Review of The Film "Pather Panchali"

Pather Panchali

Film Review on 23/04/2020

The movie that holds the respect of India cinema

Directed by: Satyajit Ray The realist narrative style of "Pather Panchali" was influenced by Italian neorealism and the works of French director Jean Renoir. The story deals with ; A poor Brahmin family in rural Bengal, India in the 1920s deals with life's struggles but the two children, Durga and Apu, manage to find joy in the simplest things. Director Satyajit Ray keeps a very smooth and gentle flow moving in this film. Even the smallest of situations can be made to be eventful. His camera helps us to experience the beauty of such things as a wind blowing against a field or lifting lily pads in a river. The best part of this movie was ' when Apu and Durga saw the train from the paddy field . The mood is greatly aided by the sweet musical score by Ravi Shankar especially when the sitar is played. In its sequel, " The second film, "Aparajito" (1956), follows the family to Benares, where the father makes a living from pilgrims who have come to bathe in the holy Ganges. The third film, "Apur Sansar" (1959), finds Apu and his mother living with an uncle in the country; the boy does so well in school he wins a scholarship to Calcutta. He is married under extraordinary circumstances, is happy with his young bride, then crushed by the deaths of his mother and his wife. After a period of bitter drifting, he returns at last to take up the responsibility of his son. the trilogy, tragedy strikes without warning, and Apu's real challenge is an existential one-how to go on in the face of life's fragile and temporary nature. The great, sad, gentle sweep of "The Apu Trilogy" remains in the mind of the moviegoer as a promise of what film can be. Standing above fashion, it creates a world so convincing that it becomes, for a time, another life we might have lived. The three films were photographed by Subrata Mitra, a still photographer who Satyajit Ray was convinced could do the job. "The Apu Trilogy" is a different kind of life than we are used to. The film is set in Bengal in the 1920s, when in the rural areas life was traditional and hard. Relationships were formed with those who lived close by; there is much drama over the theft of some apples from an orchard. I am blessed to watch this three movies of "The Apu Trilogy" by Satyajit Ray, which enhence me a lot. These are among the most beautiful, richly human movies ever made-essential works for any film lover. It would move even the most still of hearts, the impact is felt well after the film's conclusion. One powerful technique Ray uses is to have the camera on the faces of two people simultaneously where one is aware of the shocking event while the other is blissfully ignorant.