Three Daughters (1961)

 Satyajit Ray's "Three Daughters"


Perhaps the most uninteresting Satyajit Ray film I've seen thus far is his 1961 film "Three Daughters." There is plenty to like in this anthological tale, but its loose connectivity and lack of thematic cohesion makes it far less engaging than the typical Ray affair. While there are many things to latch on to in this almost 3 hour event, I walked away feeling as though a certain amount of potential was ultimately lost.

The film is separated into three non-connected stories. The first is short and centers on a schoolmaster who teaches a young orphan girl to read and write, only to disappoint her by moving away. The second is a supernatural tale about a wife obsessed with the jewels her husband buys her, only to turn into a ghost haunting the estate. The final conclusory story is about a village girl who becomes a bride for a law student, eventually succumbing to her circumstances.



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