Pather Panchali (1955)

Director:

Satyajit Ray

Writers:

Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (novel)
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Sometime in the early years of the century, a boy, Apu, is born to a poor Brahmin family in a village in Bengal...

Plot Keywords:

Aunt | Brother Sister Relationship | Family | India | Monsoon

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kanu Bannerjee	...	Harihar Ray
Karuna Bannerjee	...	Sarbojaya Ray
Subir Bannerjee	...	Apu
Uma Das Gupta	...	Durga
Chunibala Devi	...	Indir Thakrun
Runki Banerjee	...	Little Durga
Reba Devi	...	Seja Thakrun
Aparna Devi	...	Nilmoni's wife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Haren Banerjee	...	Chinibas, Sweet-seller
Tulsi Chakraborty	...	Prasanna, school teacher
Nibhanani Devi	...	Dasi Thakurun
Rama Gangopadhaya	...	Ranu Mookerjee
Roma Ganguli	...	Roma
Binoy Mukherjee	...	Baidyanath Majumdar
Harimohan Nag	...	Doctor
Kshirod Roy	...	Priest

Also Known As:

Song of the Little Road (International: English title)
Song of the Road
The Lament of the Path
The Saga of the Road

Runtime:

115 min | India:122 min (within Bengal) | Argentina:119 min

Country:

India

Language:

Bengali

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Québec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Company:

Government of West Bengal

Trivia:

Cinematographer Subrata Mitra was originally a stills photographer whose work Ray had admired. Mitra learned his craft on photographing for films by borrowing a 16mm camera.

Quotes:

Harihar Ray: Whatever God does is for the best.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Water (2005)

simply wonderful

...it is one of those greatest works of art..so lyrical yet so composed. there is one phrase that Ray has used extensively in his writings; something that his professor use to say when he was studying painting in Shantiniketan: "look at Fujiyama, Fire within and Calm without. There is the symbol of true oriental artist..." i think it best describes Ray's work where he suggests in his cinema enormous reserves of power and feelings which never spill into emotional displays.

the strength and variety of the cinematic craftsmanship in this film can be explored endlessly, but what strikes me the most, is the way his work has confirmed, sustained and nurtured the existence of an art form, western in origin, transplanted and taking root in Indian soil. in a way pather panchali is so 'rooted'. it is so earthy and 'regional' at core and may be thats why its 'international', may be thats why, despite being the product of its time and place it is universal in its appeal. the moods and moments that he creates are simply 'matchless'. so simple, and yet so profound. the Indir Thakuran sequences of the film remain for me the highest, noblest and rare expression of art in Indian films so far (except films by Ghatak and Mrinal Sen) The film induces a kind of contemplation and a sense of wonder, about the truth, individual and privet. almost without you being aware of it it opens windows to the truth that lies within and beyond the boundaries of cinema itself.