The Apu Trilogy
The Apu trilogy is the most celebrated work of Satyajit Ray, the greatest filmmaker ever to have emerged from Indian cinema. Pather Panchali (1955), Ray's extraordinarily accomplished debut feature, begins the story of Apu, a young boy born into a poor but loving family in rural Bengal, and continues in Aparajito (1957), when .. Read more
| Starring | Karuna Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Pinaki Sen Gupta |
|---|---|
| Director | Satyajit Ray |
| Genres | Drama, Indian Cinema |
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The Apu Trilogy
The Apu trilogy is the most celebrated work of Satyajit Ray, the greatest filmmaker ever to have emerged from Indian cinema. Pather Panchali (1955), Ray's extraordinarily accomplished debut feature, begins the story of Apu, a young boy born into a poor but loving family in rural Bengal, and continues in Aparajito (1957), when adolesence and his growing independence bring both joy and sorrow. The World of Apu (1959), the final and most profoundly moving chapter in the trilogy, encompasses the extremes of joy and despair, ultimately reaching a conclusion that is among the most uplifting and life-affirming in cinema.
| Starring | Karuna Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Pinaki Sen Gupta |
|---|---|
| Director | Satyajit Ray |
| Studio | ARTIFICIAL EYE |
| Run time | DVD: 5 hrs 33 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, Indian Cinema |
| Language | Bengali |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 27 Jan 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
The Apu Trilogy (3 discs)
Or you can rent each disc individually:
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Critics' reviews
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Ray's sensitive trilogy, based on two classic Bengali novels, follows the life of a poor village boy, from his birth to his progress to the city, school, university and an unexpected marriage during three decades to the 1940s, mirroring India's shift from
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Most helpful member's review
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24 out of 24 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
A poetic, uplifting and moving trilogy of films
It is difficult to put into words the almost overwhelming experience that these three films can bring to the viewer. I had seen the first film a couple of times and now dvd has made it possible to see the trilogy of films one after the other. The story is the deceptively simple one of Apu growing up in poverty in rural India, moving to the city to study and his subsequent marriage and work in the India of the 1950's. The director Ray, working with minimal resources, quite simply produces a masterwork. He has a painter's eye and the black and white images are simply ravishing. In fact, everyone involved in these films deserves the highest praise, not least Ravi Shankar for the music. I have never been to India but every frame of these films seem to be saturated with the reality of life in this poor country. A way of life that has probably gone on relatively unchanged for centuries. So much so that the presence of a train produces in Apu feelings of tremendous excitement and you can sense the great continent opening up to him. Without giving anything away there are two deaths in each film and they are incredibly moving in their presentation on screen. One of these is a spiritual death rather than a physical one and leads to a re-birth. Intrigued? Take a rental and be amazed at the power of these wonderful films.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Indian New Wave- Take Two
I have already posted a review under this title but actually wrote it after seeing only the first film. I think that was clear from context but, now I've seen all three, here is an overall assessment. The series comprises Pather Panchali (The Song of the Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) and introduces a poor Bengali family's youngest child, watches him grow up and... that's about it. No extraordinary accomplishments or great events- instead the films positively revel in the every day viewed through Satyajit Ray's affectionate eye for detail and character. If the social realism seems off-putting, and characters do bemoan their lot occasionally, this is no misery fest- Apu lives in poverty but is unbowed by it and Ray's sketch of his marriage in the third film is joyous in spite of, in fact almost because of, priggish restrictions noted in the extras (each disc bears relevant clips from an edition of the BBC's Omnibus). These are not the sort of films I usually go for but the first was sufficiently involving to give the rest a look and by Apur Sansar Apu was almost an old friend. I enjoyed his company, shared his joys and sorrows and was sorry to see him go.
I originally wrote that Pather Panchali: “...lacks the musical numbers and gaudy style one usually associates with Bollywood instead portraying the day-to-day lives of an impoverished Bengali family.
“Based on a classic novel but clearly strongly influenced by the European New Wave, with which it is contemporary, it's the sort of “little slice of life” film which doesn't usually appeal to me- the closest thing to excitement comes when the children see a train for the first time (in the interests of full disclosure I should point out that I get excited when I see trains- your mileage may vary). Nevertheless it is beautifully observed and performed by a largely amateur, though by no means amateurish, cast and the exotic (at least to me) setting holds the attention.”
I stand by that and recommend that you give it a go. There's a fair chance that it will bore your pants off but, if not, you have riches to look forward to. Apur Sansar is clearly the most accomplished (these are Ray's first, second and fifth films) and earns the series its fourth star.
Extras include a Ray filmography and bio'. I'd have liked to see the whole Omnibus referred to above but, instead, there's a one hour Ray “Master-class” which, apart from a funny anecdote about Ray's directing process, seemed like so much beard-stroking twaddle to me. -
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