last few steps and a few great films

Its coming closer and closer, the day when this journey shall end. and i realise how much i'll be taking back with me. truly each day has been a unique learning experience. right now im having the privelege of watching the amazing films ever made. theres a lot to learn from each frame. following is my review of pather panchali. enjoy.



PATHER PANCHALI
- Satyajit Ray


Pather Panchali is set in the rural Bengal of 1920s. The film is based on a family that lives in a distant village. The head of the family earns his livelihood through priesthood. He has a daughter, Durga (Uma Dasgupta) and a son, Apu (Subir Banerjee). Other than them he also looks after his wife Sarbojaya (Karuna Banerjee) and an aged cousin, Indir Thakrun (Chunibala Devi). The family struggles each day to make both ends meet as Harihar`s (Kanu Banerjee) income is meagre. But Harihar is a sort of man who can be easily exploited and his decency prevents him from asking for his own dues from his employers. As a father he dotes on Durga and Apu.

As the film proceeds the family is seen struggling for money and Harihar goes away to the city to earn more. With passing time less and less is heard from him by the family. In the meantime monsoon arrives and Durga gets herself drenched in rain. The already suffering family faces tragedy as Durga dies of fever on a stormy night. As the film nears its end the audience sees Apu brushing his teeth, combing his hair and doing things, which till now involved his sister and mother. His mother is surprised completely. Harihar returns and shows to his wife what he has brought from the city. As he shows the Saree which he had brought for Durga his wife breaks down but her voice is lost in the sound of the `tarshahnai.` Harihar breaks down too.

Pather Panchali ends with the family moving away from the village. As the film ends the focus slowly shifts to Apu. The narrative was for so long related from the perspective of Sarbojaya and Durga. In these final moments Apu is treated by the director as an individual.

The reasons why I truly loved the film:

Because of the acting. It is the most amazing side to Pather Panchali, even more than all of Ray’s talent. So divorced is this film from the usual cinematic conjuring tricks that an unusually heavy burden falls upon the cast. They must be utterly natural without boredom. A tough assignment for a professional cast, let alone Ray's amateur one.

Because there is never the slightest doubt that we are privy to a real family. The collective acting in Pather Panchali is superb. The way in which the actors work off of each other, reacting with emotion rather than thought, is a wonder to behold. This cohesion is especially impressive where little Durga and Apu are concerned. Both kids act in a delightfully unselfconscious and unsentimental manner, larking around and running after interesting people. They behave just like "real" children, bundles of excited, selfish and devious energy. The crowning aspect here is the powerful bond of affection that exists between them, drawing Durga and Apu close; this is where Pather Panchali ventures towards the magical and evades the miserable.

Because it's interesting to note that while the film resides in a society where boys are prized over girls, women dominate Ray's vision. Though Harihar is the unquestioned head of the family, his absence ensures that Sarbojaya wields the power. She cements them together, against the blows of existence, while all Harihar does is earn too-little money and waste it on tobacco. In some respects he is similar to Indir, a part of the family but not quite in the inner circle. Luckily Indir has presence, a cranky and cunning spirit, to make up for her physical failings. Towards the end Karuna Banerjee shoulders the family’s needs almost alone; her performance of desperation and hope has astonishing clarity for such depth.

Because of the most important character in the film is Durga - one that is very close to nature. Durga is Nature. Ray shoots her almost always amidst flora and fauna. She roams freely through the woods, groves, rice fields and in the rain without anyone stopping her. She is intrigued by man-made objects like locomotives and telegraph poles. Why, she even passes away after getting drenched in the rain.

Because of the last twenty minutes of Pather Panchali. It was life on celluloid. As the monsoon season takes over summer, skies darken and a breeze picks up. As the surface of the water starts pulsating, flies and other minute life forms gather over it. One wishes that this scene never ends.

Because Pather Panchali appeals directly to the sub-conscious. Hypnotic may be the proper word. Throughout the film, there is almost no shot where life is not seen. We always see some life form or the other playing around on the screen. Dogs, cats, cattle and humans galore, Pather Panchali is a film that overflows with vitality.

Because even though there is a lot of life in the frames of the film, the standout trope in it is death and decay - Durga’s, Indira’s, their house’s. Life exists in Pather Panchali only to be undercut by stronger forces. Life is not the focus but the epiphenomenon, a mere tool to underscore the frightening power of other things that control it.



When Ray depicts this depressing conclusion; the sharp edges of tension, surprise and terror that tear through the fabric of Pather Panchali grow naturally from within the story. Events happen, then the consequences; destiny, good or bad, comes to be inescapable. What makes Pather Panchali more than just a lyrical work of fiction is that Ray addresses universal concerns; how families deal with random catastrophe, how people unwittingly hurt one another, how parents love their children unconditionally. Yet as insightful as Ray is to the reality of rural India, a place of little opportunity, there's a distance between audience and cast. For viewers suckled on the primary emotion of Western cinema, Ray's undemonstrative and muted approach can fail to make an impact. Combined with Ray's extensive use of symbolism, some of which is sure to go over foreign heads, Pather Panchali may seem less than the sum of its critical acclaim.