Pather Panchali
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VHS Movie Reviews of Pather Panchali
Movie Review: Still next best to the original movie
Summary: 4 Stars
No question about the fact that the effort that went into restoring the film is laudable. The DVD disappoints somewhat on a couple of counts. Firstly, if you want to watch it again with subtitles off, just to admire the visual compositions (in Ray's own words, there's no beautiful or ugly shots...only the right and wrong ones) that went into the storytelling, it doesn't let you do so. The subtitles, can, therefore be distracting. Secondly, there are loads of material written (a lot of it by Ray himself) and filmed (like interviews, especially the ones by Lindsay Anderson, and by Shyam Benegal/Govind Nihalani) with anecdotes of how the film was shot, and which could have been included in the DVD; such are material which make a DVD a truly collectible item. But really can't complain too much ... better something than nothing.Movie Review: Essential
Summary: 5 Stars
Outstanding movie. DVD release not up to Criterion standards but the print quality is good.Movie Review: rays masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those films that never ceases to move you, even if you watch this little saga involving a poor Bengali family in the modern world that we live in today. Rays direction, Ravi Shankar's score and the utter simplicity yet the poignant imagery in this film are a tribute to the genius that was Satyajit RayMovie Review: The exquisite first film of the great Satyajit Ray
Summary: 5 Stars
Once upon a time, in the early years of the last century, a young boy named Apu lived with his poor Brahmin family in a village in Bengal. The father, Harihar Ray (Kanu Bannerjee) is a poet and a priest, who would rather think of an idea for his next play than make an effort to get the money that is owed him, and who responds to the hardships of life with the simple declaration, "Whatever God does is for the best." Consequently, he has to travel far away for long periods of time to try and raise the money his family needs to survive, to pay back their debts, and to repair the family home, which is falling down. This leaves his wife and two children to survive as best they can in this intimate and poetic film.The two things I knew about this classic Indian film before I watched it was that it was the first by director Satyajit Ray and the first in the Apu trilogy. I found the later more interesting because Apu (Subir Bannerjee) is arguable the least significant of the major characters in this film, which centers more on his mother, Sarbojaya (Karuna Bannerjee), and especially his sister, Durga (Uma Das Gupta). Durga is something of a petty theft, who is always stealing fruit from the neighborhood orchards. Her mother defends her behavior to the neighbors, pointing out that fruit does not have the name of its owner on it, but she does not know what to do about Durga, or about the family's old auntie (Chunibala Devi). Apu is a witness to some of what happens, but it is not until the end of the film that he has a scene of some importance. Even then, it is the poetry of the moment that matters more than anything Apu does, and you are left with a sense of wonder as to how Ray has crafted this film so that this relatively simple moment becomes so eloquent.
"Pather Panchali" was also known as "The Lament of the Path," "The Saga of the Road," and "Song of the Road," all of which give you a sense of the meaning and import of the title. You would be hard pressed to describe the plot of this movie in terms that would be enticing to an audience that is going to have to sit down and read subtitles for a film, but there are so many memorable moments in this film without dialogue, that being forced to read the English subtitles of the Bengali dialogue seems a small price to pay. This is about a poor rural family cursed with bad luck, and even that minor description gives no indication of the scope of this film. Even when nothing is happening, the scenes are still filled with meaning, and we never shake the feeling that we are watching real life.
After seeing this film I started reading up on Ray and the legendary story of how he made this film, it is rather unbelievable when you consider we are talking about one of the greatest "foreign" film directors of all time, right up there with Kurosawa, Bergman, and Fellini. The short version is Ray had never directed a scene, his cameraman (Subrata Mitra) was a still photographer who had never shot a film, and his young actors had been hired without tryouts. He also hired a young musician named Ravi Shankar to do the score, and the result was cinematic magic and a film debut that is unforgettable. "Pather Panchali" is followed by "Aparajito" (1957) and "Apur Sansar" (1959) in telling the rest of the story of young Apu as he grows up. I have not seen then yet, but of course I will. I just need to let the afterglow of having finally seen this film dissipate first before I move on to the next offering in the trilogy.
Movie Review: Masterwork
Summary: 5 Stars
Satyajit Ray produced this simple film set in a small village in Bengal. The story is of a Brahmin who struggles to support his family. He has to travel in a search to find something. Against his travels the story of the family is explained. The black and white photography is the work of genius. When the film was made it was as if India was introduced into the world of serious cinema. The film containes scene after scene which are unforgetable. An early work by one of the great directors of all time.
The film went on to become a triology. It is difficult to describe the sensation of seeing it. One of infinite saddness but at the same time one can not but admire its beauty.