Movie review #2

                                  Pather panchali(Song of the little road)

Pather panchali poster.Cortesy:IMDB.

Pather panchali which literally translates to 'Song of the little road' is a 1955 Bengali drama film directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of India.This movie is the directorial debut for Indian Filmmaker Satyajit Ray who later won an oscar in 1992 for lifetime achievement.
https://youtu.be/xksRC4AcEzk


                                    Plot and presentation

Satyajit Ray is famous for his screenplay and visual storytelling...this movie definitely proves the point.The movie was shot in real life locations due to a low budget.There's a legend that says none of the crew members had ever worked in a movie before(I don't know if its really true).This movie featured mostly ameture actors as Subir Banerjee as Apu, Uma Dasgupta as Durga, and Karuna Banerjee as their mother.This movie also features two renowned actors of that era..Kanu Banerjee(Hari) and Tulsi Chakraborty(local teacher and shop owner) and who can forget about chunibala devi.                      

Introduction of Apu

This movie is based on the novel of same name written by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay and is set in the village of nischindipur.From the beginning to the ending this movie mainly shows the lifestyles of simple villagers and journey of two siblings, Apu and Durga.Apu later becomes the main protagonist of the 'Apu trilogy.Every cast member featuring in this film has done a magnificent job.At certain times they don't really seem like they are acting, its more like they are living in the film.That's how natural the acting is.The tragic life of Durga is very beautifully shown,how she liked to play with other kids,loved to take care of elderly people and pet animals,engage in sibling rivalry and enjoy the simplest pleasures of life like drenching in the rain and many more.At the climax scene the audience is devastated after the tragic death of Durga.

Durga protecting his brother during a storm.

                                       Use of symbolism

Director and screenplay writer Satyajit Ray is quite famous for his use of symbolism in movies and pather panchali is one of those.

                                                         The train

Perhaps the most obvious symbol used in this movie is the train.

The train

During the middle of the movie there's a scene where Apu and Durga were wandering a uninhabited field and a train appears.Both of them were very eager to see the train.Apu saw the train and tried to run along with it but fails.The train is a symbol of modern life and industrialism.Failing to go along with the train shows how poor people were neglected and always left behind.It also shows Apu's strong determination to succeed in life.On the other hand Durga's not seeing the train revealed her tragic death. 

                                                       The necklace 

Another strong use of symbolism is the necklace.The necklace is owned by a friend of Durga who thrashed into her house when it was found missing.This clearly represents the conflict between rich and poor people of the society.At the end of the movie Apu found the necklace and threw it into a pond.It shows one little flaw of Durga's character and at the same time shows the strong character of Apu at the very young age.Even in extreme poverty he did not wanted to keep a stolen thing and did not want others to know about the secret of his sister.

                                               Music

Music is directed by Pandit Ravishankar who was one the most profound musicians at that time and widely considered as one of the greatest musicians of India.From the very beginning the audience is delighted with a beautiful and perhaps the best background score of Bengali film history.Instruments used in making of the music are purely Indian and represents Bengali culture, such as Dilruba;Sitar; flute and more.The music keeps the pace with the movie and interacts with viewers emotions.The music which made you happy and delighted,the same music would make you feel broken and lost at the end.

End scene of Pather panchali.

                                                    Rating

Pather panchali is a benchmark for Indian cinema.I give it a 9.0/10.

                                                  Reception

The movie is well received globally.Pather panchali won many national awards and 11 international award including the 'best human document' award in Cannes film festival.IMDB gave it a 8.6 rating making it one of the highest rated films ever made.This movie has 98% on rotten tomatoes.Pather panchali is often compared with Hollywood's Citizen Kane directed by Orson welles and is listed among the best 100 movies ever made.