Distant Thunder (1973) User Reviews

A true gem on a rare subject

[proud_luddite · 9/10 · 9 June 2019]

During World War II, the price of rice rose to unattainable levels in Bengal thus causing a famine that killed millions in 1943. This fictional film focuses on how the famine affected a small village as seen through the eyes of a privileged Brahmin couple who have recently moved there.

I felt bored during the first twenty minutes of this film wondering where it was going. Once the story-line picked up, I was truly mesmerized.

Of the hundreds of movies I've seen, this must be the first one I've seen whose main subject is famine and starvation. With various stories within the broader one, it was shocking to see what some people did in desperate circumstances thus causing the audience to question what we might do if the same thing were happening to us. Such situations include the poor asking those better off for more and more charity while the more privileged are concerned about lack if their supplies run dry. The compassion and subtlety of the directing (by Satyajit Ray) and the acting leaves the audience able to see both sides.

While beautiful sunshine vistas juxtapose the tragedy of the people in their midst, "Distant Thunder" builds and builds to a conclusion that is heart-wrenching and stays that way well until after the final credits are complete.

RATING: 9 out of 10

Outstanding Achievement: Directing by Satyajit Ray

"beautiful Bobita"

[smkbsws · 8/10 · 16 September 2020]

My favourite thing of this movie of was beautiful Bobita. Soumitra Chatterjee, who appeared in half of Ray's films, did awesome job here. If I am not wrong, this is the first proper colour film made by Ray. The topic here is a little bit sensitive, so fanatics might be angry if I share my honest opinion. Even though this has a unique narrative than others, and it carries the most universal themes of all his movies, I always thought the subject was kind of opportunistic. This decision of mine might be influenced by the best of Mrinal Sen, 'Akaler Sandhane', which itself is based on making a "famine film". Actually, just hit my mind, these two movies can be watched back to back for a reason.

A Stunning Cult Classic on heart-wrenching topic of Bengal Famine. One of Satyajit Ray's best work ever and you know what that means.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 8/10 · 18 April 2021]

Ashani Sanket / Distant Blunder (1973) : Brief Review -

A Stunning Cult Classic on heart-wrenching topic of Bengal Famine. One of Satyajit Ray's best work ever and you know what that means. When i say, it is one of the best work of Satyajit Ray ever then you must realise the high standard I'm taking about. I don't even need to explain anything after that one statement and if you are well known about Satyjit Ray's work then i don't think you can resist yourself from watching this Cult film ASAP. Ashani Sanket is based on true events and believe me those events are horrendous. As food shortages reach catastrophic proportions, Gangacharan attempts to preserve his privileged situation, while his generous wife, Ananga, conversely tries to help and support the community. Alongside, the film also focuses of castism as the protagonist realises that a natural disaster like Hunger don't see Caste before hitting you. All humans are equal, we have to stay equal to live equal and suffer equally. Some scenes in the film are truly mind-shattering and abominable. You have to have strong heart and emotions to see it and understand the actual pain behind and then i guess you'll never ever forget this film in your Life. Bangladeshi Actress Bobita looks drop-dead gorgeous as bengali housewife. She looks so good that i would have had crush on her if i were a teenager in 70s. Performance wise too she looks great whereas in her husband's role Legend Soumitra Chatterjee shows his upper class yet again. Director Satyajit Ray bring cent-percent conviction in his storytelling with utterly realistic presentation and does not compromise with the hard-hitting content. In a nutshell, Ashani Sanket is a Cult Classic moviemaking on tragic tale from the Indian History which is atrocious and ferocious but needs to seen.

RATING - 8.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Famine Holocaust

[Chrysanthepop · 13 January 2009]

The legendary Ray tackles what is known as The Great Bengal Famine in 1943 when India was still under the British Raj. Food was becoming scarcer as the price skyrocketed far beyond what was affordable and in the end, there just wasn't any left. With the attempt to help England during WWI, Churchill used the help of India and exported the majority of food that was so badly needed by the local Indians. As someone had stated, he also forbade other countries from offering any aid to India. The starvation resulted in more than 5,000 000 deaths.

'Ashani Sanket' takes place in a poor rural Bengali village where most people are illiterate and even unaware of the war going on in the other side of the world. In a beautiful scene Ananga and her friend Chutki are fascinated by the flying jets which hardly means anything more to them than a distant thunder. They aren't even aware that those jets are flying to war. Gangacharan and Ananga are the newer inhabitants of the village and are of a 'sophisticated' Brahmin class. The villagers look up to them.

However, as hunger strikes an become more severe, it gradually strips the villagers off their humanity (the fight over the rice) and integrity (Chutki offering herself in exchange of rice) but at the same time it also brings a more positive change in Gangacharan and Ananga. Gangacharan, who was arrogant and pompous, learns that he had lived his affluent life at the cost of the villagers. He becomes aware of the sacrifices others have made for him and that in this tragic ordeal there are no inequalities. Class does not matter for everyone is suffering equally. Consequently, he offers to give the the 'untouchable girl' a proper death ritual. The always compassionate Ananga grows from the naive housewife to a stronger woman.

Ray's treatment is simple and this makes the portrayed village life look very authentic. At the same time he brings depth and there is plenty of detail and metaphor like the two butterflies that intrigue Ananga. Ray has always been known to be one of the greatest storytellers and 'Ashani Sanket' is no different. He gradually unfolds the story as he reveals how powerless hunger can cause humans to become and yet how these people fight to survive. On the technical front, background music is effectively minimalized and the cinematography is stupendous.

Soumitra Chatterjee is marvelous. Obviously, there's a reason why Ray has repeatedly cast him in so many of his films. Thanks to Ray for discovering Babita's talent because this is one of the very very few movies in which she is given a role that does full justice to her acting abilities. Sandhya Roy too delivers a noteworthy performance as Chutki.

'Ashani Sanket' is an astounding film that I found to be very enlightening. Many have claimed for it not to be their favourite Ray film but to me it's a remarkable film, another gem from the legend.

Harrowing, but required viewing

[Himadri · 10/10 · 3 June 1999]

This film takes as its subject the Bengal famine of 1943 when, due to the negligence and indifference of the authorities, some 5 million lives were lost. The subject is certainly harrowing, but one does not come to a film like this for light entertainment.

Ray focuses on a remote village, where the war is little understood, and is merely "distant thunder". The warplanes flying overhead are regarded uncomprehendingly, but with wonder. Soon, shortages of food start making themselves felt; the price of food rises above what may be afforded, and there is starvation.

At the centre of this is a young Brahmin couple, who make use of their caste to earn a living. The horrific turn of events bring home to them the concept of social responsibility. When an untouchable girl dies at their door, they break the greatest caste taboo of all by deciding to dispose of the corpse themselves. In the context, this action is heroic; but this is heroism on the brink of extinction. The final unforgettable shot, where the sheer scale of the holocaust is brought home to us, sends a shiver down the spine even on repeated viewings.

In dealing with this very difficult subject, Ray displays his usual all-embracing humanism, and a level of artisty that appears well beyond that of ordinary directors. This is not an easy film to watch, but is required viewing for anyone who values cinematic artistry, and by those who believe that horrors such as those depicted here should not be forgotten.

beautiful.....

[mariposarosa2 · 10/10 · 26 March 2007]

DISTANT THUNDER is a very hard to find film (at least it was for me), so, if you see at your local library or film rental, don't pass up the chance to see it. It tells the story of the famine of 1943, in India, where a young Brahmin doctor (Soumitra Chatterji) and his beautiful wife (Babita) must search for rice, as the price continues to climb. The doctor is humbled by the experience and is forever changed (for the better) through experiencing, firsthand, what it feels like to be hungry. This is a beautiful masterpiece by the incomparable Satyajit Ray. If you haven't seen his films already, this is a great introduction. I also highly recommend THE APU TRILOGY, TWO DAUGHTERS, DEVI and THE STRANGER.

One of THE best movies I have ever see.

[maharani_md · 10/10 · 12 July 2000]

The chemistry between Chatterjee and Babita is amazing in this classic study of the conflicts between religion, station, and the inner workings of human souls. Ray's best-known masterpiece improves with repeated viewings. Every time, I watch it, I pick up new nuances, particular on Babita's performance. The thin lines between devout and callous, love and loathing, & heroism and insanity have never been examined more in-depth or with greater insights. On one level, great art, on another flawlessly technical, but overwhelmingly emotionally draining in the best possible way.

An Amazingly Beautiful Harrowing Film

[samdiener · 10/10 · 14 January 2009]

I'm a big fan of the director Satyajit Ray, who lived up to Renoir's humanist goal of making movies in which "everyone has their reasons." This movie is superb, detailing the dynamics of the war-caused Bengali famine of 1943 through the eyes of villagers, and then forcing the viewer to attempt to multiply the suffering depicted millions of times over in our boggled minds through the cinematic tour de force of a sledgehammer ending. It's marred by an able-ist depiction of one character with a scarred face, which is especially too bad because the scenes in which he appears are the ones in which Ray cinematically draws the connections between male violence in the form of rape and male violence in the form of war planes overhead. I know my review might drive people away from watching a film with this subject matter, and it is wrenching, but the relationships and characters portrayed are believable and even, at times, loving, and the movie is unforgettable and well worth watching.

So much deeper film than recognised

[m_e_c · 10/10 · 11 May 2022]

Ashani Sanket is one of the most beautiful and thought provoking films ever made, and I agree with most of the reviews here.

Satyajit Ray's theme of famine, and its effect on ordinary people is well understood, but there is so much more.

He did not set the film in the city, where he said himself he saw the dead and the dying on the streets every day. Instead, Ashani Sanket is set in a country village.

Consider the very opening shots of the film. Images of plentiful water as Babita expresses her wonder at being able to bathe. Again and again, all around the area we see plentiful, lush green growth as the women of the village forage for food. The only indication of trouble ahead is the roar of the planes overhead. It is "distant thunder", far away and little understood. The village elders debate the rumours of war in some unknown 'pore or other. The debate and worries about the distant war increase. But still the land itself remains green and lush.

The reaction of the merchants to the rumours is to ration their sales, and to guard their stocks using a repulsively disfigured chowkidar. But the rice is there. Hidden in old broken down buildings.

Not for nothing is the Bengal Rice Famine described as 'man-made'. Satyajit Ray's observation of human fears and frailties is so typical, However, he shows us not just the reaction to the shortage of rice, but the contribution of misunderstanding and fear to the causes of the famine . We should not overlook it here.

The distant thunder of an unknown war, its tragic affect on rural India, and the development of a man's sense of his social responsibility

[Dilip · 29 October 2001]

"Ashani Sanket", or "Distant Thunder", is one of the first color films of Satyajit Ray (probably my favorite film maker). It is a story about a young Brahmin couple, Gangacharan Chakravarti (played by Soumitra Chatterjee) and his wife Ananga (played by the simply named Babita), who come to settle in a rural and largely illiterate peasant community in India's eastern province of Bengal. Gangacharan takes up teaching and the occasional priestly duties, disparaging the backwardness of the people he is serving.

There are several scenes of military aircraft flying in formation; the villagers wonder how they can fly and remark at their beauty. But the planes are flying because of their participation in WWII, and soon people start hearing that their (British) king is at war, and food shortages are causing their rice prices to increase from 6 (presumably rupees per kilogram?) to 8. The price skyrockets to 10, 11, 12, ... and gets to over 30.

The historical background is a seemingly forgotten Holocaust, the Great Bengal famine of 1943. The British callously disregarded and even facilitated the starvation deaths of 3-5 million people in rural Bengal. While ironically India was very significantly supporting the British war effort with over 3 million troops (after again being denied independence after its WWI support), Winston Churchill exported food from India that was desparately needed domestically, and even barred other countries who were ready to send aid to India from doing so. This after a series of famines under the British Raj, such as one in 1770 that decimated 1/3 of Bengal's population - 10 million people - and that was compounded by the greed of the East India Company.

As hunger affects all, including Ananga and Gangacharan, and some to the point of starvation, Gangacharan is shamed to realize that the relatively luxurious life they had led was at the expense of the landless peasants. "Ashani Sanket" is a portrayal of the horrors inflicted on rural Bengal by the wartime famine, and of Gangacharan's new questioning of caste restrictions and privileges, as well as the selfless sacrifices others less fortunate than he willingly make for him, as a hardly understood conflict goes on as distant thunder.

I would recommend the film as a poignant but by no means maudlin historical drama. Technically, I think the film would have been more powerful in black and white - but that could just be because it is difficult to watch a Ray film and not compare it to his famous Apu trilogy or "Home and the World", with the stark reality of lower middle class life that the films' medium displays. I finished watching the film minutes ago on video and leave with the impression that it's by no means my favorite Ray film, but, like everything by him I've seen, worth seeing.

--Dilip 10/28/2001

Review.

[ItalianGerry · 2 September 2001]

The subject matter of this small masterpiece is the famine which killed millions of people in Bengal during the war years after 1942 when Japan controlled Burma and a source of rice for India was then cut off. The "distant thunder" is the sound of an alien war, seemingly irrelevant, which nevertheless spreads its havoc. The central character is a Brahmin priest-teacher-doctor (Soumitra Chatterji) who with his wife (Babita)is forced to choose between survival for themselves or compassion for others less well-off than they are when confronted by scarcity, hoarding, and profiteering. Out of this background of horror and deprivation, the gifted director of the APU TRILOGY has fashioned a compassionate and understated picture leading inexorably to a haunting concluding image which must surely etch itself permanently into the memories and consciences of every viewer. This is a truly magnificent film.