Pather Panchali: Difference between revisions
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The film was made on a shoestring budget by a hitherto unknown director, Ray. After obtaining a grant from the government of [[West Bengal]], Ray completed the trilogy at the behest of the [[Prime Minister of India]], indicating the extent of the first film's cultural impact. |
The film was made on a shoestring budget by a hitherto unknown director, Ray. After obtaining a grant from the government of [[West Bengal]], Ray completed the trilogy at the behest of the [[Prime Minister of India]], indicating the extent of the first film's cultural impact. |
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The film is an adaptation of the Bengali novel by the same name by noted Bengali writer [[Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay]]. But when it was adapted by [[Satyajit Ray]] a lot of changes were made to the traditional form of the novel. Ray always believed that cinema, as a medium of artistic expression, is entirely different from literary works such as novel, shortstory and drama. He restructured the entire story and cut away what he thought was unwanted elements from the novel. This only added to beauty and the compactness of the film and when we see this movie now, after about fifty years of its premiere, we still feel the work chaste and offering something new. Ray's handling of his cast is brilliant, especially in the case of minors and the old woman. |
The film is an adaptation of the Bengali novel by the same name by noted Bengali writer [[Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay]]. But when it was adapted by [[Satyajit Ray]] a lot of changes were made to the traditional form of the novel. Ray always believed that cinema, as a medium of artistic expression, is entirely different from literary works such as novel, shortstory and drama. He restructured the entire story and cut away what he thought was unwanted elements from the novel. This only added to the beauty and the compactness of the film and when we see this movie now, after about fifty years of its premiere, we still feel the work chaste and offering something new. Ray's handling of his cast is brilliant, especially in the case of minors and the old woman. |
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==Critical reception== |
==Critical reception== |
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''Pather Panchali'' was reviewed worldwide with great praise. [[Akira Kurosawa]] said about the movie, "I can never forget the excitement in my mind after seeing it. It is the kind of cinema that flows with the serenity and nobility of a big river."<ref>[http://www.satyajitray.org/about_ray/critics_on_ray.htm Critics on Ray] URL acceseed on [[3 April]], [[2006]].</ref> [[Newsweek]] critic [[Jack Kroll]] reviwed the film as "One of the most stunning first films in movie history. Ray is a welcome jolt of flesh, blood and spirit." [[Hazel-Dawn Dumpert]] of [[L.A. Weekly]] wrote that the film was " |
''Pather Panchali'' was reviewed worldwide with great praise. [[Akira Kurosawa]] said about the movie, "I can never forget the excitement in my mind after seeing it. It is the kind of cinema that flows with the serenity and nobility of a big river."<ref>[http://www.satyajitray.org/about_ray/critics_on_ray.htm Critics on Ray] URL acceseed on [[3 April]], [[2006]].</ref> [[Newsweek]] critic [[Jack Kroll]] reviwed the film as "One of the most stunning first films in movie history. Ray is a welcome jolt of flesh, blood and spirit." [[Hazel-Dawn Dumpert]] of [[L.A. Weekly]] wrote that the film was "as deeply beautiful and plainly poetic as any movie ever made. Rare and exquisite."<ref>[http://www.satyajitray.org/films/pather.htm Critics on ''Pather Panchali''] URL accessed on [[3 April]], [[2006]]</ref> "This tale, as crafted by Ray, touches the souls and minds of viewers, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers" was to write James Berardinelli.<ref>[http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/p/pather.html Colossus.net Online review] URL accessed on [[3 April]], [[2006]]</ref> |
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"The first film by the masterly Satyajit Ray - possibly the most unembarrassed and natural of directors - is a quiet reverie about the life of an impoverished [[Brahmin]] family in a [[Bengal]]i village. Beautiful, sometimes funny, and full of love, it brought a new vision of India to the screen" said Pauline Kael. "A beautiful picture, completely fresh and personal. [Ray's camera] reaches forward into life, exploring and exposing, with reverence and wonder" wrote Lindsay Anderson.<ref> [http://www.satyajitray.org/films/pather.htm SatyajitRay.Org] URL accessed on [[3 April]], [[2006]]</ref> |
"The first film by the masterly Satyajit Ray - possibly the most unembarrassed and natural of directors - is a quiet reverie about the life of an impoverished [[Brahmin]] family in a [[Bengal]]i village. Beautiful, sometimes funny, and full of love, it brought a new vision of India to the screen" said Pauline Kael. "A beautiful picture, completely fresh and personal. [Ray's camera] reaches forward into life, exploring and exposing, with reverence and wonder" wrote Lindsay Anderson.<ref> [http://www.satyajitray.org/films/pather.htm SatyajitRay.Org] URL accessed on [[3 April]], [[2006]]</ref> |
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Damian Cannon sums up the film as "When Ray depicts this bleak conclusion, he resists the urge to force a single scene, emotion or moment. 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."<ref>Damian Cannon. Movie Reviews UK 1998. [http://www.film.u-net.com/Movies/Reviews/Pather_Panchali.html Pather Panhali] URL accessed on [[3 April]], [[2006]]</ref> |
Damian Cannon sums up the film as "When Ray depicts this bleak conclusion, he resists the urge to force a single scene, emotion or moment. 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."<ref>Damian Cannon. Movie Reviews UK 1998. [http://www.film.u-net.com/Movies/Reviews/Pather_Panchali.html Pather Panhali] URL accessed on [[3 April]], [[2006]]</ref> |
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[[The Observer]] regards Pather Panchali as "one of the greatest pictures ever made".<sup>[http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004CLBA.02._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1131631380_.jpg]</sup> [[The Village Voice]] ranked Pather Panchali at #12 in its Top 246 "Best Films of the Century" list, according to its Critics' Poll. <sup>[http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/take/one/full_list.php3?category=10]</sup> |
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==Awards== |
==Awards== |
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Revision as of 09:55, 27 July 2006
| Pather Panchali | |
|---|---|
| File:PatherDVD.jpg | |
| Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
| Written by | Satyajit Ray, from a story by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay |
| Produced by | Government of West Bengal |
| Starring | Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Bannerjee, Uma Dasgupta, Chunibala Devi, Reba Devi |
Release date | 1955 |
Running time | 122 mins |
| Language | Bengali |
Pather Panchali (Bengali: পথের পাঁচালী Pôther Pãchali, aka Song of the Little Road), released in 1955, is the first film of director Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy. The film depicts a boy's childhood in the Indian countryside in the 1950s.
The film was made on a shoestring budget by a hitherto unknown director, Ray. After obtaining a grant from the government of West Bengal, Ray completed the trilogy at the behest of the Prime Minister of India, indicating the extent of the first film's cultural impact.
The film is an adaptation of the Bengali novel by the same name by noted Bengali writer Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. But when it was adapted by Satyajit Ray a lot of changes were made to the traditional form of the novel. Ray always believed that cinema, as a medium of artistic expression, is entirely different from literary works such as novel, shortstory and drama. He restructured the entire story and cut away what he thought was unwanted elements from the novel. This only added to the beauty and the compactness of the film and when we see this movie now, after about fifty years of its premiere, we still feel the work chaste and offering something new. Ray's handling of his cast is brilliant, especially in the case of minors and the old woman.
Critical reception
Pather Panchali was reviewed worldwide with great praise. Akira Kurosawa said about the movie, "I can never forget the excitement in my mind after seeing it. It is the kind of cinema that flows with the serenity and nobility of a big river."[1] Newsweek critic Jack Kroll reviwed the film as "One of the most stunning first films in movie history. Ray is a welcome jolt of flesh, blood and spirit." Hazel-Dawn Dumpert of L.A. Weekly wrote that the film was "as deeply beautiful and plainly poetic as any movie ever made. Rare and exquisite."[2] "This tale, as crafted by Ray, touches the souls and minds of viewers, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers" was to write James Berardinelli.[3]
"The first film by the masterly Satyajit Ray - possibly the most unembarrassed and natural of directors - is a quiet reverie about the life of an impoverished Brahmin family in a Bengali village. Beautiful, sometimes funny, and full of love, it brought a new vision of India to the screen" said Pauline Kael. "A beautiful picture, completely fresh and personal. [Ray's camera] reaches forward into life, exploring and exposing, with reverence and wonder" wrote Lindsay Anderson.[4]
Damian Cannon sums up the film as "When Ray depicts this bleak conclusion, he resists the urge to force a single scene, emotion or moment. 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."[5]
The Observer regards Pather Panchali as "one of the greatest pictures ever made".[1] The Village Voice ranked Pather Panchali at #12 in its Top 246 "Best Films of the Century" list, according to its Critics' Poll. [2]
Awards
- President's Gold & Silver Medals, New Delhi, 1955
- Best Human Document, Cannes 1956
- Diploma Of Merit, Edinbugh, 1956
- Vatican Award, Rome, 1956
- Golden Carbao, Manila, 1956
- Best Film and Direction, San Francisco, 1957
- Selznik Golden Laurel, Berlin, 1957
- Best Film, Vancouver, 1958
- Critics' Award - Best Film, Stratford, (Canada), 1958
- Best Foreign Film, New York, National Board Of Review 1959
- Kinema Jumpo Award: Best Foreign Film, Tokyo 1966
- Bodil Award: Best Non-European Film of the Year, Denmark, 1966
Notes
- ^ Critics on Ray URL acceseed on 3 April, 2006.
- ^ Critics on Pather Panchali URL accessed on 3 April, 2006
- ^ Colossus.net Online review URL accessed on 3 April, 2006
- ^ SatyajitRay.Org URL accessed on 3 April, 2006
- ^ Damian Cannon. Movie Reviews UK 1998. Pather Panhali URL accessed on 3 April, 2006
![[1]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004CLBA.02._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1131631380_.jpg){kind=link}