PATHER PANCHALI

Satyajit Ray’s first film in his “Apu Trilogy” is an acknowledged masterpiece of world cinema. “A study of a Bengali village family, it manages to touch emotional and psychological levels common to every spectator, and although the main focus of the film is upon Apu, the young son, the characters of his mother, father, sister and aunt are vividly portrayed. The episodes describe the wonders of childhood amidst the landscapes of rural Bengal, and in magnificent images, Ray manages to make every sequence a fresh glimpse into a world that is familiar yet unforgettable. The interweaving of life and nature creates as much drama, humor and tragedy, and more than one might expect from the simplicity of the story, this is more than a film–it is an outcry from the heart.”–Albert Johnson, Pacific Film Archive (1956, 113 min. in Bengali w/English subtitles)