Sharmila Tagore in Suman Ghosh’s Berlin EFM Indian Title ‘Puratawn,’ First Look Unveiled (Exclusive)
Prolific filmmaker Suman Ghosh has unveiled the first look for his new film “Puratawn” (“Ancient”), starring veteran Indian actor Sharmila Tagore.
Tagore takes on the role of a matriarch grappling with the challenges of aging. As her 80th birthday is celebrated by her daughter and son-in-law at the ancestral house, the unfolding events over the next week become the focal point of the narrative, delving into the complexities that shape their collective journey.
Rituparna Sengupta’s Bhavna Aaj O Kal (“Datta”) is producing the film, which is seeking a sales agent at the Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market.
Ghosh is a festival veteran with 2011’s “Nobel Thief,” 2012’s “Uncle Shyamal Turns off the Lights,” 2015’s “Peace Haven,” 2016’s “Mi Amor,” 2019’s “Aadhaar” and 2023’s “Scavenger of Dreams” all premiering at Busan and 2024 documentary “Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen” at Rotterdam. He scored a major commercial hit with “Kabuliwala,...
Tagore takes on the role of a matriarch grappling with the challenges of aging. As her 80th birthday is celebrated by her daughter and son-in-law at the ancestral house, the unfolding events over the next week become the focal point of the narrative, delving into the complexities that shape their collective journey.
Rituparna Sengupta’s Bhavna Aaj O Kal (“Datta”) is producing the film, which is seeking a sales agent at the Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market.
Ghosh is a festival veteran with 2011’s “Nobel Thief,” 2012’s “Uncle Shyamal Turns off the Lights,” 2015’s “Peace Haven,” 2016’s “Mi Amor,” 2019’s “Aadhaar” and 2023’s “Scavenger of Dreams” all premiering at Busan and 2024 documentary “Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen” at Rotterdam. He scored a major commercial hit with “Kabuliwala,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Neorealism has always owed more to melodrama than some of its purveyors and admirers are willing to admit, but Satyajit Ray unreservedly acknowledged the influence of the latter in his Apu Trilogy. Starting with 1955’s Pather Panchali, his feature debut, Ray crafted a stark vision of India’s transition into the modern age that still offset its most unvarnished observations with a sense of poetry that lent classical grandeur to intimate storytelling.
When Apu’s father, Harihar (Kanu Banerjee), develops a high fever and perishes near the start of 1956’s Aparajito, Ray initially illuminates the banality of such a commonplace, senseless death by focusing on the priest’s ragged breathing and futile attempts to rally himself. When Harihar asks for some water from the Ganges, though, the adolescent Apu’s (Pinaki Sengupta) sprint to and from the river gives the film an operatic feel, culminating in a dying breath matched...
When Apu’s father, Harihar (Kanu Banerjee), develops a high fever and perishes near the start of 1956’s Aparajito, Ray initially illuminates the banality of such a commonplace, senseless death by focusing on the priest’s ragged breathing and futile attempts to rally himself. When Harihar asks for some water from the Ganges, though, the adolescent Apu’s (Pinaki Sengupta) sprint to and from the river gives the film an operatic feel, culminating in a dying breath matched...
- 1/20/2024
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
Mumbai, March 12 (Ians) Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore shared her love story with the ace cricketer Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and recalled how he proposed to her for marriage in Paris.
She shared: “We were in Paris and it was Bastille Day when the entire city was on the streets celebrating their independence. He went down on one knee and put forth the most heartwarming question, ‘will you marry me?’. There was so much noise over there that I could not hear him, so he loudly asked again, ‘will you marry me’, and I said, ‘Yes’.”
Sharmila, who started her acting career with the legendary director Satyajit Ray’s classic work ‘The World of Apu’ in 1959, made her place in Bollywood with the romantic movie ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ opposite Shammi Kapoor and afterward there was no looking back for her. She gave several hits like ‘Anupama’, ‘An Evening in Paris...
She shared: “We were in Paris and it was Bastille Day when the entire city was on the streets celebrating their independence. He went down on one knee and put forth the most heartwarming question, ‘will you marry me?’. There was so much noise over there that I could not hear him, so he loudly asked again, ‘will you marry me’, and I said, ‘Yes’.”
Sharmila, who started her acting career with the legendary director Satyajit Ray’s classic work ‘The World of Apu’ in 1959, made her place in Bollywood with the romantic movie ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ opposite Shammi Kapoor and afterward there was no looking back for her. She gave several hits like ‘Anupama’, ‘An Evening in Paris...
- 3/12/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Tagore also talked about her professional journey and called her co-stars trained actors, while she considers herself an accidental actress, who was put in front of the camera by Satyajit Ray.
The 78-year-old celebrated actress, who is at the moment busy with the promotion of her upcoming film ‘Gulmohar’, an emotional family drama that plays out in upscale Delhi, said: "Oh my God! Holi used to be celebrated madly in Kolkata. I never tried bhang because that was beyond my capacity, but I’ve seen people doing that."
"But we used to play it in our Tripura house. We used to go to the lake and swim there after playing Holi. After coming back, I would find snails in my clothes or stuck in my hair. It was such fun."
She told Ians: "I don’t know when it stopped. I remember that in Mumbai we had moved from our...
The 78-year-old celebrated actress, who is at the moment busy with the promotion of her upcoming film ‘Gulmohar’, an emotional family drama that plays out in upscale Delhi, said: "Oh my God! Holi used to be celebrated madly in Kolkata. I never tried bhang because that was beyond my capacity, but I’ve seen people doing that."
"But we used to play it in our Tripura house. We used to go to the lake and swim there after playing Holi. After coming back, I would find snails in my clothes or stuck in my hair. It was such fun."
She told Ians: "I don’t know when it stopped. I remember that in Mumbai we had moved from our...
- 2/28/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Disney+ Hotstar production “Gulmohar” marks the comeback film of veteran Indian actor Sharmila Tagore and the feature debut of Rahul V. Chittella.
Tagore, who debuted with Satyajit Ray’s “The World of Apu” (1959) was last seen in “Break Ke Baad” (2010). Chittella has directed a few shorts and previously worked with “Monsoon Wedding” filmmaker Mira Nair.
The cast also includes Manoj Baypayee (Rotterdam competition film “Joram”), Suraj Sharma (“Life of Pi”), Amol Palekar (“Farzi”) and Simran (“Petta”).
Set in Delhi, “Gulmohar” follows the final four days of the Batra family living in their 34-year-old family home as they move to a new city.
The film, co-written by Arpita Mukherjee and Chittella, was born out of the latter’s experiences of having lived and worked in Nair’s house in Delhi, which was subsequently sold.
“I was in Delhi for some meetings in early 2019 and visited the house as it was getting packed up.
Tagore, who debuted with Satyajit Ray’s “The World of Apu” (1959) was last seen in “Break Ke Baad” (2010). Chittella has directed a few shorts and previously worked with “Monsoon Wedding” filmmaker Mira Nair.
The cast also includes Manoj Baypayee (Rotterdam competition film “Joram”), Suraj Sharma (“Life of Pi”), Amol Palekar (“Farzi”) and Simran (“Petta”).
Set in Delhi, “Gulmohar” follows the final four days of the Batra family living in their 34-year-old family home as they move to a new city.
The film, co-written by Arpita Mukherjee and Chittella, was born out of the latter’s experiences of having lived and worked in Nair’s house in Delhi, which was subsequently sold.
“I was in Delhi for some meetings in early 2019 and visited the house as it was getting packed up.
- 2/11/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Like its predecessor, 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," the 2023 follow-up "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" will cull comic book history for every possible iteration of the eponymous superhero, and force them to interact. In "Into," directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman had the Miles Morales Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) meeting and forming an unlikely bond with a middle-aged Peter Parker Spider-Man (Jake Johnson) when the latter passed into Miles' dimension. The two also teamed up with Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), and an anime duo called Peni and Sp//dr (Kimiko Glenn). In a post-credits cookie, Miguel O'Hara, a.k.a. Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), also appeared. Spider-Man 2099 will appear again.
Each of these characters has a precedent in "Spider-Man" comics. As will be proven in "Across" -- directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson -- those seven Spider-Beings are only a scratch on the surface.
Each of these characters has a precedent in "Spider-Man" comics. As will be proven in "Across" -- directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson -- those seven Spider-Beings are only a scratch on the surface.
- 1/25/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
by Swapnil Azad
I walked into Calcutta’s Priya Cinema last Friday to watch “Pratidwandi” [The Adversary], Satyajit Ray’s film from 1970, expecting a roomful Ray-admirers who rushed to see Anik Dutta’s (deplorable) “Aparajito” earlier this year. And well, I was disappointed. There were just a handful of folks inside the auditorium, and I can’t tell how many of them watched the film seriously. Speaks volumes about the gradual cultural death of Calcutta which has been happening over the past decade. A few years ago, news of a Ray rerelease would’ve brought in masses who would liven up the theatre premises and its proximity, even if with flattery. Or maybe not, I’m too young to know.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Keeping aside my lamentations on the cultural fall of Calcutta, the experience was certainly worthwhile. The print screened was...
I walked into Calcutta’s Priya Cinema last Friday to watch “Pratidwandi” [The Adversary], Satyajit Ray’s film from 1970, expecting a roomful Ray-admirers who rushed to see Anik Dutta’s (deplorable) “Aparajito” earlier this year. And well, I was disappointed. There were just a handful of folks inside the auditorium, and I can’t tell how many of them watched the film seriously. Speaks volumes about the gradual cultural death of Calcutta which has been happening over the past decade. A few years ago, news of a Ray rerelease would’ve brought in masses who would liven up the theatre premises and its proximity, even if with flattery. Or maybe not, I’m too young to know.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Keeping aside my lamentations on the cultural fall of Calcutta, the experience was certainly worthwhile. The print screened was...
- 8/22/2022
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Iwanami Hall, an iconic art-house cinema in Tokyo, has announced that it will close permanently from the end of July. It blamed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 200-seater single screen venue in the Jimbocho district opened in 1968 as a general cultural facility and became a movie theater in 1974.
The conversion to cinema was led by general manager Takano Etsuko and Kawakita Kashiko, one of the most important women in the history of Japanese cinema, who headed a management operation which called itself the “Equipe du Cinema” (French for cinema team). The name has since been adopted by Iwanami Hall’s customer loyalty program.
Kawakita, whose legacy continues to be honored at the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, was a co-founder of film distributor Towa (later Toho-Towa). She was a pioneering film executive in the 1930s who got a taste for foreign cinema during several years living in Berlin and...
The 200-seater single screen venue in the Jimbocho district opened in 1968 as a general cultural facility and became a movie theater in 1974.
The conversion to cinema was led by general manager Takano Etsuko and Kawakita Kashiko, one of the most important women in the history of Japanese cinema, who headed a management operation which called itself the “Equipe du Cinema” (French for cinema team). The name has since been adopted by Iwanami Hall’s customer loyalty program.
Kawakita, whose legacy continues to be honored at the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, was a co-founder of film distributor Towa (later Toho-Towa). She was a pioneering film executive in the 1930s who got a taste for foreign cinema during several years living in Berlin and...
- 1/12/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is honoring the centenary of cinema giant Satyajit Ray with a major two-part retrospective.
May 2, 2021 was the birth centenary of Ray, the Indian master who won an honorary Oscar in 1992, shortly before his death, and remains the country’s best known filmmaker internationally.
The first part of the retrospective, which is currently on and will continue till Dec. 29, focuses on the early part of Ray’s career from 1955 – 1969. After a career as a graphic designer, Ray became a director in his early thirties with the ground breaking “Pather Panchali” (1955), which together with “Aparajito” and “Apur Sansar”, forms the phenomenal Apu Trilogy that follows the titular protagonist from childhood to adulthood.
The retrospective includes the Academy Film Archive’s landmark restoration of the Apu Trilogy from camera negatives nearly lost in a fire.
The December screenings at the Museum focus on Ray’s prolific and prodigious 1960s output,...
May 2, 2021 was the birth centenary of Ray, the Indian master who won an honorary Oscar in 1992, shortly before his death, and remains the country’s best known filmmaker internationally.
The first part of the retrospective, which is currently on and will continue till Dec. 29, focuses on the early part of Ray’s career from 1955 – 1969. After a career as a graphic designer, Ray became a director in his early thirties with the ground breaking “Pather Panchali” (1955), which together with “Aparajito” and “Apur Sansar”, forms the phenomenal Apu Trilogy that follows the titular protagonist from childhood to adulthood.
The retrospective includes the Academy Film Archive’s landmark restoration of the Apu Trilogy from camera negatives nearly lost in a fire.
The December screenings at the Museum focus on Ray’s prolific and prodigious 1960s output,...
- 12/4/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Saif Ali Khan is a Bollywood A-lister known for heroic roles, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing against type in recent years.
The star of Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Sacred Games” is constantly in motion, with a raft of varying roles coming up, starting with this week’s release of “Bunty Aur Babli 2.”
Directed by feature debutant Varun V. Sharma, the Yash Raj Films production is a reboot of 2005 smash hit “Bunty Aur Babli,” which followed a pair of con artists known by the nicknames Bunty and Babli. In the present day, Bunty and Babli are forced out of retirement after a spate of robberies with their trademark style start appearing across India. Khan stars alongside Rani Mukerji.
“It’s taking the story forward 20 years later, where the guy’s got a paunch [and] the party’s over. He’s happily married, but he needs whiskey, and is a bit bored,...
The star of Emmy-nominated Netflix series “Sacred Games” is constantly in motion, with a raft of varying roles coming up, starting with this week’s release of “Bunty Aur Babli 2.”
Directed by feature debutant Varun V. Sharma, the Yash Raj Films production is a reboot of 2005 smash hit “Bunty Aur Babli,” which followed a pair of con artists known by the nicknames Bunty and Babli. In the present day, Bunty and Babli are forced out of retirement after a spate of robberies with their trademark style start appearing across India. Khan stars alongside Rani Mukerji.
“It’s taking the story forward 20 years later, where the guy’s got a paunch [and] the party’s over. He’s happily married, but he needs whiskey, and is a bit bored,...
- 11/18/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Parallel cinema cuts loose from the musicality of Bollywood and the common perception of Indian cinema at large. Coming out of West Bengal in the 1950s, parallel cinema appeared as an alternative to the glamour and dance; socially conscious and experimental in style and mood, it maps the origins of art cinema in India, and for the first time, the rest of the world was looking at India as an innovator of film language (Satyajit Ray’s 1955 train sequence Pather Panchali is one of the most celebrated in film history). In this movement, which followed in the wake of Italian neorealism, life's diegetics became the soundtrack, real life movement over set up musical numbers. This mix traces some choice moments in Parallel Cinema’s sound. Many songs and soundtracks from this period have a lofi quality to them—due in part to the quality of audio recording equipment throughout the years of the movement,...
- 10/29/2021
- MUBI
100 Years of Satyajit Ray: a tribute to The Apu Trilogy
May 2, 2021, saw the start of celebrations of the 100th birthday of the great Bengali filmmaker, Satyajit Ray. Ray’s films were probably amongst the earliest Indian films I’d seen, long before Bollywood would grab my attention. I love many of Ray’s films: Devi from 1960 (starring the sublime Sharmila Tagore) is a particular favourite, and is a commentary on religious devotion and fundamentalism, and, particular, on a system that both places women on pedestals as goddesses even as it removes their agency and represses them. Charulata (apparently the film Ray himself cited as his own favourite of all his films) is an exercise in subtle storytelling and gave us the irrepressible Amal, played by Soumitra Chatterjee, who literally stole my heart in so many films. But no Ray film touches my heart so completely as do the three films...
May 2, 2021, saw the start of celebrations of the 100th birthday of the great Bengali filmmaker, Satyajit Ray. Ray’s films were probably amongst the earliest Indian films I’d seen, long before Bollywood would grab my attention. I love many of Ray’s films: Devi from 1960 (starring the sublime Sharmila Tagore) is a particular favourite, and is a commentary on religious devotion and fundamentalism, and, particular, on a system that both places women on pedestals as goddesses even as it removes their agency and represses them. Charulata (apparently the film Ray himself cited as his own favourite of all his films) is an exercise in subtle storytelling and gave us the irrepressible Amal, played by Soumitra Chatterjee, who literally stole my heart in so many films. But no Ray film touches my heart so completely as do the three films...
- 5/4/2021
- by Katherine Matthews
- Bollyspice
India is celebrating the birth centenary of one of her greatest sons, Satyajit Ray, in a variety of ways.
Sunday, marks the centenary of Ray, the Indian master who won an honorary Oscar in 1992, shortly before his death, and remains the country’s best known filmmaker internationally.
Ray debuted with “Pather Panchali” (1955) the first part of the magisterial Apu Trilogy, which won best human document at Cannes. The Trilogy includes “Aparajito” (1956) and “Apur Sansar” (1959). Berlin was a particularly happy venue for him and he won top awards at the festival numerous times, for “Pather Panchali,” “Aparajito,” “Mahanagar” (1963), “Charulata” (1964), “Nayak” (1966) and “Ashani Sanket” (1973).
At Venice he won for “Aparajito” and “Seemabaddha” (1971), culminating in a career Golden Lion in 1982. He also won a British Institute Fellowship in 1983 to go with the London Film Festival’s Sutherland Trophy for “Apur Sansar.” In 1987, the government of France made Ray a Commander of the Legion of Honor.
Sunday, marks the centenary of Ray, the Indian master who won an honorary Oscar in 1992, shortly before his death, and remains the country’s best known filmmaker internationally.
Ray debuted with “Pather Panchali” (1955) the first part of the magisterial Apu Trilogy, which won best human document at Cannes. The Trilogy includes “Aparajito” (1956) and “Apur Sansar” (1959). Berlin was a particularly happy venue for him and he won top awards at the festival numerous times, for “Pather Panchali,” “Aparajito,” “Mahanagar” (1963), “Charulata” (1964), “Nayak” (1966) and “Ashani Sanket” (1973).
At Venice he won for “Aparajito” and “Seemabaddha” (1971), culminating in a career Golden Lion in 1982. He also won a British Institute Fellowship in 1983 to go with the London Film Festival’s Sutherland Trophy for “Apur Sansar.” In 1987, the government of France made Ray a Commander of the Legion of Honor.
- 5/2/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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For those who collect Blu-rays and DVDs, one name stands above the rest: Criterion. With its impeccable eye for curation and excellent restorations and bonus features, the Criterion Collection has established itself as the definitive home video release company. The Criterion Collection is reserved for “important classic and contemporary films;” for directors, receiving that stamp of approval is almost as good as an Oscar. Criterion honors obscure foreign films and popular contemporary work with equal zeal; the only criteria is the brand’s high standards.
Many movie lovers outsource the legwork of collecting to Criterion, using their annual releases as a barometer of the films that are worth owning. Browsing the Criterion website...
For those who collect Blu-rays and DVDs, one name stands above the rest: Criterion. With its impeccable eye for curation and excellent restorations and bonus features, the Criterion Collection has established itself as the definitive home video release company. The Criterion Collection is reserved for “important classic and contemporary films;” for directors, receiving that stamp of approval is almost as good as an Oscar. Criterion honors obscure foreign films and popular contemporary work with equal zeal; the only criteria is the brand’s high standards.
Many movie lovers outsource the legwork of collecting to Criterion, using their annual releases as a barometer of the films that are worth owning. Browsing the Criterion website...
- 4/5/2021
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The mighty Satyajit Ray directed Soumitra Chatterjee in 14 films. Ray’s son Sandip grew up watching this great twosome at work, one of world cinema’s most accomplished collaborations…. “Comparable with Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni and with Kurosawa and Mifune,” says the affable Sandip Ray, himself a filmmaker of considerable repute. “Soumitra Babu’s collaboration with my father started from before I was born. He had gone to my father to be cast in Pather Panchali in 1959.My father found him too old to play Apu. Later he cast Soumitra Babu as Apu in Apur Sansar, that’s how their collaboration started.”
Sandip cannot stop marveling at the variety of films Satyajit Ray and Soumitra Chatterjee did together. “No two roles in the films they did together are comparable. Soumitra played the most varied characters in my father’s films…I can’t pick favourites..But Apur (in Apur Sansar...
Sandip cannot stop marveling at the variety of films Satyajit Ray and Soumitra Chatterjee did together. “No two roles in the films they did together are comparable. Soumitra played the most varied characters in my father’s films…I can’t pick favourites..But Apur (in Apur Sansar...
- 11/19/2020
- by Subhash K Jha
- Bollyspice
Mumbai, Nov 16 (Ians) Superstar Aamir Khan on Monday mourned the death of legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chattopadhyay, who passed away the day before at the age of 85.
In an Instagram post, Aamir shared that the late actor's work will continue to bring joy to all cinephiles.
"Indian Cinema has lost one of its leading lights. My heartfelt condolences to Soumitraji's family, and to all his fans. His work will continue to bring joy to all of us. Rip Shri Soumitra Chatterjee," Aamir wrote.
The Dadasaheb Phalke recipient thespian's death was confirmed on Sunday morning by a bulletin from Kolkata's Belle Vue Hospital, where he had received Covid treatment.
"We declare with heavy heart that Shri Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last at 12.15 pm at Belle Vue Clinic today (15 November 2020). We pay our homage to his soul," said the hospital statement.
Soumitra made his debut with "Apur Sansar" (1959) and, over the next three decades,...
In an Instagram post, Aamir shared that the late actor's work will continue to bring joy to all cinephiles.
"Indian Cinema has lost one of its leading lights. My heartfelt condolences to Soumitraji's family, and to all his fans. His work will continue to bring joy to all of us. Rip Shri Soumitra Chatterjee," Aamir wrote.
The Dadasaheb Phalke recipient thespian's death was confirmed on Sunday morning by a bulletin from Kolkata's Belle Vue Hospital, where he had received Covid treatment.
"We declare with heavy heart that Shri Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last at 12.15 pm at Belle Vue Clinic today (15 November 2020). We pay our homage to his soul," said the hospital statement.
Soumitra made his debut with "Apur Sansar" (1959) and, over the next three decades,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
ObituaryChatterjee was considered one of the first proponents of the naturalistic style of acting in Bengali cinema, a trademark of Satyajit Ray's movies.PTIImage: Wikimedia Commons/Biswarup GangulyHe was the actor who epitomised the best of world cinema, transcending the boundaries of country, state and language to give expression to Satyajit Ray's cinematic vision and get framed in celluloid greatness. But the legacy of Soumitra Chatterjee, who died on Sunday at the age of 85, is not limited to the Ray firmament, just as he was never only a Bengali star of Bengali cinema. The suave actor of the world, sometimes called last of the Mohicans and familiar to students of cinema anywhere in the globe, acted in 14 Ray films and over 300 others, gracefully transitioning into commercial cinema in a variety of roles. He made his presence felt on the stage too as actor, playwright and director. One of the...
- 11/15/2020
- by Nitin
- The News Minute
By Vinayak Chakravorty
He was the alt superstar of Bangla cinema in its glory years, the affable Bhadralok icon who crafted a towering stature ironically banking on down-to-earth, believable characters that represented middle-class Bengal. The brand of stardom was in stark contrast to the other shining luminary of contemporary cinema in the state -- Uttam Kumar -- whose position as Mahanayak in the Bengali psyche was primarily cemented in idol worship and mass hysteria.
Soumitra Chattopadhyay -- Chatterjee to anglicised India -- answers to the term ‘phenomenon' as absolutely as few actors do, for the sheer ease with which he defied the cliches of image. His stardom was sensational, and yet born out of realism. He was the mascot of the peerless Satyajit Ray's oeuvre, having worked with the maestro in 14 films, and yet he scored with the same assuredness in works of contemporary commercial powerhouses as Ajoy Kar and Tarun Mazumdar.
He was the alt superstar of Bangla cinema in its glory years, the affable Bhadralok icon who crafted a towering stature ironically banking on down-to-earth, believable characters that represented middle-class Bengal. The brand of stardom was in stark contrast to the other shining luminary of contemporary cinema in the state -- Uttam Kumar -- whose position as Mahanayak in the Bengali psyche was primarily cemented in idol worship and mass hysteria.
Soumitra Chattopadhyay -- Chatterjee to anglicised India -- answers to the term ‘phenomenon' as absolutely as few actors do, for the sheer ease with which he defied the cliches of image. His stardom was sensational, and yet born out of realism. He was the mascot of the peerless Satyajit Ray's oeuvre, having worked with the maestro in 14 films, and yet he scored with the same assuredness in works of contemporary commercial powerhouses as Ajoy Kar and Tarun Mazumdar.
- 11/15/2020
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Indian actor Soumitra Chatterjee, best known internationally for his long association with Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray, died on Sunday in Kolkata after contracting coronavirus. He was 85.
Chatterjee was born in Calcutta in 1935. While at university he developed an interest in theater and was subsequently mentored by Sisir Bhaduri, a doyen in the field. He pursued an acting career in cinema while working as an announcer with All India Radio.
Chatterjee’s film debut, “The World of Apu,” (1959) was the third part of Ray’s celebrated Apu Trilogy that began with Cannes-winner “Pather Panchali” in 1955 and continued with Venice-winner “Aparajito” in 1956. The film began a fruitful association with Ray over the years that included “The Goddess” (1960), “Three Daughters” (1961), “The Expedition” (1962), “Charulata” (1964), “Days and Nights in the Forest” (1970), “Distant Thunder” (1973), “The Golden Fortress” (1974), “The Elephant God” (1979), “The Home and the World” (1984) and “Branches of the Tree” (1990).
Chatterjee also worked with the other greats of Bengali-language cinema,...
Chatterjee was born in Calcutta in 1935. While at university he developed an interest in theater and was subsequently mentored by Sisir Bhaduri, a doyen in the field. He pursued an acting career in cinema while working as an announcer with All India Radio.
Chatterjee’s film debut, “The World of Apu,” (1959) was the third part of Ray’s celebrated Apu Trilogy that began with Cannes-winner “Pather Panchali” in 1955 and continued with Venice-winner “Aparajito” in 1956. The film began a fruitful association with Ray over the years that included “The Goddess” (1960), “Three Daughters” (1961), “The Expedition” (1962), “Charulata” (1964), “Days and Nights in the Forest” (1970), “Distant Thunder” (1973), “The Golden Fortress” (1974), “The Elephant God” (1979), “The Home and the World” (1984) and “Branches of the Tree” (1990).
Chatterjee also worked with the other greats of Bengali-language cinema,...
- 11/15/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
This week’s episode of the Casual Cinecast returns to wrap up the Apu Trilogy with Criterion’s Apur Sansar, while also discussing The Cameraman and Inception. Mike, Chris, and Justin are back with another Casually Criterion chat as we go ahead and conclude the Apu Trilogy (check our previous episode on Pather Panchali and Aparajito) with […]
The post Casually Criterion Wraps Up a Trilogy and Discusses 10 Years of Inception appeared first on Cinelinx | Movies. Games. Geek Culture..
The post Casually Criterion Wraps Up a Trilogy and Discusses 10 Years of Inception appeared first on Cinelinx | Movies. Games. Geek Culture..
- 7/24/2020
- by Jordan Maison
- Cinelinx
For auteurists in New York there can hardly be a better series playing right now than "Trilogies" at Film Forum: a four-week extravaganza of 78 films comprising 26 mini director retrospectives from Angelopoulos to Wenders and 24 other auteurs in between. Many of the groupings in the series are actual sequential trilogies, like Kobayashi’s The Human Condition or Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy, while others more loosely stretch the term, such as Lucrecia Martel’s "Salta Trilogy" or Hou Hsiao-hsien’s "Coming of Age Trilogy," very welcome though those are.Very few of the trilogies in the series, however, have posters that were conceived as trios themselves, the French posters for Kieslowski’s Three Colors, above, and Albert Dubout’s cartoony designs for Marcel Pagnol’s Marseilles Trilogy being the major exceptions. There are two terrific matching posters by Jan Lenica for the first two films in Mark Donskoy's Maxim Gorky Trilogy,...
- 4/25/2019
- MUBI
10. Agantuk
Ray’s last film , based on a short story “Atithi” written by him. The film defines the meaning and the value of relationship on the backdrop of an ever changing social spectrum and questions the effect of the huge technological growth on human civilization. Utpal Dutt gives a superlative performance as the protagonist.
9. Shatranj Ke Khilari
Ray’s one and only full length Hindi feature film, based on the short story of Munshi Premchand. The film is set on the back drop of Indian Rebellion of 1857 and features some terrific performances from the actors Amjad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar.
8. Nayak
“Nayak” is the story of a matinee idol and Ray’s attempt to reveal the darker elements of his mind in a long-distance train journey. Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore give some brilliant performances in the movie.
7. Apur Sansar
The...
Ray’s last film , based on a short story “Atithi” written by him. The film defines the meaning and the value of relationship on the backdrop of an ever changing social spectrum and questions the effect of the huge technological growth on human civilization. Utpal Dutt gives a superlative performance as the protagonist.
9. Shatranj Ke Khilari
Ray’s one and only full length Hindi feature film, based on the short story of Munshi Premchand. The film is set on the back drop of Indian Rebellion of 1857 and features some terrific performances from the actors Amjad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar.
8. Nayak
“Nayak” is the story of a matinee idol and Ray’s attempt to reveal the darker elements of his mind in a long-distance train journey. Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore give some brilliant performances in the movie.
7. Apur Sansar
The...
- 4/8/2019
- by Sankha Ray
- AsianMoviePulse
The title of the series for this chapter should be “Movies & Stories” because I share a lot of the movies that I loved growing up. My father Jack was a movie lover and an enthusiastic movie goer. He took me to my first foreign film “The World of Apu” and it changed my life. Back in the day there was a no man’s land between fathers and sons, it was called the generation gap. We found a way to reach across it.
The post Fathers and Sons appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Fathers and Sons appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 9/29/2018
- by Allan Arkush
- Trailers from Hell
Interviewing Sharmila Tagore is always a dream come true. A favourite, she ruled my heart with her glamour and talent in the films of Satyajit Ray specially Apur Sansar, then Shakti Samanta’s Aradhana and Amar Prem and Basu Bhattacharya’s Aavishkar and Grihapravesh. No actress combines the best of the East and the West so fluentlyRead More
The post “Cakes and parties are for Taimur and Inaaya I am just happy to be healthy” – Sharmila Tagore appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
The post “Cakes and parties are for Taimur and Inaaya I am just happy to be healthy” – Sharmila Tagore appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
- 12/8/2017
- by Subhash K. Jha
- BollywoodHungama
The parallel cinema movement in the country has over the years been nurtured by a number of stalwarts like Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Aparajitho) Mrinal Sen (Bhuvan Shome Ek Din Prati Din), Shayam Benegal (Ankur, Manthan), Mani Kaul (Uski Roti, Duvidha), Govind Nihalani (Ardh Satya, Aakrosh), Kumar Shahani (Maya Darpan, Tarang) and Gautam Ghose (Paar Antarjali Yatra).
- 11/25/2017
- by TNM NEWS
- The News Minute
This is definitely the time of year when film critic types (I’m sure you know who I mean) spend an inordinate amount of time leading up to awards season—and it all leads up to awards season, don’t it?—compiling lists and trying to convince anyone who will listen that it was a shitty year at the movies for anyone who liked something other than what they saw and liked. And ‘tis the season, or at least ‘thas (?) been in the recent past, for that most beloved of academic parlor games, bemoaning the death of cinema, which, if the sackcloth-and-ashes-clad among us are to be believed, is an increasingly detached and irrelevant art form in the process of being smothered under the wet, steaming blanket of American blockbuster-it is. And it’s going all malnourished from the siphoning off of all the talent back to TV, which, as everyone knows,...
- 1/9/2016
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 40: Late Ray.
About the films:
The films directed by the great Satyajit Ray in the last ten years of his life have a unique dignity and drama. Three of them are collected here: the fervent Rabindranath Tagore adaptation The Home and the World; the vital An Enemy of the People, based on the Henrik Ibsen play; and the filmmaker’s final work, the poignant and philosophical family story The Stranger. They are complex, political, and humane depictions of worlds both corrupt and indescribably beautiful, constructed with Ray’s characteristic elegance and imbued with autumnal profundity. These late-career features are the meditative works of a master.
Subscribe to...
About the films:
The films directed by the great Satyajit Ray in the last ten years of his life have a unique dignity and drama. Three of them are collected here: the fervent Rabindranath Tagore adaptation The Home and the World; the vital An Enemy of the People, based on the Henrik Ibsen play; and the filmmaker’s final work, the poignant and philosophical family story The Stranger. They are complex, political, and humane depictions of worlds both corrupt and indescribably beautiful, constructed with Ray’s characteristic elegance and imbued with autumnal profundity. These late-career features are the meditative works of a master.
Subscribe to...
- 12/2/2015
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
“Songs Of Humanity”
By Raymond Benson
I’ll bet many of you cinephiles out there have heard of Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s acclaimed trilogy of films from the 1950s (Pather Panchali, aka Song of the Little Road, 1955; Aparajito, aka The Unvanquished, 1956; and Apur Sansar, aka The World of Apu, 1959), but have never actually seen them. Here is your chance to rectify that egregious error. Quite simply put, anyone interested in film history needs to have this trio of motion pictures under the belt.
Satyajit Ray, who received an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, began his career as an illustrator of books. One of these was Pather Panchali, a classic of Bengali literature (1928) written by Bibhutibushan Bandyopadhyay, and its sequel, Aparajito (1932). They comprise the story of the growth of a boy from infancy to adulthood over the course of twenty-five years or so (from the 1910s to the 1930s...
By Raymond Benson
I’ll bet many of you cinephiles out there have heard of Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s acclaimed trilogy of films from the 1950s (Pather Panchali, aka Song of the Little Road, 1955; Aparajito, aka The Unvanquished, 1956; and Apur Sansar, aka The World of Apu, 1959), but have never actually seen them. Here is your chance to rectify that egregious error. Quite simply put, anyone interested in film history needs to have this trio of motion pictures under the belt.
Satyajit Ray, who received an Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, began his career as an illustrator of books. One of these was Pather Panchali, a classic of Bengali literature (1928) written by Bibhutibushan Bandyopadhyay, and its sequel, Aparajito (1932). They comprise the story of the growth of a boy from infancy to adulthood over the course of twenty-five years or so (from the 1910s to the 1930s...
- 11/28/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Pather Panchali/Aparajito/Apur Sansar
Written and directed by Satyajit Ray
India, 1955/1956/1959
The Criterion Collection set of Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy has been one of the more eagerly anticipated releases in recent years. These masterworks of world cinema, widely acclaimed for decades, have been long overdue a much-deserved superior treatment on home video. Now though, benefitting from a 4K digital restoration by the Academy Film Archive and L’Immagine Ritrovata, and with a wealth of bonus features, these exceptional films are available in the superb presentation so many have been waiting for.
But to start at the source, such a treatment would not have been warranted in the first place were the films themselves not so remarkable, and that they most certainly are. As no less an authority than Akira Kurosawa puts it, “To have not seen the films of Ray is to have lived in the world without...
Written and directed by Satyajit Ray
India, 1955/1956/1959
The Criterion Collection set of Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy has been one of the more eagerly anticipated releases in recent years. These masterworks of world cinema, widely acclaimed for decades, have been long overdue a much-deserved superior treatment on home video. Now though, benefitting from a 4K digital restoration by the Academy Film Archive and L’Immagine Ritrovata, and with a wealth of bonus features, these exceptional films are available in the superb presentation so many have been waiting for.
But to start at the source, such a treatment would not have been warranted in the first place were the films themselves not so remarkable, and that they most certainly are. As no less an authority than Akira Kurosawa puts it, “To have not seen the films of Ray is to have lived in the world without...
- 11/24/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Dailies is a round-up of essential film writing, news bits, videos, and other highlights from across the Internet. If you’d like to submit a piece for consideration, get in touch with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheFilmStage.
Pedro Almodóvar explains why he changed the title of his next film from Silencio to Julieta (via THR), and see a new look above:
When we began with preproduction I found out that Martin Scorsese was going to shoot a film with the same title, but I didn’t mind because I thought that I would use the Spanish title, which sounds much different, in the markets. Scorcese and I have finished shooting our respective films and we know that we will coincide in theaters around the world next year around the same time. Additionally, the novel the film is based on by Shusaku Endo will be rereleased.
Pedro Almodóvar explains why he changed the title of his next film from Silencio to Julieta (via THR), and see a new look above:
When we began with preproduction I found out that Martin Scorsese was going to shoot a film with the same title, but I didn’t mind because I thought that I would use the Spanish title, which sounds much different, in the markets. Scorcese and I have finished shooting our respective films and we know that we will coincide in theaters around the world next year around the same time. Additionally, the novel the film is based on by Shusaku Endo will be rereleased.
- 11/18/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Read More: 10 Films That Should Be in the Criterion Collection After touring the country earlier this year courtesy of Janus Films, the 4k restoration of Satyajit Ray's acclaimed "The Apu Trilogy" is finally coming to the Criterion Collection this November. The trilogy, made up of "Pather Panchali" ("Sons of the Little Road"), "Aparajito" ("The Unvanquished") and "Apur Sansar" ("The World of Apu"), is famous for bringing India into the golden age of international arthouse cinema. Based on two books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee, it follows a free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an adolescent urban student and a sensitive man of the world. The Criterion release will include bonus interviews and audio recordings. Joining Ray's masterpiece is Michael Haneke's "Code Unknown," starring Juliette Binoche. The film will be released in a new 2k print and have a ton of bonus features,...
- 8/18/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
While The Criterion Collection has other releases coming in November, let's just face it — Satyajit Ray's "The Apu Trilogy" is the centerpiece treat and crown jewel, so let's start there, shall we? Read More: The Essentials: Satyajit Ray's 'Apu' Trilogy Plus 3 Other Must-See Ray Films Available Now Yep, as long expected and wished for the, the boutique label is finally putting "Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)," "Aparajito (The Unvanquished)," and "Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)" into one must have set. These aren't just barebones releases: given spiffy 4K restorations, they come with extras (interviews, documentary excerpts, audio recordings) and basically anything and everything someone who has been waiting for these movies to get officially released stateside could want. It's the cinephile must-have holiday gift this year. Elsewhere, Michael Haneke's "Code Unknown" will mark his first entry into Criterion. The...
- 8/17/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
There is a most beautiful moment in Apur Sansar (“The World of Apu”) where Apu (Soumitra Chatterjee) stands looking at a sunset. When the camera focuses on him, however, we can see the moonrise over his shoulder. It can’t help but make me think of that famous and oft-quoted phrase of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa:
“The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. … I feel that he is a “giant” of the movie industry. Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.”
This is especially true of the final film in the Apu Trilogy, Apur Sansar. In it, Ray gives us an adult Apu – alone in the world after the death of his mother, leaving his studies because he no longer can afford them,...
“The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. … I feel that he is a “giant” of the movie industry. Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.”
This is especially true of the final film in the Apu Trilogy, Apur Sansar. In it, Ray gives us an adult Apu – alone in the world after the death of his mother, leaving his studies because he no longer can afford them,...
- 6/3/2015
- by Katherine Matthews
- Bollyspice
Pather PanchaliMy memories of Satyajit Ray's work before this year are blurred—they come up but they don't come out concretely developed. They aren't stenciled into the cohesive aesthetic dominating my attitude toward art. The first is gooey and, not surprisingly, Oscarized. His supporters in Hollywood knew of his terminal illness and in 1992 he was awarded a lifetime achievement Oscar, “in recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world,” a few weeks before his death. Speaking from his deathbed, it was one of the first videotaped acceptance speeches. A diminished man, Ray cradled the glistening award, as the producers cut away from Ray’s words for two close-ups of the little golden man. Nevertheless, Ray came off witty when recounting writing to Ginger Rodgers and Billy Wilder...
- 5/11/2015
- by Greg Gerke
- MUBI
Janus Films is bringing new restorations of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy—tag>Pather Panchali (1955), tag>Aparajito (1956) and tag>Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959)—to New York's Film Forum for a three-week run, starting today. The Trilogy will then tour the States through September. In the New York Times, Andrew Robinson, the author of three books on Ray, tells the story of the films and their maker, how the young graphic designer found a mentor in tag>Jean Renoir and inspiration in tag>Vittorio De Sica’s tag>Bicycle Thieves before completing his debut. The support of tag>John Huston was instrumental in securing a run in New York, eventually leading to a watershed screening at Cannes. We're collecting fresh raves from the critics. » - David Hudson...
- 5/8/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Janus Films is bringing new restorations of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy—tag>Pather Panchali (1955), tag>Aparajito (1956) and tag>Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959)—to New York's Film Forum for a three-week run, starting today. The Trilogy will then tour the States through September. In the New York Times, Andrew Robinson, the author of three books on Ray, tells the story of the films and their maker, how the young graphic designer found a mentor in tag>Jean Renoir and inspiration in tag>Vittorio De Sica’s tag>Bicycle Thieves before completing his debut. The support of tag>John Huston was instrumental in securing a run in New York, eventually leading to a watershed screening at Cannes. We're collecting fresh raves from the critics. » - David Hudson...
- 5/8/2015
- Keyframe
Marking the 60th anniversary of the release of Satyajit Ray’s iconic classic Pather Panchali, the fully restored films of The Apu Trilogy with English subtitles will be released in theaters for a limited time starting this Friday May 8 at Film Forum in New York City. A new behind-the-scenes video has premiered chronicling the once unthinkable restoration of the legendary trilogy whose negatives were thought to have been lost to fire.
Following an incredible seven-year restoration program, Janus Films proudly releases The Apu Trilogy in North American theaters beginning in New York followed by releases in several other major cities throughout May and June allowing film lovers of all generations to experience one of India’s greatest masterpieces on the big screen. Additional cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Houston and Vancouver.
These delicate masterworks – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished...
Following an incredible seven-year restoration program, Janus Films proudly releases The Apu Trilogy in North American theaters beginning in New York followed by releases in several other major cities throughout May and June allowing film lovers of all generations to experience one of India’s greatest masterpieces on the big screen. Additional cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Houston and Vancouver.
These delicate masterworks – Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished...
- 5/7/2015
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Pegged as a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, The Criterion Collection curates, restores, and distributes a variety of movies old and new to avid film lovers like you and me. It's no secret the task of restoring older films is a difficult and painstaking one, but Criterion seems driven to make each film it puts out look as good as it possibly can, and based on the image above and the video below it seems the company has done just that with Satyajit Ray's revered trilogy of films known as The Apu Trilogy -- which comprises Pather Panchali (Song Of The Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The World Of Apu). What follows is a restoration trailer for the trilogy, which is set to hit select theaters in May and is presumed to make its official Criterion Collection home video debut later this year.
- 4/30/2015
- by Jordan Benesh
- Rope of Silicon
Janus Films is proud to announce today the release of glorious new 4k restorations of master filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s seminal The Apu Trilogy (with new subtitles). Frequently listed as one of the top accomplishments in the history of cinema, the trilogy helped bring India into the golden age of international art-house cinema – but this restoration was long thought to be impossible, after a fire severely damaged the original negatives in 1993. Whatever was left of the original negatives was salvaged by the Academy Film Archive and it wasn’t until the technology improved that this restoration was possible.
The three films – Pather Panchali (Song Of The Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The World Of Apu) – will begin a national re-release in New York City at Film Forum on Friday, May 8th and in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theater on Friday, May 29th. The films will...
The three films – Pather Panchali (Song Of The Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The World Of Apu) – will begin a national re-release in New York City at Film Forum on Friday, May 8th and in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theater on Friday, May 29th. The films will...
- 4/25/2015
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
If you’ve never seen Satyajit Ray’s The Apu Trilogy, you’re missing out, but you’re not alone. The films have been highly rare, and the existing prints and DVD transfers have been in sorry disrepair. And yet Ray’s films, including Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu), are considered some of the best of all time, or at the very least some of the best to ever come out of India. Don’t you love how we care for our cinematic history?
All three films, originally from the ’50s, have now been restored by The Criterion Collection, and Janus Films will distribute the trilogy in theaters across the country starting on May 8, where the films will premiere at New York’s Film Forum. Criterion had been working on this restoration of some of Ray’s severely...
All three films, originally from the ’50s, have now been restored by The Criterion Collection, and Janus Films will distribute the trilogy in theaters across the country starting on May 8, where the films will premiere at New York’s Film Forum. Criterion had been working on this restoration of some of Ray’s severely...
- 4/23/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
When The Criterion Collection put out Satyajit Ray’s “The Music Room” on Blu-ray/DVD a few years ago, there was immediate speculation among fans as to when they would get around to “The Apu Trilogy.” Sure, Satyajit Ray may have made twenty-eight films over the course of his career, but it’s his “Apu Trilogy” that’s widely considered to be his most seminal work. Well, it turns out Ray’s trilogy has recently undergone a very lengthy restoration process, and now Janus Films (Criterion Collection’s partner-in-crime) apparently have much bigger plans for “The Apu Trilogy” than just releasing them all on home video. If you are one of the lucky peeps who lives in one of the cities listed below, you will get a chance to catch “Pather Panchali,” “Aparajito,” and “Apur Sansar” on the big screen this year. The trilogy will premiere at New York City...
- 4/23/2015
- by Ken Guidry
- The Playlist
Read More: Is It the Best or the Worst Time for Film Restoration? Janus Films has announced it will release a brand new 4k restoration of master filmmaker Satyajit Ray's seminal "The Apu Trilogy," complete with new subtitles, this summer. The trilogy, made up of "Pather Panchali" ("Sons of the Little Road"), "Aparajito" ("The Unvanquished") and "Apur Sansar" ("The World of Apu"), is famous for bringing India into the golden age of international arthouse cinema. Based on two books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee, "The Apu Trilogy" follows a free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an adolescent urban student and finally a sensitive man of the world. The films, shot over the course of five years and featuring different actors playing the maturing Apu, are essential works for any film lover. The restoration is rather remarkable considering a fire severely damaged the...
- 3/25/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Janus Films will release new 4K restorations of Satyajit Ray’s seminal The Apu Trilogy with new subtitles.
The company will re-release the trilogy in New York City at Film Forum on May 8 and in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theater on May 29 prior to a summer-long rollout in the nation’s art-house theatres.
The Apu Trilogy is based on books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee and follows a free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an adolescent urban student and finally a sensitive man of the world.
The films helped bring India into the golden age of international art-house cinema and prompted Akira Kurosawa to say, “Never having seen a Satyajit Ray film is like never having seen the sun or moon.”
Restoration work was deemed impossible after a fire damaged the original negatives in 1993.
The Academy Film Archive salvaged the remains and waited until technological advances allowed it to restore the films.
The Archive...
The company will re-release the trilogy in New York City at Film Forum on May 8 and in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theater on May 29 prior to a summer-long rollout in the nation’s art-house theatres.
The Apu Trilogy is based on books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee and follows a free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an adolescent urban student and finally a sensitive man of the world.
The films helped bring India into the golden age of international art-house cinema and prompted Akira Kurosawa to say, “Never having seen a Satyajit Ray film is like never having seen the sun or moon.”
Restoration work was deemed impossible after a fire damaged the original negatives in 1993.
The Academy Film Archive salvaged the remains and waited until technological advances allowed it to restore the films.
The Archive...
- 3/25/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
One of the most talked about, yet infrequently seen film trilogies of all time has to be Satyajit Ray's The Apu Trilogy -- Pather Panchali (Song Of The Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The World Of Apu). You can find poor quality versions on YouTube and purchase shoddy DVD copies on Amazon and eBay, but soon these classics will be available in newly minted restored versions as Janus Film announced today the upcoming $K restoration of all three films will be begin a national re-release in New York City at Film Forum on Friday, May 8 and in Los Angeles at Landmark's Nuart Theater on Friday, May 29, followed by releases in art houses nationwide throughout the summer. Frequently listed as one of the top accomplishments in the history of cinema, the trilogy helped bring India into the golden age of international art-house cinema - but this restoration...
- 3/25/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The picture above was posted to the Criterion Collection Facebook page with the caption "A 35mm negative gets the white glove treatment in Italy," and as many of the commenters have already noted, the film that's getting the delicate treatment is Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali (1955), the first film in Ray's "Apu Trilogy" along with Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959). The trilogy is considered by many to be one of the best of all-time and Roger Ebert included the collective trilogy as one of his "Great Movies" entries opening his review with: The great, sad, gentle sweep of "The Apu Trilogy" remains in the mind of the moviegoer as a promise of what film can be. Standing above fashion, it creates a world so convincing that it becomes, for a time, another life we might have lived. The three films, which were made in India by Satyajit Ray between 1950 and...
- 7/9/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
A portrait of Satyajit Ray by Rishiraj Sahoo | Source: Wikimedia commons
Let’s start to play a game here – What is common between the 9 Bengali films listed below:
1 – Antaheen (2009, dir: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) advertised that this was the first film after Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri where Aparna Sen and Sharmila Tagore acted together. It went further stating that even the Ray masterpiece didn’t have the two pitted against each other in the same frame as this film did.
2 – Abar Aranye (2003, dir: Goutam Ghose) took three of the four characters of Aranyer Din Ratri to the forest of Dooars on a sequel train at a time when the DVD, CD version of the Ray original was not readily available.
3 – Aborto (2013, dir: Arindam Sil) flaunts that all the characters of the film have the same names as the different major characters in the master’s film oeuvre.
4 – Charulata 2011 (2012, dir:...
Let’s start to play a game here – What is common between the 9 Bengali films listed below:
1 – Antaheen (2009, dir: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) advertised that this was the first film after Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri where Aparna Sen and Sharmila Tagore acted together. It went further stating that even the Ray masterpiece didn’t have the two pitted against each other in the same frame as this film did.
2 – Abar Aranye (2003, dir: Goutam Ghose) took three of the four characters of Aranyer Din Ratri to the forest of Dooars on a sequel train at a time when the DVD, CD version of the Ray original was not readily available.
3 – Aborto (2013, dir: Arindam Sil) flaunts that all the characters of the film have the same names as the different major characters in the master’s film oeuvre.
4 – Charulata 2011 (2012, dir:...
- 7/8/2014
- by Amitava Nag
- DearCinema.com
Qissa, directed by Anup Singh, won two awards at the 20th edition of the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (Festival international des cinémas d’Asie) that concluded on February 18 in Vesoul, France.
The film won a Special Mention by the International Jury comprising Brillante Mendoza as Chairperson, assisted by Taraneh Alidoosti (Iran), Jocelyne Saab (Lebanon) and Philip Cheah (Singapore). The Jury said in its citation: “…Qissa by Anup Singh (India) for its brave fusion of the historical epic, the transgender film and most unexpectedly, a ghost story.”
The film also won the Inalco Jury Award (granted by the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations, Paris) for “the beautiful script, the quality of acting and the beauty of the picture.” Qissa features Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Rasika Dugal and Tillotama Shome.
The films awarded at the festival will be screened at Guimet Museum of Asian Arts, Paris, from...
The film won a Special Mention by the International Jury comprising Brillante Mendoza as Chairperson, assisted by Taraneh Alidoosti (Iran), Jocelyne Saab (Lebanon) and Philip Cheah (Singapore). The Jury said in its citation: “…Qissa by Anup Singh (India) for its brave fusion of the historical epic, the transgender film and most unexpectedly, a ghost story.”
The film also won the Inalco Jury Award (granted by the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations, Paris) for “the beautiful script, the quality of acting and the beauty of the picture.” Qissa features Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Rasika Dugal and Tillotama Shome.
The films awarded at the festival will be screened at Guimet Museum of Asian Arts, Paris, from...
- 2/19/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Anup Singh’s Qissa and Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar are two Indian films that have been selected to screen at the 20th edition of the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (Festival international des cinémas d’Asie) to be held from 11-18 February in Vesoul, France.
Qissa will be competing in the Visages des Cinémas d’Asie Contemporains (Faces of the Contemporary Asian Cinema) section while Apur Sansar will be screened in the Avoir 20 ans section.
Qissa, a partition drama starring Irrfan Khan, Tillotama Shome, Tisca Chopra and Rasika Dugal, recently opened the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
The third part in the Apu trilogy by Ray, Apur Sansar was released in 1959. It had won the Sutherland Trophy, the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and was also nominated for the BAFTA awards.
The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema was started in 1995 and focuses specifically on cinema from Asian countries.
Qissa will be competing in the Visages des Cinémas d’Asie Contemporains (Faces of the Contemporary Asian Cinema) section while Apur Sansar will be screened in the Avoir 20 ans section.
Qissa, a partition drama starring Irrfan Khan, Tillotama Shome, Tisca Chopra and Rasika Dugal, recently opened the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
The third part in the Apu trilogy by Ray, Apur Sansar was released in 1959. It had won the Sutherland Trophy, the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and was also nominated for the BAFTA awards.
The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema was started in 1995 and focuses specifically on cinema from Asian countries.
- 1/31/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The 24th edition of the biennial Europalia International Arts Festival in Europe will be dedicated to India to celebrate the centenary year of Indian cinema.
The festival will be held in several cities of Belgium and The Netherlands including Brussels, Antwerpen and Den Haag from October 4, 2013 – January 26, 2014.
Five of Kashyap’s films will be screened under the Anurag Kashyap Focus – Cinematek section: Ugly (2013), Black Friday (2004), Dev D (2009), Gulal (2009) and Gangs of Wasseypur I and II (2012). Besides, three films recommended by Kashyap will also be screened at the festival: Gurvinder Singh’s Anhey Ghorey Da Daan, Hansal Mehta’s Shahid and Satish Manwar’s Gabhricha Paus.
Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Apur Sansar and Jalsaghar will be presented as part of the Satyajit Ray Retrospective. Guru Dutt Retrospective will screen his films Baazi, Jaal, Baaz, Aar Paar, Mr. And Mrs. 55, Pyaasa, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam and Kagaz Ke Phool.
Filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl...
The festival will be held in several cities of Belgium and The Netherlands including Brussels, Antwerpen and Den Haag from October 4, 2013 – January 26, 2014.
Five of Kashyap’s films will be screened under the Anurag Kashyap Focus – Cinematek section: Ugly (2013), Black Friday (2004), Dev D (2009), Gulal (2009) and Gangs of Wasseypur I and II (2012). Besides, three films recommended by Kashyap will also be screened at the festival: Gurvinder Singh’s Anhey Ghorey Da Daan, Hansal Mehta’s Shahid and Satish Manwar’s Gabhricha Paus.
Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Apur Sansar and Jalsaghar will be presented as part of the Satyajit Ray Retrospective. Guru Dutt Retrospective will screen his films Baazi, Jaal, Baaz, Aar Paar, Mr. And Mrs. 55, Pyaasa, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam and Kagaz Ke Phool.
Filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl...
- 9/27/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
A still from Pather Panchali
The 4th edition of the Jagran Film Festival will be held from September 24 – 29, 2013 in Mumbai.
The festival will feature films under seven sections: World Panorama, Indian Showcase, Indian Premieres, Jagran Shorts, T20 of Indian Cinema, Cinema of the Sellers and Films by Debut Directors.
The festival will open with Israeli film Water directed by Yael Perlov, NirSa’ar & Maya Sarfaty, YonaRozenkier, Mohammad Bakri, Ahmad Barghouti, Pini Tavger & Tal Haring under the World Panorama section.
Other films in the section are Kim Yong-Hwa’s 200 Pounds Beauty, Esteban Larrain’s The Passion of Michelangelo and Sophie Blondy’s Morning Star.
Indian Showcase is a competitive section for feature films. Films like Sanjay Jadhav’s Duniyadari, Kamal Hassan’s Vishwaroopam, Gajendra Ahire’s Touring Talkies, Nitin Kakkar’s Filmistan, Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish and Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus will compete in this section.
Jagran Classic...
The 4th edition of the Jagran Film Festival will be held from September 24 – 29, 2013 in Mumbai.
The festival will feature films under seven sections: World Panorama, Indian Showcase, Indian Premieres, Jagran Shorts, T20 of Indian Cinema, Cinema of the Sellers and Films by Debut Directors.
The festival will open with Israeli film Water directed by Yael Perlov, NirSa’ar & Maya Sarfaty, YonaRozenkier, Mohammad Bakri, Ahmad Barghouti, Pini Tavger & Tal Haring under the World Panorama section.
Other films in the section are Kim Yong-Hwa’s 200 Pounds Beauty, Esteban Larrain’s The Passion of Michelangelo and Sophie Blondy’s Morning Star.
Indian Showcase is a competitive section for feature films. Films like Sanjay Jadhav’s Duniyadari, Kamal Hassan’s Vishwaroopam, Gajendra Ahire’s Touring Talkies, Nitin Kakkar’s Filmistan, Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish and Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus will compete in this section.
Jagran Classic...
- 9/19/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
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