passengers including a family that is staying in his compartment while an editor/journalist in Aditi Sengupta (Sharmila Tagore) is interested in interviewing him for her fledgling magazine. The interviews would force Mukherjee to think about past events in his life as well as a couple of surreal dreams that play into the decisions he’s made in his life.

Ray’s direction does have a flair for style in the two dream sequences the film has yet he maintains an air of simplicity into his direction as well as shooting scenes on a train. While there’s some wide shots in some of the locations, much of Ray’s direction is intimate to play into the somewhat-claustrophobic feel of the train compartment and dining cars. There aren’t a lot of movements inside the train as Ray would use close-ups and medium shots to establish the setting as well as a reaction of the characters in scenes that add to the drama. For Mukherjee, Ray would create scenes that play into this man’s larger-than-life persona where he arrives to station or at a stop with people wanting his autograph yet he is given a chance to be himself at the compartment he’s sharing with a family. Ray would also play into the sense of isolation that would occur in not just Mukherjee who is coping with his identity. There’s also a couple whose husband is trying to get to know a businessman with the wife being used as a favor for the businessman as well as Sengupta’s friends trying to get her to interview Mukherjee for the magazine.

The film would also contain sequences outside of the train as it relates to flashbacks and a couple of surreal dream sequences. The latter of which doesn’t just play into some of the regrets that Mukherjee has but also the anguish he’s dealing with as it relates to his fame. The flashback scenes has Ray showcase a man that is learning about his craft as an actor where he works with the veteran actor Mukunda Lahiri (Bireswar Sen) on his very first day as a film actor where Mukherjee copes with the disappointing experience while also wondering what his mentor in Shankar (Somen Bose) would’ve thought. Adding to the drama is flashbacks that has Mukherjee being famous where he deals with an old friend in Biresh (Premangshu Bose) who is a political activist as well as a young woman who wants to be an actress. It play into a man trying to protect his image but also one that is becoming more difficult due to his fame.

Editing with Dulal Dutta, Ray’s approach to the editing would allow him to creating some unique rhythmic cut for the surreal dream sequences along with bits of jump-cuts for scenes on the train as it help add to the drama once the film progresses into its destination. Also serving as the film’s music composer, Ray’s score with its usage of traditional Indian strings and percussions do have some somber moments in the train with its serene orchestral pieces while using heavy percussions for the dream sequence to establish the guilt that Mukherjee is dealing with. Particularly as he would converse with Sengupta about his faults and knowing that his film will fail as Ray provides a sense of humanity into a man who is being seen by nearly everyone as something larger-than-life. Overall, Ray crafts an intoxicating and rapturous film about a film star traveling to Delhi via train as an interview with a journalist forces him to look back at his journey into stardom.

Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography where it has a straightforward look for many of the scenes in the train to the usage of stylish lights for some of the flashbacks and dream sequences. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does excellent work with the look of the hotel room and homes that Mukherjee live in as well as the look of the scenes in the dream sequences. The sound work of Nripen Paul, Atul Chatterjee, and Sujit Sakar is fantastic for the way a train sounds as well some of the scenes involving crowds.

The film’s terrific cast include some notable small roles from Gopal Dey as the train conductor, Satya Banerjee as a swami who would chat with the businessman about a possible business venture late in the film, Jogesh Chatterjee as the elderly journalist who preferred silent films over the current films of the day, Subrata Sen Sharma and Jamuna Sinha as Sengupta’s friends who encourage her to interview Mukherjee, Kamu Mukherjee and Susmita Mukherjee as a traveling couple on business with the latter as the wife who feels mistreated by her husband who wants to pimp her out for business reasons, Ranjit Sen and Bharati Devi as the couple in the Bose who shares their compartment with Mukherjee, Lali Chowdhury as their fever-stricken daughter whom Mukherjee expresses concern for, and Sumita Sanyal as an aspiring actress in Promila Chatterjee who would audition for Mukherjee in a flashback as it would eventually lead to scandal for him. Premangshu Bose and Nirmal Gosh are superb in their respective roles as Mukherjee’s friends in Birish and Jyoti with the former being a political activist who wants Mukherjee to help him while the latter is Mukherjee’s manager who is trying to handle all of the issues that Mukherjee is dealing with.

Somen Bose is excellent as Mukherjee’s mentor Shankar as a man who ran a theatre group that Mukherjee was a part of while isn’t fond about the idea of cinema believing that actors are puppets in the world of film. Bireswar Sen is brilliant as the veteran actor Mukunda Lahiri as a man who doesn’t seem fond of Mukherjee on Mukherjee’s first day while being someone who has a lot of pride yet is forced to deal with his failing fortunes when he turns to Mukherjee years later for help. Sharmila Tagore is amazing as Aditi Sengupta as a journalist/magazine editor trying to find a story for her magazine where she meets and interviews Mukherjee as she tries to understand what he’s dealing with while admitting to not being fond of his films due to their lack of realism. Finally, there’s Uttam Kumar in an incredible performance as the film star Arindam Mukherjee as a movie star who is traveling to Delhi to pick up an award as he deals with his persona as it’s a performance filled with some restraint as well as a befuddlement into the way things are as it’s a performance to see.

The 2018 Region A/Region 1 Blu-Ray/DVD release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a newly restored 2K digital transfer in the film’s original 1:33:1 theatrical aspect ratio with Dolby Digital mono sound (uncompressed in its Blu-Ray release) in its Bengali language with newly improved English subtitles. The special features include a 12-minute interview with actress Sharmila Tagore from a program back in 2008. Tagore discusses working with Ray having collaborated with him in the film Apur Sansar when she was in her teens as she revealed that Ray didn’t work with the non-professional actors in the same he would direct more professional actors like Uttam Kumar whom he would give more instructions. While Kumar was a big star at the time, he was also quite humble and generous towards the less-experienced actors as Tagore revealed what Indian cinema was like before Ray which was more akin to a less realistic style. It’s a fascinating interview from someone who knew what Ray was about as well as the kind of films he’s made throughout his career.

The 25-minute featurette from film scholar Meheli Sen has her talking about the film and its importance in not just Bengali/Indian cinema but also as a major turning point for Ray’s career. While it wasn’t a commercial success, the film did showcase a new territory that Ray was going to venture into as it relates to the growing sense of modernism that was emerging in India. Even as he would provide some criticism about the film industry in India that was more of a commercial market rather than an artistic platform. Sen also discusses the collaboration between Ray and Uttam Kumar as the latter was a major film star with Bengali/Indian audiences where Kumar was given the chance to play a role he would never have done before this film. The film also has Ray comment on his views on politics and why he’s apolitical as he would express it in a scene that has Mukherjee deal with the implications of his involvement. It’s a compelling piece that explain the film’s influence as well as the fact that Ray admittedly borrowed ideas for the film from Federico Fellini’s 8 ½.

The DVD/Blu-Ray set also includes a booklet that features two pieces of text relating to the film. The first is an essay by novelist/writer Pico Iyer entitled Depths and Surfaces as it discusses the film and its themes. Iyer says the film marks the beginning of a new period for Ray as he wanted to make something more accessible but also say something about Bengali cinema and its lack of realism. Iyer also reveals that Ray was also full of contradictions about the films he’s made as it was about people in rural India yet they were seen more by people in New York City and Europe rather than the common man in India. Iyer also play into Ray’s need to maintain something real but also demystify the myths of the movie star where Iyer also talks about Kumar’s star power as he was considered a god-like figure as he took the film because he wanted a challenge and to work with Ray. It’s an essay that is riveting into the many ideas of Ray’s film.

The second text piece entitled In Memory of Uttam Kumar is a eulogy written by Satyajit Ray at Kumar’s funeral in 1980 that was transcribed for a magazine journal 12 years later. It’s an earnest piece that has Ray talk about Kumar’s talents as an actor and their collaboration together where Ray talked about the sense of restraint and charisma that Kumar had. He also talked about the myth of stardom where he says it’s an accidental as he cites Gregory Peck as an example of someone who became a star by accident despite such hesitation from film producers. Ray also talked about Kumar’s method as an actor as someone who had a sense of patience and understanding of the characters he played as well as be someone who had a way of reciting dialogue that he believes no one could do. It’s a touching piece of text that has Ray pay tribute to a cinematic figure that not many people outside of Bengali/Indian cinema would probably have heard of.

Nayak is a phenomenal film from Satyajit Ray that features tremendous performances from Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. Along with its gorgeous visuals, eerie music score, and captivating character study, it’s a film that explores a movie star dealing with his faults and the persona he’s created where he converses with a journalist who is trying to understand him. It’s also a film that has Ray exploring the complexities of iconic figures and their struggle to maintain a persona that also disconnects them from who they really are. In the end, Nayak is a spectacular film from Satyajit Ray.

Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) – The Music Room - Apur Sansar - Devi – (Teen Kanya) – (Rabindranath Tagore) – (Kanchenjunghar) – (Abhijan) – The Big City - Charulata - (Two) – (Kapurush) – (Mahapurush) – (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 2018

2016 Blind Spot Series: Apur Sansar

Based on the novels of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) is the story of a young man coping with being a writer as well as becoming a family man while struggling with himself. Written for the screen and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is the third and final film of a trilogy films that plays into the life of Apu Ray as he becomes an adult as he deals with responsibility and identity as he is played by Soumitra Chatterjee. Also starring Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty, and Swapan Mukherjee. Apur Sansar is an extraordinary and rapturous film from Satyajit Ray.

The film plays into Apu becoming an adult as he deals with finishing his studies and desires to become a writer as he later copes with tragedy and strange circumstances where he also learns about being a father. It’s a film that has Apu not just trying to find himself as a man but also see what he could as a husband and father. Satyajit Ray’s script doesn’t rely on plot but does have plot-points where the first act is about Apu struggling to find work while continuing to make something of himself as a writer. When he’s asked by a friend to attend the wedding of his cousin, Apu reluctantly goes where certain situations happens and Apu is the one that ends up being married to a beautiful young woman in Aparna (Sharmila Tagore). While the marriage starts off with some hesitation, it does give Apu more to do as well as provide Aparna a broader view of the world as their marriage is shown for its second act. By the film’s third act, tragedy occurs that would force Apu to do drastic things as it relates to not just loss but also identity as he ponders more about himself and what to do with his life.

Ray’s direction is definitely engaging for not just where the film picks up from its predecessor but also what has changed as the film is set during the period of World War II. Shot in location in Calcutta as well as parts of rural India, the film plays into a world where Apu is trying to make it in the city but is still entrenched into his rural roots. Ray’s usage of wide and medium shots capture the vast beauty of the locations but also have something that showcases a world that is ravishing in its sense of tradition but also one that is changing in what is happening in Calcutta. Ray’s usage of close-ups do play into Apu’s own sense of grief and loss in its third act while there is an intimacy for the scenes with Apu and Aparna when they arrive at Apu’s apartment. There are also bits of humor in the way the two begin to fall in love as it Ray showcases that glimpse of happiness Apu would encounter but also what would lie ahead.

The direction also plays into this sense of struggle in what would happen to Apu in the film’s second half as he tries to make it as a writer while finding work in order to provide for his family. The element of tragedy would play into this third act where Apu wanders off as if he has no clue where he is going nor what is he going to do. Ray’s compositions become much richer for scenes where Apu looks at the sun while being on a mountain as it plays to not just everything Apu lost but also wonders if the freedom that he’s gain from these losses in his life brought any meaning to them. Especially as it relates to his own son whom he had very little clue about as it forces him to ponder what role he would play for this boy. Overall, Ray creates an exhilarating yet evocative film about a man coming to terms with loss and identity.

Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does incredible work with the film‘s black-and-white photography in capturing the richness of the locations whether it‘s the rainy look of Calcutta to the more ravishing look of the mountains and jungles as well as some of the film‘s interiors. Editor Dulal Dutta does excellent work with the editing in utilizing dissolves and montages to play into the drama as well as the evolution into Apu and Aparna‘s marriage. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does brilliant work with the look of Apu‘s apartment in Calcutta to the home of his friend where he would meet Aparna. Sound recordist Durgadas Mitra does terrific work with the sound from the raucous sound of the railway station that Apu lives nearby to the calm and atmospheric sounds of the mountains and rivers. The film’s music by Ravi Shankar is amazing for its sitar-driven score that plays into the dramatic elements of the film along with some string and woodwind-based pieces that play into some of the somber and upbeat moments of the film.

The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Abhitjit Chatterjee as Aparna’s brother, Dhiresh Majumdar and Sefalika Devi as Aparna’s parents, Dhiren Ghosh as Apu’s landlord in Calcutta, and Tusar Banerjee as the man Aparna was supposed to marry on her wedding day. Alok Chakravarty is fantastic as Apu’s son Kajal who would be raised by Aparna’s parents as he has very little idea who his father is as he acts out to the chagrin of his grandfather. Swapan Mukherjee is brilliant as Apu’s friend Pulu who looks over Apu’s work as a writer to see if it’s good for publishing while being the one to introduce him to Aparna who is his cousin. Sharmila Tagore is amazing as Aparna as a young woman who reluctantly marries Apu after her first attempt in an arranged marriage falls apart where she copes with his poor lifestyle but eventually realizes his worth as she falls for him. Finally, there’s Soumitra Chatterjee in a remarkable performance as Apu as this man coping with trying to find himself while dealing with new responsibilities in his life where he later endures loss and uncertainty.

Apur Sansar is a phenomenal film from Satyajit Ray. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous images, a riveting story, and Ravi Shankar’s incredible score. The film is truly an engrossing study into the world of adulthood as well as loss and identity as it is also a fitting conclusion to a great trilogy of films. In the end, Apur Sansar is a tremendous film from Satyajit Ray.

Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) - The Music Room - 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

2016 Blind Spot Series: Aparajito

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

2016 Blind Spot Series: Pather Panchali

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

2015 Blind Spot Series: Charulata

Based on the novel Nastanirh (The Broken Nest) by Rabindranath Tagore, Charulata is the story of a housewife in late19th Century India who tries to find love and herself through art. Written for the screen, scored, and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is an exploration of a woman coming into her own during a period in pre-independence India where a woman copes with her unhappy marriage and the trappings of being a housewife. Starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Sailen Mukherjee, and Shyamal Ghosal. Charulata is a ravishing and enchanting film from Satyajit Ray.

Set in 1870s India during a Bengali Renaissance period, the film revolves around the titular housewife (Madhabi Mukherjee) who finds her own artistic voice following a visit from her husband’s poetic cousin as she would fall for him while dealing with her husband’s attempt to create a powerful newspaper for India. It’s a film that plays into not just some of the social changes that is emerging in India but also a world where there’s various people trying to find their voice in an era where they’re still being governed by the British. Amidst all of these political and social changes that is happening, it is this housewife of a newspaper editor that would find some change through meeting her husband’s cousin while dealing with the presence of her brother and his spoiled wife as the former is working with his brother-in-law.

Satyajit Ray’s screenplay doesn’t just explore Charulata’s desire to find her own voice and meaning in her life but also in a world that is changing as her husband Bhupati (Sailen Mukherjee) is hoping to give the Bengalis a newspaper of their own with a political voice. His work would definitely absorb him as he doesn’t mean to neglect his own wife because he feels like he is doing something that matters. Upon the arrival of his cousin Amal (Soumitra Chatterjee), Charulata is a little taken aback by his very lively and playful presence but is intrigued by his love of poetry and how talented he is. Through Amal’s encouragement, Charulata would find her own artistic voice through writing but also in her skill in sewing. While Charulata falls for Amal and vice versa, neither are willing to create trouble as the film’s third act plays to some misfortunate events that would affect Bhupati due to an act of betrayal of someone close Bhupati and Charulata.

Ray’s direction is very engaging not just in his approach to close-ups, zoom lenses, and compositions. It’s also in how he is able to create a drama that feels very contemporary at a time where it is about a country trying to forge its own identity. Ray’s direction has an intimacy as it plays into a typical life of an upper-class couple living in India as Bhupati uses his home as a place where he can work while Charulata would often spend time alone or with her spoiled sister-in-law. Ray’s usage of close-ups and medium shots would maintain that sense of intimacy while he knows where to frame his actors for a shot as it often used as an emotional tool. The direction also have these lively moments such as Charulata on a swing which captures everything in a close-up while there’s another shot of her in the background while Amal is lying on the ground in the foreground.

Ray also creates some dizzying imagery as it relates to Charulta’s own sense of artistic awareness in this element of surrealism that seems like it is from another memory. There are moments in the film where music help plays into the story as Ray is also the film’s music composer as he brings in some enchanting themes that would underscore much of the film’s drama. Even as he would put in songs by Baiju Bawra, Joyeb, Nidhubabu, Raja Rammohan Roy, Tansen, and the film’s original novelist Rabindranath Tagore into the mix as it help plays into the drama. Especially in its third act where betrayal and disappointment would emerge as Ray’s camera knows where to step back as well as present something where there’s an ambiguity for the film’s ending. Especially in the way he would approach the ending as it is told with such style. Overall, Ray creates a captivating yet engrossing drama about a housewife finding her voice in 19th Century India.

Cinematographer Subrata Mitra, with lighting by Satish Haldar, does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography with its approach to naturalistic lighting for the daytime scenes along with some low-key lights and moods for some of its nighttime moments including the key scene where Bhupati reveals to Amal about what happened to him. Editor Dulal Dutta does excellent work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with the exception of a dizzying montage with its inspired usage of dissolves to play into Charulata‘s own artistic growth. Art director Bansi Chandragupta does fantastic work with the look of Charulata‘s home as well as Bhupati‘s office and printing press where he does his work. The sound work of Nripen Paul, Atul Chatterjee, and Sujit Sarkar is brilliant for the sparseness of the sound as well as the way wind sounds in some of the film‘s key moments.

The film’s incredible cast include some notable small roles from Bholanath Koyal as a house servant, the musician Joyeb as a party performer, Suku Mukherjee and Dilip Bose as a couple of colleagues of Bhupati, and Gitali Roy as Charulata’s bored and spoiled sister-in-law Manda who is also attracted to Amal. Shyamal Ghoshal is terrific as Charulata’s brother Umapada who is hired to manage and watch over the finances of Bhupati’s newspaper as he is someone that is very inexperienced while being someone that Amal doesn’t trust. Shailen Mukherjee is amazing as Bhupati as a newspaper editor who unintentionally neglects his wife as he is eager to make his newspaper mean something as well as hoping for some change for India despite being under British rule at that time.

Soumitra Chatterjee is brilliant as Amal as this young poet that is eager to make as a writer with his cousin’s help as he also inspires Charulata to find her voice as he struggles with his feelings towards her and his loyalty to his cousin. Finally, there’s Madhabi Mukherjee in a radiant performance as the titular character as this housewife who feels lonely and trapped by her surroundings as she meets and falls for her husband’s cousin which would inspire her to find an artistic voice as she also copes with not wanting to hurt her own husband once his whole world begins to fall apart as it’s an intriguing and complex performance.

Charulata is an astonishing film from Satyajit Ray that features top-tier performances from Madhabi Mukherjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Shailen Mukherjee. It’s a film that isn’t just an intriguing study of change and the need to say something in a world that is changing. Especially as it plays to India trying to find its own voice years after breaking away from Britain as it manages to be so much without the need to say something politically but rather emotionally. In the end, Charulata is a spectacular film from Satyajit Ray.

Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) - The Music Room - The World of Apu - Devi - (Teen Kanya) - (Rabindranath Tagore) - (Kanchenjungha) - (Abhijan) - The Big City - (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 2015

The Music Room

Based on the short story by Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Jalsaghar (The Music Room) is the story of an aristocrat whose lifestyle is fading due to modern times as he is desperate to save the music room that he loves so much. Written for the screen and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film explores the clash between old and new ideals during the final moments of Zamindar. Starring Chhabi Biswas, Padma Devi, Pinaki Sen Gupta, Gangapada Bose, Tulsi Lahari, Kali Sarkar, Ustad Waheed Khan, Roshan Kumari, and Begum Akhtar. Jalsaghar is an extraordinary film from Satyajit Ray.

Biswambhar Roy (Chhabi Biswas) is an old aristocrat who is famous and revered for his riches as well as hosting lavish concerts in his home. With the help of his faithful servant Ananta (Kali Sarkar) and house steward Taraprasanna (Tulsi Lahiri), Roy’s parties become events for those in high society. Yet, his wife Mahamaya (Padma Devi) is concerned about the fact that he’s spending a lot of money on these parties which included a manhood ceremony for their son Khoka (Pinaki Sen Gupta). Roy doesn’t think anything is wrong until a commoner named Mahim Ganguli (Gangapada Bose) who is about to start a business in Roy’s land. Roy gives him permission as he holds another party while Mahamaya and Khoka are out visiting Mahamaya’s ailing father. Things seem fine until things in Roy’s life starts to crash.

With Ganguli becoming rich and utilizing modern equipment like trucks and cars for his business, Roy’s life has been ruined as he has closed his music room and only has Ananta and Taraprasanna around him. When Ganguli offers an invitation to Roy to attend a party that will feature a revered dancer, Roy declines only to go all out in order to usurp the man who has threatened his prestige by holding one last concert in his home.

The film is a tale of a man’s aristocratic lifestyle that is known for having these amazingly rich and private concerts where that life is threatened by changing times led by a man who actually works hard for his riches. While it’s a film that explores the world of traditional values against modern idealism, it’s really about a man’s world being changed. It’s not these new ideas of modern life such as machines that is around him but it’s also the fact that this man has neglected his duties to tend to his land where his wife warns him about weather conditions that would ruin him.

Satyajit Ray’s screenplay doesn’t have a conventional narrative as it starts off with Roy on top of his home where he seems to have lost everything as he watches the land. Then he hears music as it goes back in time where the first act is largely about his time when he was this respected aristocrat who held these lavish parties. Then the film returns to that same image of him watching the land from his roof where the second act is him dealing with the loss of his life and dealing with Ganguli’s business. While Ganguli is a genuine man who respects Roy, he has a hard time trying to attain the same kind of respect due to the fact that he is always riding in a fancy car and openly flaunt his riches. Ray’s observation into these characters as well as the world of the rich is very engaging in the way he allows the audience to figure out what are they willing to do in order to gain respect.

Ray’s direction is truly mesmerizing in his presentation of the music scenes playing in the music room to the surroundings that he uncovers to tell this story about this man and the world he lives in. One of Ray’s key approach to the direction is the way he opens the film with an image of a dangling chandelier that is the centerpiece of Roy’s music room. This chandelier would represent the spark in Roy’s life as he starts off as this revered man to a man desperate to regain an air of respectability in these modern times. The music performances would often serve as key parts of where Roy is headed in his life as he watches these performances unaware of what will follow.

The direction allows the camera to capture everything that is happening in these music scenes such as the last one where follows the dancer with a few camera movements while remaining still to her dancing. Even as he gets these rhythmic reaction shots from those watching while Ray ponders what are the reaction of the audience as they see this performance. The direction is also entrancing in its opening scene where it has Roy staring at the land from his roof as he is lost in his despair. These compositions along with the wide depth of field of the Indian landscape is definitely enchanting to watch as Ray creates a very solid and immensely rich film that explores a man’s trouble to adapt to changing worlds.

Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does an excellent job with the black-and-white photography that captures the wonderful Indian landscape for its exteriors to stylish interior shots for the music room that includes scenes when the candles are lit up and dimmed. Editor Dulal Dutta does a fantastic job with the editing by creating some rhythmic cuts to some of the reaction that occurs in the musical performances while utilizing dissolves for transitions or as montages when Ananta makes preparation for the party. Art director Bansai Chandragupta does a brilliant job with the set pieces created such as Roy’s bedroom and home to the amazing look of the music room filled with rugs, paintings, candles, and the chandelier that is in the middle of the room.

The sound work of Durgadas Mitra is pretty good for the intimacy of the interiors including the music room in the performance scenes as well as some of the exteriors at the land that Roy owns. The film’s music score by Ustad Vilyat Khan is superb as it includes a chilling opening theme filled with eerie sitar flourishes and drones while the rest of the music is a wonderful mix plaintive Indian-inspired pieces to more intense music cuts that is played during the music room concert scenes as it’s a true highlight of the film.

The cast is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it includes small roles from Begum Akhtar and Ustad Waheed Khan as two singers from different musical performances as well as Roshan Kumari as the dancer for the final musical performance of the film. Other notable small roles include Pinaki Sen Gupta as Roy’s son Khoka and Padma Devi as Roy’s concerned wife Mahamaya. Tulsi Lahari is very good as Roy’s more grounded and worrisome steward Taraprasanna while Kali Sarkar is excellent as Roy’s more loyal and resourceful servant Ananta. Gangapada Bose is terrific as the gracious but smug Mahim Gupta who wants to gain respect from Roy but also wants more than that once he becomes successful putting him at odds with people in Roy’s land.

Finally, there’s Chhabi Biswas in a remarkable performance as Biswambhar Roy. Biswas’ performance is a delight to watch from the way he feels revered for putting on such lavish concerts to the humility he endures when he faces the changing world. It’s a truly entrancing performance for the famed Indian actor as he makes a character that is simply unforgettable for what he endures.

The 2011 2-disc Region 1 DVD from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new high-definition digital restoration as part of a series of restoration for the films of Satyajit Ray. Presented in its 1:33:1 full-frame theatrical aspect ratio with Dolby Digital Mono. The film is given a presentation that allows the film to be seen in a new light after many years of not being shown in proper form while there are a few scratches and such due to the film stock that was used when Ray made the film back in 1958.

The first disc includes the film plus a few special features related to the film and Satyajit Ray. The first is an 18-minute interview with biographer Andrew Robinson entitled For the Love of Music about Ray and The Music Room. Robinson discusses Ray’s career at that time as well the motivations for making The Music Room. Robinson also discusses Ray’s gift for using music in film as well as his diverse taste that included Western classical music. Robinson points out about Ray’s mastery in observing characters while suggest that this film is a great introduction to Ray’s work.

The second interview is with noted Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. The 16-minute interview has Nair discussing Ray and the film where she revealed his influence towards her work. Notably as she revealed about Ray’s lack of popularity in India when he made those films. Nair discusses some of the visual moments of the film including the way the camera moved at the music room to see what the audience is seeing from behind. Nair also reveals her friendship with Ray in the 80s as he was her mentor and championed her first feature film Salaam Bombay! in India.

The 11-minute excerpt of a 1981 French TV program called L’invite de FR3 that features a roundtable discussion with Satyajit Ray, film director Claude Sautet, and film critic Michel Clement which is hosted by Dominique Reznikoff just before the French theatrical premiere of The Music Room in France. Sautet and Clement discussed their love for Ray’s films, including The Music Room as they asked a few questions to Ray about music and his popularity outside of India. Ray reveals his decision to make his own music for his films later on while admitting that he is baffled by his popularity outside of India.

The second disc of the DVD includes a 131-minute documentary by Shyam Benegal about Satyajit Ray made in 1984. The film is essentially a profile of Ray as he discusses his background and film career while making Ghare Baire (The Home and the World). Ray reveals about his love for films growing up while revealing what was wrong with Indian cinema in the early 50s. Throughout the film, clips of Ray’s movies are shown as Ray muses on his technique as well as how it evolved including his approach to music in film. It is a very insightful documentary that really gives a crash course of sorts on the films of Ray while learning about the man himself in his own words.

The DVD also includes a booklet that features two essays, an interview with Satyajit Ray, and a brief text about the restoration of the film. The first essay entitled Distant Music is by film historian Philip Kemp. Kemp discusses the impact of Ray in the international film scene as well as the importance of The Music Room in his career. Kemp talks about the film and its themes as well as the character of Biswambhar Roy. It’s a very illuminating essay that explores the film’s importance and why it wasn’t initially well-received in its native India due to the fact that it was so different from everything else in Indian cinema at the time.

The 1963 essay Winding Route to a Music Room is a piece written by Satyajit Ray about the film as it’s a short piece where Ray briefly discusses about the film’s production and inspiration for the film. The interview text by Andrew Robinson is a 1986 interview with Ray on the music of The Music Room. Ray talks about his collaboration with the film’s music composer Ustad Vilyat Khan as well as their approach to the music as a plot device for the film. The final piece of text in the booklet is a brief piece about the Satyajit Ray Preservation Project and the restoration of The Music Room that began in 1992. It’s a brief piece about a continuing project that is to display all of Ray’s work to the public and in a presentation deserving of Ray’s stature.

Jalsaghar is a rich and marvelous film from Satyajit Ray that features an incredible performance from Chhabi Biswas. While the film is often considered to be one of Ray’s greatest films as well as a great introduction to his work. It is a film that has a very universal story that audiences can relate to while be entranced into a world that isn’t the India that most people seem to know. In the end, Jalsaghar is breathtaking and ravishing film from Satyajit Ray.

Satyajit Ray Films: Pather Panchali - Aparajito - (Parash Pathar) - The World of Apu - 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 2012