The Apu Trilogy : Pather Panchali (1955); Aparajito (1957); Apur Sansar (1959)
Between 1955 and 1959, Satyajit Ray directed three films about one boy's growth and maturity. They endure as lyric masterpieces envied, or emulated, by film-makers. I am personally fond of the trilogy to a point that I like to visit it again and again. There is no other Ray film which attracts me so much, except maybe Charulata. To be honest,I am not fond of the Ray films from Ashani Sanket and have never revisited them.
The plot of the films is the stuff of a novel, but what makes them work is Ray’s direction and the naturalistic acting, which could only come from a direct understanding of the work. There are no stylised flourishes nor drama. The films alternate between major plot points, such as the death of the major characters, and minor scenes, such as Apu’s awe at seeing the world around him, feeding monkeys, or just lazing in the grass talking about his ambitions. The sense of awe, in fact, is very important in the film, as Apu is never master of his world but always enamoured by it, Whether it is in nature, in books, in the strongman by the river, in scientific experiments, in the metropolitan areas, or in his love for his wife and son.
Many of these scenes also double as metaphors. The most famous of these is the train, which represents life itself. In the first film the great moment of Apu’s young life is when his sister takes him to see the great bit steam train go past. In Apajarito, the train is the source of loneliness, expectation, and disappointment, as it takes Apu away from his mother and fails to bring him back. In the final film the train is shown killing a pig at a low point in Apu’s life, and is also a present Apu brings for
his son (who rejects it). The same present is left with the grandfather when Apu and his son finally leave together, probably to travel in a train and return to Calcutta.
In my view, of the three films, Apajarito is the best. The title can be translated into The Unvanquished, and this perfectly describes not only Apu but his whole family, as they continue with life despite its difficulty, never thinking of giving up. The ending in which Apu simply starts walking is one of the most touching I’ve ever seen. The film is full of many other such scenes, such as Apu’s father talking to his son on his sickbed and telling him to go out and play, as well as the many scenes of the lonely self-sacrificing mother.
Pather Panchali is a great film, too, but is more dependant on plot than character. The World of Apu seems too dramatic at times, making Apu seem less like a hard-working man with unfortunate luck. It still has a very uplifting ending.
Pather Panchali is a great film, too, but is more dependant on plot than character. The World of Apu seems too dramatic at times, making Apu seem less like a hard-working man with unfortunate luck. It still has a very uplifting ending.
As an aside, it’s interesting to note how Ray’s technical mastery of filmmaking improves with each film. By the time he got to TheWorld of Apu he is impressive in visual mastery ,such as seamlessly cutting a cinema screen into a carriage window.
