Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
RANKED:
5. Devi (1960)
Satyajit Ray borrowed his two leads from his 1959 film "Apur Sansar" to lead his next film, 1960's "Devi." It tells the story of a young woman who is thrust into the spotlight after being called the incarnation of the goddess Kali by her wealthy and powerful father-in-law. With a dissection of spirituality, fanaticism, and patriarchy, Ray crafts another elevated form of neo-realism with a splash of spiritual psychology. Many filmmakers have praised this unique work by the master director, even praising it as his best effort. Regardless of your classification of ranking, "Devi" certainly proves that the Indian master is destined for longevity outside of his classic 'Apu' trilogy.
4. The Music Room (1958)
Although he experience much critical and commercial letdowns in his early career, Satyajit Ray still somehow managed to create masterful works of impressive artistry. His 1958 film "The Music Room" was no different. Through this adaptation from a short story, the film recounts the life of a powerful landlord whose wealth, abundance, will, and even his family slowly slip away from him. What Ray expertly integrates into the story becomes its very epicenter: the use of music and sound. Through this integral integration of sound and music, our protagonist becomes obsessed. He spends his days clinging to his self-delusions of continued power through his obsessions with arranging public performances. By doing so, he sacrifices everything, including the life of his family. All of this to continue in his battle with a commoner who begins to gain in wealth through his 'new money' enterprises that beckons in the new 20th century modernity, which only spells a certain end to our protagonist. As the film progresses, we watch as our protagonist disintegrates. This disintegration, along with the telling of this story through Ray's expertly crafted Renoir-esque mise-en-scene, as well as the completely spellbinding use of music and sound, makes "The Music Room" a masterwork.
3. Aparajito (1956)
After the wild success of his debut feature film, 1955's "Pather Panchali," Satyajit Ray followed it up with a direct sequel. 1956's "Aparajito" is the second film in a three film trilogy based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 novel "Pather Panchali," which details the coming-of-age story of Apu. Ray's 1956 sequel, "Aparajito" picks up where the previous film left off, with Apu and his family moving to Varanasi. While the original source novel illustrated a far more conventional relationship between Apu and his mother, one much more sweet and devotional, Ray went into a different direction. Rather, Apu's relationship with his mother is far more distant, creating an internal drama between the two. Although this dramatic change cost the film financial success in India, as Indians were turned off by it, the film was as successful globally as the first installment of Ray's trilogy. Perhaps the change wasn't warranted or perhaps it added much more complex, human elements to the story. Either way, Ray's ability as a director to express these internal elements through his expressionist, pictorial images while simultaneously adhering to the philosophies of realism created something emotional, with common human elements that are universally felt.
2. Apur Sansar (1959)
At its heart, Satyajit Ray's 'Apu trilogy' is a coming-of-age story. "Apur Sansar" marks the final installment in the trilogy and brings that coming-of-age story to its natural conclusion: of Apu now fully an adult. The trilogy helped redefine Indian cinema, but it was "Apur Sansar" which demonstrated Ray's ability to grow and adapt as a filmmaker. Still considered a 'neo-realist' piece with its visual format, the film expands Ray's visual language, accentuating more expressionistic flourishes that demonstrate a communicated internality to his subjects. Although Ray's long and storied career was just taking off, "Apur Sansar" and the 'Apu trilogy' as a whole carries the recognition for changing the landscape of cinema and offering Western audiences a lens to view Indian cinema through. Its story is universal and its internal drama existential. Ray's masterful realization of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's original text makes "Apur Sansar" a singularly human cinematic experience.
1. Pather Panchali (1955)
It had taken Satyajit Ray 3 years to make his 1955 masterpiece "Pather Panchali," along with having difficulty in getting anyone to fund it. However, the film itself was well worth it, as it has become of the most significant human documents in film history. Ray had studied for years in the art of filmmaking, even directly under the tutelage of Jean Renoir himself. The primary point of inspiration for "Pather Panchali" was the Italian neo-realist movement, as Ray had been inspired by Vittorio De Sica's 1948 masterpiece "Bicycle Thieves" to make the film. Ray's film stays true to its neo-realist roots, as it contains many elements of realist cinema, like having several passages with no dramatic development, demonstrates the usual realities of life, and is frank in its depiction of abject poverty. The film follows an impoverished family living in a small hut on the outskirts of Bengal. Through various tragedies, struggles with feeding their family, and growing resentment amongst the family members, we observe the frustrating life of a family with no means. However, Ray is able to elevate this through his spiritual rendering of these images. Ray creates an immersive realist experience while also using his abilities as an auteur to capture something poetic and spiritual within the confines of the frame. The result is nothing short of transcendent.
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