<< March 13 - 15, 2008 >>>

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"…Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon."

-- Akira Kurosawa

Considered one of the foremost filmmakers of the 20th century, Indian director Satyajit Ray (1921 - 1992) established himself as a major force with his widely celebrated APU TRILOGY. He is known for his humanistic approach to storytelling. He made his films in Bengali, a language spoken in West Bengal, the eastern state of India, and Bangladesh. Ray directly controlled many aspects of filmmaking. He wrote all the screenplays of his films, many of which were based on his own stories. He designed the sets and costumes and operated the camera beginning with CHARULATA (1964). He composed the music for all his films starting in 1962 and designed the publicity posters for his new releases. In addition to filmmaking, Ray was a composer, a writer and a graphic designer. Satyajit Ray was given an honorary Academy Award in 1992 for Lifetime Achievement.

PATHER PANCHALI, 1955, New Yorker Films, 125 min. Director Satyajit Ray burst onto the international film scene with this first film, based upon Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee’s novel of the same name. As Part One of what would become the APU TRILOGY, PATHER PANCHALI depicts a poor Brahmin family struggling to survive in their small Bengali village. The birth of a new child, Apu, marks the beginning of new adventures -- and struggles -- for the family. This dense mosaic of village life introduces Apu's dreamy father, fretful mother, and tempestuous older sister, with the child Apu a wide-eyed observer. Beautifully balancing the prosaic and poetic, it depicts harsh poverty and childhood raptures with unsentimental compassion. Scenes of Apu and his sister exploring their surroundings are among the most beautiful and memorable moments ever captured on film. Voted one of the ten greatest films of all time in the 1992 Sight & Sound poll. With music by legendary Ravi Shankar. "One of the most stunning first films in movie history." - Jack Kroll, Newsweek

Friday, March 14 – 7:30 PM

Double Feature:

APARAJITO (THE UNVANQUISHED), 1956, New Yorker Films, 108 min. Dir. Satyajit Ray. Part Two in the APU TRILOGY, this film affirmed Ray’s stance as a master of cinema. Aparajito follows Apu from ages 10 to 17. Apu and his family are now living in a new village along the banks of the holy Ganges River. Faced with the loss of his father and the demands of fast-approaching adulthood, Apu goes on to study in Calcutta, leaving his mother behind. APARAJITO centers around Apu’s maturation and his changing relationship with his widowed mother. One of the cinema's most profound treatments of parent-child relationships. With more superb music by Ravi Shankar.

APUR SANSAR (THE WORLD OF APU), 1958, New Yorker Films, 103 min. Dir. Satyajit Ray. As the APU TRILOGY’s final installment, APUR SANSAR depicts Apu’s challenges with adult life in the city. Living again in poverty, Apu is forced to sell his books and begins writing an autobiographical novel. Upon making an unexpected visit to a small village, Apu finds himself as the groom in an arranged marriage. Life with his new bride gives way to love -- and a child -- and ultimately proves to be both joyous and tragic. With music by Ravi Shankar.

Saturday, March 15 – 7:30 PM

Double Feature:

THE MUSIC ROOM (JALSAGHAR), 1958, New Yorker Films, 100 min. Dir. Satyajit Ray. An arrogant member of the declining aristocracy demonstrates both his refined taste and his ruinous self-indulgence by holding lavish concerts in his prized music room. Splendidly decadent settings and virtuoso musical performances mark this potent mixture of nostalgia and irony, which ranks with Visconti's THE LEOPARD and Welles' THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS as a double-edged elegy for a dying upper-class world.

CHARULATA, 1964, New Yorker Films, 117 min. Dir. Satyajit Ray. In Victorian India, a restless young woman struggles to come to terms with her enforced upper-class idleness, suppressed literary talent and illicit love for her husband's cousin. Madhabi Mukherjee's vibrant lead performance, the fluid and inventive camerawork and the especially rich fusion of Eastern and Western themes are among the reasons why CHARULATA is widely considered Ray's most accomplished film, as well as being the director's personal favorite.