Pather Panchali
Ray made a huge impact by documenting India as it really was - impoverished, medieval in the availability of its resources, and populated by people with the same basic needs as Europeans and Americans. This film isn't for everyone, but if you have an interest in film history then you will want to check this out.
Apu (Subir Banerjee) is the youngest child of a family living in crippling poverty in India's West Bengal region. Through his eyes we watch as his troubled mother struggles to hold the family together whilst his downtrodden father disappears for long stretches of time looking for work. The film isn't all heartache and famine though, with Apu we experience all the wonderment and mischief of a childhood - the strict schoolteacher, chasing the candy man, stealing fruit from the neighbour's garden, games with his wiley older sister, etc. Ray creates an energetic portrait of this family in hardship and squeezes an emotional response out of the viewer by immersing them so completely in Apu's childhood. One highlight to look out for is the introduction of Apu-the-child, starting with a shot of his sister forcing his eye open and then launching into a descriptive montage that depicts him at play.
DIRECTOR: Satyajit Ray
WRITER/SOURCE: Script by Satyajit Ray, based on the books Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee.
KEY ACTORS: Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Subir Banerjee, Runki Banerjee, Chunibala Devi
Aparajito
I have to admit that I'm finding these Ray films a bit of a drag to watch. From an anthropological or historical viewpoint it's fairly interesting, but in terms of stimulating modern entertainment it's a big ask to give these films an objective thumbs up.
Aparjito takes place some years after Pather Panchali, following Apu into his teenage years in pre-modernised 1920s India. His family's home is now less of a hovel, they have running water and are able to get things from a shop, but it still isn't ideal. This is a time and place where a simple trip to the shop can put you on your arse in terms of disease and poor living conditions. After the premature death of Apu's father, his mother finds that her role must change if they are to survive. Apu is in search of an education, and once he goes to school he shines. It throws his world wide open, especially after he is given books about the world to read (which leads to a montage that transitions him from energetic child to a shy and conscientious young man). His mother acts a bit selfishly when he wants to take this education further by travelling to the big smoke (Calcutta) where he can go to university, and this forms much of the dramatic thrust of the film's later section.
Once Aparajito moved Apu from childhood into the teenage years I became a bit more interested, there are elements of the bildungsroman in his travel from country to city and the fact that he displays an artistic sensitivity. I did feel bad for him at the end of the film, it's quite an unexpected blow for him to end up so isolated, but this film mostly continues on in much the same semi-documentarian fashion as Pather Panchali, and that will make it a hard watch for the more casual viewer.
DIRECTOR: Satyajit Ray
WRITER/SOURCE: Script by Satyajit Ray, based on the book Aparajito by Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee.
KEY ACTORS: Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Pinaki Sengupta, Smaran Ghosal, Subodh Ganguly
The World of Apu
This is it, this is the one that justifies this long journey. At least that's the way I felt coming into it, and the film wastes no time in accelerating to Apu's adulthood with the all-grown-up Apu (Soumitra Chatterjee) bidding his college professor goodbye and recieving a glowing letter of recommendation. Overall, this film has the strongest narrative of the three films, with solid events and developments that move Apu into true manhood. He starts out as a a young writer struggling to make a living and pay his rent despite his education, and he sets his sights higher than menial work. He wants to write a great novel... but first he must live life and experience love.
Eventually he goes to his a wedding for his friend's sister but the wedding is a disaster. The bridegroom turns up insane (one of the film's most memorable moments) and Apu is asked to step in otherwise the bride will be cursed. Now that's a meet-cute! From here there's the usual whirl of triumphs and tragedies as we experience Apu's continuing life in poverty-stricken Calcutta. One of the strongest aspects of this film is Soumitra Chatterjee's performance as the adult Apu, initially an idealistic dreamer who's always laughing and curious despite his childhood hardships, and someone who will put through the ringer by the film's end. He also has the sting of pride about him too, something that the film examines in a fairly subtle and realistic manner.
It all ends with a naughty little boy and the circle of life continuing. Apu's reconciliation with his son is the moving climax of the entire trilogy, and it couldn't end in a more heartbreaking yet uplifting way. I can see the merit in this trilogy of films, they capture a world that most of us wouldn't otherwise seen, but I can't say that I would recommend them to anyone but the most hardened and hardcore of movie fans.
DIRECTOR: Satyajit Ray
WRITER/SOURCE: Script by Satyajit Ray, based on the book Aparajito by Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee.
KEY ACTORS: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty, Swapan Mukherjee.
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