Martin Scorsese's virtual address at IFFI Goa was a tribute to the greatness of Satyajit Ray and how the auteur had influenced and inspired him.
Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese was honoured with the first ever Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement award at the opening ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Hungarian filmmaker Istevan Szabo was also conferred the same honour. Though the two directors did not attending the festival, their pre-recorded messages were played at the opening ceremony.
Scorsese’s monologue was a tribute to the greatness of Ray and how the auteur had influenced and inspired him. He said, “I cannot tell you how proud I am to be receiving an award named after Satyajit Ray. Ray is one of my masters, he is one of the filmmakers whose work I have returned to over the years in my life. My love for his work began when I saw Pather Panchali, it was a revelatory experience for someone growing up in the West. This was opening a whole new world to me…"
“His use of music was one of the most influential for me in my films. I actually found a record of improvisations of Pather Panchali by Ravi Shankar and took it to my parents at home in New York. They were working class people who had never heard this kind of music before. They really enjoyed it," he added.
The Hollywood legend continued, “I keep his films with me all the time, and when I need to focus I go back to them. I have all of them, some I haven’t even seen yet, there are so many…. One of the most impactful films I showed my daughter Francesca when she was 12 or 13 was Pather Panchali, and I know it changed the way she perceives the world and different cultures. She is 22 now… So I thank you, Satyajit Ray and the Indian film industry. I was only there in 1996, I would love to go back."
Pather Panchali adapted from a classic novel by the Bengali writer Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay. It Begins in a rural Bengali village where a priest & his wife struggle to raise their daughter and young son Apu. The family is never very far away from starving but still, they managed to appreciate life. Their wishes are very simple and true to the situation. Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali considered of the best debut films ever. It is the first part of Apu's Trilogy which is also considered one of the greatest film trilogies. The film is a true example of presenting humanity. It's beautifully portraited rural life and the perils and pitfalls of poverty. Ray shows the world through the innocent eyes of his protagonist Apu. The family edges closer to financial ruin, but Apu’s eyes are full of dreams. The characterization in the screenplay reduces the pace of the film quite a bit, but it is a technique to engages the audiences. For me, the most moving character was the ancient aunt who is waiting to die but wishing to live every day fully. From my point of view, this film is so simple yet so complex in emotions. It's competently made through realism, poetic & beautiful in its simplicity. It is eternal in nature and not really confined to a particular family, time, or place, it brings out the very real and everyday story of millions in similar surroundings in Bengali society. This is a movie that leaves you filled sweet and melancholy emotions after you have finished watching. Hat's off to Mr. Ray for this immortal gift.
Pather Panchali is titled as “Song of the little road” in english. The film is literally the song of the little road i.e. in the endless phase called “time” your life is simply a small portion. Or a little road occupying a very small part of the infinite length of ribbon on which generations walkthrough. And there’s a song supplemented, a song that celebrates/labels birth, joy, peace, love and at the same time also refers to death, sorrow. A song whose lyrics are bittersweet, whose tune is melodious, adorable and melancholic. That is what Ray has implanted in his debut. It is about the simple lifes of a family dreaming of a better life from the grounds of poverty, yet enjoying the simple pleasures of life in the chaos. Ray gently pricks the conscience of humans through his aesthetic and authentic drama, leaving out to the viewers to judge ‘what is good & what is bad’ in the miserable and innocent lives of the same human race but from the ignored and insignificant portion. The story is set in a rural village of India of the 1910s backdrop, that captivates the viewer with its own beauty and own kind of life. The storytelling style was inspired by italian neorealism, more specifically from the films Vittorio De Sica and James Renoir. That style later turned out to be Parallel Cinema in India.
Pather Panchali was released on 26 August, 1955. It is a powerful portrayal of human emotions and their delicacy. The film is an open to interpretation film . One can derive many interpretations from the same single story. Your interpretation will reflect yourself and your social empathy. Ray uses symbolism and lyricism to make his work more communicative and effective, surprisingly with more non-verbal drama. Though the film is based on the characters of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same name, Ray has made the characters more deeper and with relatable traits. With rich aura of countryside and it’s objects starting from village elders to innocent kids, from religious gatherings to street dramas, from artists to mobile sweet vendors, from sacred ponds to barren lands, from perished huts to newly built railway line, the village is a complete world with no reference of urbanization or pro-active intelligence. It humbly pushes away intellectuality and enjoys under the shade of conventional and simple human life, far away from right & wrong doings.
If you can closely observe the ending, I have a set of interpretations, “Though Durga is a
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After spending the last few months immersed in the Best Bollywood Film soundtracks of all time, I wanted to share my review of some of the best Indian movies of all time. These are the movies which made me laugh, cry, feel pride, horror, happiness, which entertained me and sometimes made me think. Just like my top 100 soundtracks list, it was equally if not even more challenging to list my top 10-20-30 movies with so many masterpieces released over the decades. So here is my list of the best 100 Indian movies of all time in no specific order. These are movies which entertained millions and even more importantly influenced generations of movie makers and cinema lovers.
There is only one way to start this journey of discovering and reviewing my favorite movies - With one of the most influential directors from India whose neo-realistic story telling style and masterpieces from his debut with Apu Trilogy to his final masterpiece Agantuk (The stranger) have not only influenced Indian but global film audiences and directors. The Japanese Maestro Akira Kurosawa once said, "Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon”. Satyajit Ray received 36 National Film Awards, an Honorary Oscar, the only honorary award ever given at Cannes, a Golden Lion, a Golden Bear, Dadasaheb Phalke, France’s Legion of Honor, Padma Bhushan, Bharat Ratan and many many more for his illustrious career. I discovered the magic of Ray a few years ago when I decided to watch the 36 movies he directed during his time on earth. I experienced a true roller coaster of emotions on this journey as Ray told some amazing stories on screen and somehow managed to capture humanism unlike any other on celluloid. Any of Ray’s movies would be fitting to start this top 100 movie list but I will start at the same place where the master started his Journey. His first masterpiece - Pather Panchali.
Pather Panchali - Song of the little Road (1955)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Produced by Government of West Bengal
Starring - Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Uma Dasgupta and Chunibala Devi
Written by Satyajit Ray (Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel)
Music by Pandit Ravi Shankar
Budget/Box Office - Rs 1 Lac/Rs 10 Crore
Awards - National Award, Cannes Film Festival Award, Golden Laurel, BAFTA Nomination etc
IMDB Rating - 8.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating - 97%
My Rating - 10/1
Pather Panchali is a movie that remains not just personally beloved but also, has been a movie that has been appreciated across the world since it first came out. One of the reasons it has been so universally adored is because it presents an intricate study of the human which transcends time and boundaries. One of its most endearing qualities is the depiction of childhood in the midst of the harshness of adult realities. Ray also posits Apu as an observer of the brutalities of adult life. This he does through the close-ups of the young actor’s face as he observes the daily cruelty that surrounds his impoverished life.
One of the most beloved scenes, that is constantly talked about, is the train sequence. It is the epitome of childhood curiosity and wonder that lies at the heart of the movie. The long sequence with almost no dialogue masterfully documents the awe that the children feel as they encounter a wider world that that had hitherto existed only in the periphery of their knowledge, in the distant whistling of the passing train heard from their house. By shifting the camera from the children to focus on the train and the lingering smoke it leaves behind, Ray makes the audience a part of the wonder felt by the children. This train sequence has captivated other brilliant filmmakers like Scorsese, who recalls the scene in distinctly even though he had watched the film in high school (qted. in Mazumder, thequint.com). Wes Anderson would pay a tribute to the scene in his movie The Darjeeling Limited (Roisin, indiewire.com).
When Pather Panchali first opened in Indian cinemas it soon became a favourite among the Bengali audience. After all, there was something quintessentially Bengali in the story, especially in its depiction of Durga Pujo and Jatra theatricals. However, while culturally it is a movie entrenched in Bengal, emotionally it transcends boundaries. Its depiction of innocence, joy, suffering, and hardships are something that can be fathomed without any cultural context. It is this universality of emotions that joins people together across time, culture and space in their appreciation of the movie.
Click here if you want a more in-depth analysis of the movie
Its surprisingly difficult to find simple stories like this one. Rural bildungsroman, possibly impoverished subjects, with a simple narrative unmarked by politics (unlike The Kite Runner, To Kill a Mockingbird) and an author in complete control of child psychology.
Looking for sincere coming of age books in rural (preferably asian) communities. Thanks!
I have been wanting to tackle the Apu trilogy for quite some time now, but have been waiting for a Criterion sale to get them. Well, after last week's sale, I finally bought the trilogy and started it last night, and just... wow. It's like nothing I've ever seen before.
The film treats the beauty of everyday life with the same cinematic gravitas as another director would with a car chase or a shootout. Beautifully blocked shots capture all the minutia of life in the small village of Nischindipur, and Ray captures these little details so well it is almost frightening to think of how much time must've been waiting for those perfect shots. Shots of lily pads flipping in the rain, shots of snakes bursting through the surface of mossy ponds, and shots of kittens playfully wrestling in the corners of the frame. These beautiful moments add up to a film that manages to show the beauty of life in a way that feels so natural, yet cinematic.
The full focus of the film is life itself, and the film ebbs and flows through the highs and lows that make up a life. Intimate moments of both great happiness and terrible sadness are the only plot this film needs, and much like the titular Apu, the film wanders and observes these moments through curious eyes. From the ceremonious reveal of grown Apu under the blanket, to the silenced pain of his father losing his daughter, the film knows when to inject a dose of cinema, and when to let the images speak for themselves.
There are many themes present throughout the film. Class struggles and the reality of poverty are touched upon without feeling melodramatic, as demonstrated by the scene where Apu and Durga. Commentary on the circular nature of life is made through beautifully blocked shots of the elderly Auntie and the children. Family is a huge subject for the film, and the struggles and sacrifices each family must make. Each theme is so naturally ingrained into the story and these characters, that you don't really understand the true gravity of them until the film is over.
"Pather Panchali" is a film that you should just let wash over you like summer rain. It's a serene work of art that captures the beauty in the minutia of life, and I am very excited to see where this trilogy goes.
Hi, I'd like to give my dad (he's Bengali) this book for his birthday as I know he hasn't read it yet. But the only Bengali edition I can find on Amazon has poor reviews and apparently has a lot of printing mistakes.
Are you aware of a good edition? It need not be fancy, just properly written.
ধন্যবাদ
After delaying for so long, I finally decided to watch Satyajit Ray's movies. His movies are the ones that put Indian cinema on the global scene. Having inspired so many western film makers (I had read somewhere Martin Scorsese was among them) one can confidently say that this movie is a hallmark of Indian cinema.
Set in a rural Indian backdrop, the movie closely follows the story of a poor family and the way they make their way in the world I don't wanna write a synopsis of the film, because this is a film better watched than read about, however, what I can say is that there probably isn't a better depiction of life as we know it than as captured in this movie. Since many of us don't belong to Ray's generation, we can still experience the simple yet heart wrenching and innocent story telling.
Satyajit Ray is a master director who can integrate photographic beauty into the process of story telling, I believe he is quite inspired from Andrei Tarkovsky. There was just so much I could relate to in the movie. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time I was watching this (except the end of course). Excepting poverty, most of the movie coincided with my own childhood. The movie did such a brilliant job of showing the beauty of the village. It showed exactly how a poor villager's life in that time would've been. The background score is phenomenal.
Pather Panchali is the first movie of a trilogy of films, called 'The Apu Trilogy' all directed by Ray, capturing the life of protagonist Apu and how he migrates from the beautiful Bengali countryside to the sprawling city of Calcutta. I'm completing the trilogy tonight itself. Here's what Akira Kurosawa, a Japanese film maker considered to be one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, said about Ray:
"The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. … I feel that he is a “giant” of the movie industry. Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon. I can never forget the excitement in my mind after seeing it (Pather Panchali). It is the kind of cinema that flows with the serenity and nobility of a big river. People are born, live out their lives, and then accept their deaths. Without the least effort and without any sudden jerks, Ray paints his picture, but its effect on the audience is to stir up
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The only reason why anime is not more mainstream is because people think it is kiddish. The roller coaster of emotions that I've gone through in these movies are a magnitude greater than the greatest movies. I think I am not alone in this thinking.
Also, I think that there is major snub against anime films in major movie awards and the main stream media does not cover it extensively, the way it does hollywood and other regional movie industries.
Pather Panchali / Satyajit Ray, 1955 / 5 STARS OUT OF 5
If you’re into Italian-neorealism, social realism, and the like, this is an absolute slamdunk. I knew I’d like it before I saw it, the only question being, How much? Like, the love couldn’t fill the Grand Canyon, which I hear is very big.
It took a minute to click for me, but in this story of the boy Apu, from birth through early childhood, you are bearing witness to two things: a family on the fringes of survival and a free-spirited angel in his sister Durga, or, if you may, a light that burns brights and burns out way too fast. Pather Panchali eschews some of the miserabilia in a way the more recent Florida Project manages it, by showing you the humanity and human resilience that exists in any community regardless of socioeconomic status. Of course, both due to ethics and, I think to an extent, aesthetics, it’s most pleasing to see people who are really struggling also find pleasure in life. For the vast majority of us fortunate enough to be in better economic circumstances - realistically, everyone who’s likely to see this movie - it is a reminder and an invitation to live. However, cruel truths will rear their heads and can crush your soul with them. By the end, Pather Panchali is for sure a tragedy.
Subratra Mitra’s cinematography is wondrous and probably sets a standard for capturing such a small, traditional settlement, as well as poverty, in the complete manner that he does. I plan on finishing the Apu trilogy, and if they are shot anything like Pather Panchali, I’ll be onboard even if the story doesn’t live up to this first installment. The shots in the orchard are particularly striking, with the camera putting enough bramble between it and the subjects to show the wildness of it, only to then explain that the fruit is forbidden Apu’s family since they sold off the orchard. Thus it is tantalizing, and when Apu’s family members walk through the orchard, it’s a symbol of their want and poverty. When we’re in the family’s home or just sitting outside it, the small estate, so to speak, fills the camera to the point you feel trapped, oppressed. The film has some beautiful wide shots of the common trails the people walk and the countryside, but the family’s place is distinct in how you feel when you are there, especially as it crumbles around you.
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