Description

The first in a popular trilogy of Indian films! Pather Panchali is a moving story of a rural family cursed with bad luck. The father is a dreamer, while his wife struggles to feed the family, including son Apu. When a petty thief brings tragedy to them, they must find a way to survive.Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Multiple film festival awards. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Song of the Little Road
Delicate, almost lyrical black-and-white images, offer insight into the harshness of life in a rural Bengali village. Panther Panchali is the first movie in Satyajit Ray's (1921-1992) compelling Apu Trilogy. Ravi Shankar's hauntingly beautiful music takes this movie to a mythical level.

Satyajit Ray's ability to reveal this story at a leisurely pace, all while intriguing you with the details of Indian life, keeps you captive to the last minute. Even the old stone buildings of the ancestral home seem artistic.

In the first story we find Durga stealing guavas and Apu is not yet born. As Durga's mother, Sarbajaya (Karuna Bannerjee), struggles to look after family members she is already responsible for, her relatives criticize her for her lack of leadership in the family. The auntie Indir (Chunibala Devi) takes delight in Durga's adventures and loves the gifts of bananas and guavas.

There is a comforting scene where she is seen sitting against an ancient wall while she rocks Apu in a basket hanging from the ceiling. As she sings there is a moment of serenity in this world where each day seems to be a fight for survival. Her optimistic attitude is almost heroic in the light of how she is often treated. She has much to offer her community and excels at story telling. Watch for the scene where her face is silhouetted against the wall late at night. This movie has many cinematic moments that border on enlightened creativity.

For some reason, this movie reminded me of living in Africa on a campsite/farm where we would borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbors house or wander down a path to the river. Here we find the comical "Indir" stealing chilies or other cooking supplies from Sarbajaya. Sarbajaya is overwhelmed by her own life and yet later she is faced with her own loneliness as she sinks into depression.

Apu's father, Harihar, struggles to find work although he has dreams of seeing his plays performed. He is truly an example of a beautiful soul vibrating at a higher level of creativity than those around him and yet he is forced to take on menial work just to survive.

As the story progresses Apu grows into an adorable whisp of a child and I love the scene where he and his sister walk down the well-worn path. There are scenes of dancing in the monsoon rains and while all the characters seem to be living in their own worlds, they somehow function in their community in a meaningful way. As the rains bring life back to the land, nothing can prepare you for the emotional impact of the scenes that follow.

Overall, I was impressed with the brilliance of the storytelling and how each story weaves almost effortlessly into the next. Pather Panchali is one of the rare film experiences no one should miss. Not only does it address the basics of survival in a community, it makes you think about your own role and how your choices affect everyone around you.

If you can watch Aparajito and The World of Apu in the next few days following your first viewing of Panther Panchali, your experience will turn into a complete immersion in the intriguing and exotic world of Apu. After watching the first movie, I could hardly wait to watch the second and within a day I had watched the third. These movies will leave you in the deepest of contemplation for days and not only will you find yourself lost within the minds of the characters, you will enjoy all the connections between the movies.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Beautiful and Unforgettable
Pather Panchali, a simple, moving, story of a family struggling to survive the harshness of poverty in a village in Bengal. Nothing magical, nothing remarkable, and yet their lives encompass all the varied emotions that is within us all. That is the greatness of this film. It is ageless and universal. The bond between the girl Durga and Auntie,the old old lady is sweet and moving. So is the love between the little brother Apu and elder sister Durga. The simple things that fill these children with happiness, like a passing train, transport us to the simplicity of our childhood. The song when old Auntie calls to God in the gloomy dusk, to relieve her from the burden of this earth is haunting and sad, in that we feel the utter loneliness of the old woman. Each scene, is filled with meaning and there are no artificial sounds. In one of the scenes, with Durga and Apu roaming in the fields, there is just a heavy stillness, broken just by the sound of a sighing wind. The sitar recital by Ravi Shankar when the monsoon breaks and the first drops of rain fall, with the insects dancing over the rippling lake is magical and poetic. This movie, considered the best of Satyajit's work, remains one of the best and unforgettable movies, for me.

Sony DVD of Poor Quality
This cinematic masterpiece has been brought out on DVD by "Sony Pictures Classics" and is, unfortunately, of poor quality. While I've not seen the "Criterion Collection" version being offered here, I certainly hope it's better than the Sony. What it looks like the latter has done is merely transfer the VHS version onto DVD without any digital enhancements. What a pity to do this to so fine a film. Yes, one can still get a feel for the work's quality, but it certainly doesn't help viewing a diffuse, aged print.

Still next best to the original movie
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.

Essential
Outstanding movie. DVD release not up to Criterion standards but the print quality is good. ... Read more

Description

Tale about Apu and his family, as they move to the city, where they encounter more tragedy, forcing Apu to become a man and make choices about the life he will lead. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Sarbajaya's Struggle for Meaning
This is the second film in director Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy and is best viewed after Pather Panchali and followed by The World of Apu. Harihar (Kanu Bannerjee) takes his wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Bannerjee) and their son Apu to live in Benares. Their family home has been destroyed in the monsoon and with the loss of their daughter, they are struggling to cope emotionally as well as financially.

I found this movie to be more about the struggle Sarbajaya (Apu's mother) faces on a daily basis. She is an example of a woman who has given up her desires for the good of her family. As she cares for her family on a daily basis you can see how she is sinking into the darkest of depression. Not only is she terribly lonely, she does not fully recover from the loss of her daughter. While she is surrounded by members of her immediate community, she seems to strangely isolated and alone and the unfulfilled desires of her heart seem to weave an invisible and yet debilitating cocoon around her soul.

Throughout this movie, her sacrifice becomes even more beautiful as it allows Apu to see some of his own dreams come to fruition. Apu's father makes his living reading sacred texts by the shores of the Ganges River and then suddenly falls ill. Apu must continue his education and find his own way in this harsh world.

I love the scene where Apu pretends to miss the train and when his mother worries about what they are feeding him at school. The first few scenes also show birds sitting on umbrellas and then taking off suddenly. Could this be a foreshadowing for the situation in which Apu finally finds himself? I found these movies have quite a few "foreshadowing" moments that I only recognized on the second viewing. Which is why the Apu Trilogy must be watched more than once to be fully appreciated. These are finely woven stories that deal with the deepest human issues we all must face at some point in our lives.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Essential
Good print quality; no DVD extras; the movie is outstanding.

The middle film of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy
As with the first film in Apu trilogy, I once again find myself more interested in one of the women in the story than Apu himself, although the young boy (Pinaki Sengupta) has turned into an adolescent (Smaran Ghosal) and finally has something to do. In "Pather Panchali" it was Apu's sister Durga, while in "Aparajito" ("The Unvanquished") it is his mother, Sarbajaya (Karuna Bannerjee). After the tragic death of Durga and the destruction of the family's home, Harihar (Kanua Bannerjee) has taken his wife and son to live in the big city of Benares. Harihar makes a meager living reading sacred texts by the holy Ganges River and selling herbal remedies. But when he falls ill Sarbajaya has to learn to cope on her own and takes Apu to the country, where she works as the cook for a wealthy family. Meanwhile, Apu turns out to be an excellent scholar and does well in school. Eventually he goes away to the university in Calcutta. Sarbajaya does not want her son to go, but she cannot stop him and while she waits patiently for him to come home she get sick and grows weaker.

The climax of this film comes when Apu finally learns of his mother's illness and has to decide if he will stay for his final exams or return to her side and skip the exams. Based on the novel "Aparajito" by Bibhutibhushan Banerjee, at the heart of Satyajit Ray's film adaptation is the performance of Bannerjee as a woman who has lost everything in the world except a beloved son who is to busy to even bother to write her a letter (like father, like son, for those who have seen "Pather Panchali"). This film is not as powerful as it predecessor, but that is invariably true of all middle films in a movie trilogy, and the finale, "Apur Sansar" is a great climax. However, there is also the fact that Apu is not a particularly sympathetic figure. We appreciate that he is good at his studies, but that and life in the city consume him while his mother sits at home, getting weaker, and wondering when she will see him again.

Two of the pillars on which Ray's cinematic success is based is his cinematographer, Subrata Mitra, who had been a still photographer when Ray drafted him to film these movies, and the then unknown Ravi Shankar, whose music often takes the place of voices in these films. When they gave Ray his honorary Oscar in 1992, shortly before the director's death, they cited him: "For his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures and for his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world." Individually and collectively, the Apu Trilogy certainly provides ample evidence in support of the claim.

My Favorite of the Trilogy
This was my favorite of the three Apu films, perhaps because it has the most time without prolonged misery. This film was much easier to watch than the first. If you had trouble with that film, I would recommend you first watch the 2001 NZ film Rain before moving onto this film. Rain was obviously strongly influenced by Pather Panchali.

By moving us slowly though Apu's life in the three movies, Ray shows us the world as it appeared coming out of a small rural Bengali village. In the first film, Apu's father ventured out of the village, but the cameras never did. In this film, Apu makes it to medium sized towns, and eventually to the Bengali Manhattan of Calcutta.

If you enjoyed these films, I would recommend looking up the 1960 film "A Cloud-Capped Star" by director R. Ghatak. For a look at an upscale Indian life that Apu would never see, Mira Nair's 2001 hit Monsoon Wedding is a nice antidote to Ray's brand of Dravidian misery (although I recommend watching it on DVD with the English subtitles on to ease understanding).

As to the DVD quality of Aparajito, its really no better than the VHS tapes readily available, although its nice to see that the film is at least getting some attention. Ray's "Days and Nights in the Forest" (1970) and "Distant Thunder" (1973) are also long overdue for restoration and re-release.

Uplifiting and touching...A must see.
Aparajito, or the Unvanquished, follows the life and transition of the child Apu, who is first introduced in Ray's film, Pather Panchali, to a responsible young man. This movie is about many things. About ambition and duty, about a mother's selfless love for her son, about growing up and new discoveries. We cannot but share in the wonder of the innocent and intelligent Apu, as a young man, when he comes to the big city Calcutta, from his home in the closed and remote village. Ray brings home the sad but unavoidable fact of life, that the little birds must leave their nest once they grow up to search for new horizons. Again the movie touches us all, for there is a Aparajito within us all, the undaunted soul which pushes us to strive for our dreams. This movie pays tribute to that undaunted Aparajito who is hidden somewhere within all of us. ... Read more

Description

In this final installment, Apu is forced to abandon his education. His future looks bleak until he marries an abandoned bride, beginning a new life as a husband and a father. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Named 1960’s Best Foreign Film by the National Board of Review. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Satyajit Ray concludes the his beautiful Apu Trilogy
Having lost his sister and his parents in the first two installments of "The Apu Trilogy," I made the mistake of thinking there was no one left for Apurba Roy (Soumitra Chatterjee) to lose, but Satyajit Ray proves in Apur Sansar ("The World of Apu") that such expectations are foolishness. At that start of this 1960 film Apu has left school before graduation, dreams about being a writer, and is three months behind in his rent, which forces him to sell some of his beloved books. Then Pulu (Swapan Mukherjee), an old college friend, convinces Apu to attend a village wedding. When the groom turns out to have gone insane because of the fasting and meditation in preparation for the wedding, Apu's friend suggests he become the groom so that the wedding can continue and the family's honor maintained. At first Apu dismisses the idea out of hand, but then relents because he does not want the young woman to be cursed forever, and gets married to the beautiful Aparna (14-year-old Sharmila Tagore).

The middle of the film shows the happy time when Apu and Aparna get to know each other and fall in love. Two people who were complete strangers become incredibly close as we see a simple romance that rings true in a way few in cinema ever have before or since. However, after all of the suffering and hard times we have endured to this point in the trilogy it is hard to believe that Apu has finally found happiness, and indeed tragedy follows. We are suddenly confronted with the sense that we have come full circle and that once again our hopes in this story have come down to the fate of one small boy.

Even after three films Ray's genius is in using the camera to show character. What is memorable in these films are always the moments, and not the dialogue. It is the look that characters give each other than communicates much more than the words. For those who would complain that they do like to watch foreign film because it involved reading subtitles, these films should not be a problem. Ultimately it is the cinematography of Subrata Mitra and music of Ravi Shankar that are the chief mediums of communication (the only other time I have been struck this much by a similar combination was in "Road to Perdition," where the late cinematographer Conrad L. Hall won his final Oscar and Thomas Newman was nominated).

Although "The World of Apu" can stand on its own, you would be foolish not to go back and start with "Pather Panchali" ("Song of the Road") and "Aparajito" ("The Unvanquished"). Satyajit Ray is one of the greatest directors of the world, whose impact on the film industry in India was monumental, and deservedly so. When you are working out the short list of "foreign" directors with whom you need to become familiar Ray is right there with Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman.

A true portrait of LIFE
Satyajit Ray is just perfect in this 1959 classic and the last of Apu Trilogy.

Leaving his disturbing past,Apu is now working in Calcutta.He is now alone in the world- no strings attached.He dreams to be a writer,he plays flute in his time off and he thinks he is different from any other young man-Apu lives in his dreams.He never ever wants to "settle down"-he hates that kind of a life.One day his friend Pulu comes in to his den and invited him to his sister's marriage.By some beautiful twist of fate,the groom turns out to be eccentric and Apu lands up marrying the bride(Aparna).They start a new life back in Calcutta.

Ray paints the young and funful lovelife of Apu and Aparna with some eternally beautiful scenes.Camera tells more than spoken words in this part of the movie.Apu assures Aparna on the way back from a movie show that he would dedicate the book he is working upon to Apana.

Now comes the inevitable-Aparna dies in her native place giving birth to their son Kajal.Apu couldnot believe this news--how could this happen to him again and again?He leaves Calcutta forgetting Kajal(to Apu,Kajal's existence would mean Aparna is nowhere now) although the manuscript was with him.

Apu did not want to "settle down"--now his life has been unsettled by fate-the whole world is now meaningless to him.
Now,far away from Calcutta,he roams about here and there, aimlessly,searching for peace of mind.One day in a forest,he seems to have got some meaning of his life and throws all the pages of the manuscript on air that he was still carrying and decides to lead a different life by taking up a job in coal mine.Pulu enters here once again here and Apu has to swallow a lot about his lack of responsibility towards his son.

On the other front,in Aparna's native place,the 6-year-old boy Kajal's world is strikingly different from any other boy's world of his age-while he believes his father is very strong ,very big and stays in Calcutta although he has never seen him-and he does not belive these guys who are telling that his father would never come back.But,one day his father really comes back--just to show up his "responsibilty" and not to take his son back as he's an alien to him. But,seeing Kajal's life has become a hell without a "father's presence" -Apu,perhaps for the first time in his life makes a conscious and mature decision of taking his son back with him.

The ending scene of the movie is a celebration of life--as Apu is seen laughing again and Kajal,on top of his father's shoulder,too is laughing and Kajal's eyes show the lovely dreams which reminds us of child Apu himself.The life goes on instead of ups and downs.

Apu Faces the Realities of Existence and Finds Love
In Pather Panchali and Aparajito we watch Apu grow into manhood all while he seems to be very unaware of the exotic Indian women swirling about him in all their beauty. This contributes to the subtle humor when he finds himself in a situation where he must save a family's honor.

Apu's ancestral family home has been destroyed; he has lost his sister, father and mother and is now living alone next to a noisy railway. As he faces the realities of existence, he spends his time reading, playing a wooden flute and occasionally looking for work. His job prospects are disheartening at best. His optimism is reminiscent of his father's attitude to life and he is also becoming a writer. His beauty and artistic carefree spirit is always in danger of being funneled into a life of quiet desperation.

After reuniting with his childhood friend Pulu (Swapan Mukherjee), Apu attends a wedding in which he ends up having to make decisions that changes the entire course of his life. Aparna (Sharmila Tagore) and Apu fall in love and yet can we hope that Apu has found true happiness? All hopes are soon dashed as the unthinkable occurs.

As Apu dreams of publishing his own novel, his life plays out a story of impending doom. The scene where he lifts a child from a location close to a railroad is a foreshadowing of an event that soon takes place in his own life. Finally life throws him a challenge he is not willing to face. It takes times for Apu to process the tragedy in his life and finally he is overwhelmed by grief.

Although this movie is filled with tragedy, there are moments of humor. Apu's casual defiance when he turns on the lights amused me because I'm always turning on lights and my husband is always turning them off. You will find yourself laughing at various moments throughout the Apu Trilogy.

The World of Apu is best watched after viewing Pather Panchali and Aparajito. After watching all three movies I tried to sleep for a few hours and awoke with words racing through my mind. The Apu Trilogy immerses your mind in a world of contemplation and I could not help thinking that Apu was on some journey towards enlightenment. Through his suffering he learned more than he could have ever learned through a life of leisure. Throughout Apu's life he continues to show an almost undaunted optimism and in the end he exchanges the fantasy for the reality.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Essential
The DVD release contains no extra features; the print quality is good; the movie is remarkable. Too bad Criterion didn't get the Apu Trilogy, but it is essential for film collectors nonetheless.

a criminal treatment of a classic film
i'm questioning whether they did anything at all but take the existing vhs edition and simply transfer it to dvd. compared to the vhs edition, one can still find the same scratches and grainy picture quality, the same sub-par sound, and the same embarrassingly inaccurate subtitle translations.

regardless of anything and everything, however, one should walk the desert and cross the seven seas to see this movie. 'the world of apu' is a complex study of the artist, the role of economic conditions on the artist's life, and a commentary on india's traditional marriage system. and yet, with all these topical distinctions, the movie rarely fails to do anything but touch the heart - in light or in break - in the most primitive and simple way possible.

to put things into perspective, this movie encapsulates the most beloved director, actor, actress, and musician of the bengali speaking world in 1959. and in 2003, it is one of the most beloved movies of anyone and in anywhere in the world.

'the world of apu' is not only my personal favorite of the apu trilogy, but along with the stars, the moon, and the air that i breathe - it is one of my favorite things in the world.

criterion, are you out there? ... Read more