Runtime: 125 minutes
Directed by: Satyajit Ray
Starring: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Chunibala Devi, Uma Das Gupta, Subir Bannerjee
From: Government of West Bengal
I hope I am not the only one who at first thought this was called Panther Panchali.
The Criterion Channel is back in my rotation and as May 2 would have been Satyajit Ray's 100th birthday, it was about damn time I finally saw a film from a legendary director, one beloved on sites like Letterboxd. It was remarkable that this turned out to be a great movie considering it was a first time director, a crew with little experience, and a cast of mainly amateurs. But a great movie this is, one that from description could have been a dour 2 hours... real drudgery to get through.
Thankfully, this movie done in a neorealistic style was actually warm and humanistic despite the hardships the main characters experience-which was abject poverty. Young boy Apu has various women that shape his life, including his older sister Durga and his mother Sarbajaya. His dad is rather feckless so it's mom who rules the roost. The movie is from Apu's perspective so the viewer experiences the joy at various things he discovers from the first time. But bad things do happen... no spoilers on what I am referring to.
It'd be a crime to reveal much more but overall this was incredibly realistic and always felt natural. This and an ace score from a then-unknown Ravi Shankar helped make this such a rewarding journey filled with unforgettable moments even through all the heart-wrenching moments. It may take many months but eventually I'll see the other two movies in the Apu Trilogy. No doubt, this is one of the best debut films ever made.
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