Kanchenjungha (I) (1962) User Reviews

A Masterpiece least understood

[kolkatar_jeeshu · 9/10 · 11 June 2004]

Ray's first Color film, a cinematic masterpiece, filmic experiment at its height and incidentally my most favorite. For some reasons, this movie is least understood among the Bengali speaking people and abroad as well and hence remains least appreciated.

The single most noteworthy feature about this movie is the equivalence of real time (total time of the day being depicted in movie) and movie time (total screening time). At least among the Indian movie makers, Ray is the first one who had done such experiment and of course, he succeeded comprehensively.

In order to understand the screenplay of 'Kanchanjangha', I would recommend every non-Bengali speaking people, for the first time at least, to look for a good and authentic translation of the script and then only they should sit for watching this movie. You have to keep one thing in mind; Ray's screenplay is extremely dependent on the usage of dialogue and silence and they are, in this case, written in Bengali Language and set into Bengali context. Unlike Kieslowski, Kurosawa and Bergman, Ray's imagery lacks the dramatic element. So, in order to understand 'the drama' it's recommended to understand his language to the extent possible.

Intimate and lyrical

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 25 March 2014]

Located on the border between Nepal and the state of Sikkim in India, Kanchenjungha (also spelled Kangchenjunga) is the highest mountain in India and the third highest in the world. That its setting for a film would be lovely is a given, but the fact that the mountain is often covered in mist makes it a perfect metaphor for the obstacles that can cloud people's vision. Such is the theme of Satyajit Ray's 1962 film Kanchenjunga, a look at changing values in the early days of Indian independence. It is a film that is firmly fixed in the Ray tradition: slow moving, intimate, and lyrical, filled with conflicted characters, social commentary, exquisite music, and enchanting children.

Kanchenjunga deals with parallel stories and the interconnectedness of people's lives, a format that would be even more in vogue fifteen years later. Focused on the upper middle-class Choudhuri family vacationing in Darjeeling, the story unfolds in real time, taking place in one day. The father Indranath (Chhabi Biswas), who has nothing but admiration for the former British rulers, has played the system to reach his position as the powerful head of five companies. The pompous patriarch usually gets his way and both he and his normally submissive wife Labanya Roy (Karuna Bannerjee) expect his daughter Monisha (Alaknanda Roy) to follow his wishes and marry a dull but rising bureaucrat named Bannerjee (N. Viswanathan) who, if nothing else, can provide his bride with security.

What Indranath has not counted on, however, is that Monisha has a mind of her own and an old-fashioned idea that love should play a part in whom you marry. Labanya asserts herself as well, telling Monisha that she has to make up her own mind. The story takes place as the characters walk along the scenic hill station in late afternoon waiting for the clouds to clear so they can get a good view of the mountains. Another prominent player, Ashoke (Arun Mukherjee), a 24-year-old working class man from Calcutta who had tutored Indranath's son Anil when he was a little boy, is on vacation with his uncle. The semi-comic uncle wants him to cozy up to Indranath, envisioning the possibilities for a job paying 300 rupees a month for his nephew. Ashoke takes the opportunity and meets the tycoon but is treated like a servant, Indranath asking him to go to his room to bring him his red muffler.

The young man gets the last laugh, however, when he turns down his offer of a job after a long monologue about how successful he has become. More importantly to Ashoke, however, is his meeting with Indranath's daughter Monisha. Though they come from different economic levels of society, their unpretentiousness draw them to each other and their budding relationship holds promise for the future. Other characters are Monisha's older sister, Anima (Anubha Gupta), and her husband Shankar (Subrata Sen Sharma), who are trying to patch up a relationship that has broken down as a result of his drinking and gambling, and her long-term affair with another man, but they are bound together by the love of their young daughter who rides a horse around the hill during the entire afternoon.

These sub-dramas play out against the background of the imposing mountains. As evening approaches and the sky clears, the characters, liberated by the beauty that surrounds them, are able to see with clarity a society changing before their eyes and how their lives have been forever affected. Kanchenjungha is Ray's first color film and one that he produced and directed, wrote the original screenplay, and composed the music, an impressive feat. Though none of his subsequent work ever reached the stratospheric heights of The Apu Trilogy, the mark of a great director is when one of his obscure, minor films can fit into the category of a masterpiece. It's a good fit for Kanchenjungha.

About folks....

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 7 September 2012]

This is not meant as an insult, but this Ray film comes off a bit like an episode of "Love Boat". I really mean no disrespect, but on the old TV show, you had several different couples who all had a story and they all had that common link of working it out on vacation. Here, instead of in a boat, it's in the mountainside where various Indians are vacationing. Most of them are family members but there are also others whose stories end up intersecting with them. There is the family patriarch and his wife, the daughter they want to marry off and the man who she is not in love with, the nice but poor suitor, the husband and wife working through a case of infidelity and more.

Like so many of Satyajit Ray's films, this one is about middle and upper class Indians and their everyday problems. The key to these films is the acting--the realistic acting and the connection the audience makes with these real folks. In many, many, many ways, these films are nothing like the Bollywood films of today--and there is no singing and the fairytale-like plots of many of the newer films is totally absent. Realism is the key--and a bit reminiscent of Ozu's films about ordinary but likable folks. While "Kanchenjungha" is not one of his more famous films and its plot a bit too ordinary, I think it's actually one of his best films--full of realism and heart--but also not everyone's sort of film.

maybe a film for mature viewers(cinematically,i.e!)

[tojoroy · 10/10 · 23 January 2006]

a truly underrated masterpiece.as a child growing up in a Ray-worshipping family i'd always been told about this gem,but as a child and an adolescent it never made a deep enough impression upon me.after a few hundred truly excellent movies and twenty years later one late night viewing opened my eyes .figuratively ,i mean!i think i needed to find out WHAT a good movie is before truly appreciating kanchenjungha. almost the best performances of their careers from all the artistes in the movie.veteran actor Chhabi Biswas gives the performance of a lifetime as Raibahadur Indranath .Ray has commented elsewhere that some characters such as Raibahdur Indranath Chowdhury here,and the Zamindar Bishwambhar Roy in Jalsaghar could not have been fleshed out by any other than the late Chhobi Biswas.and with his death the Indian film industry suffered an irreplaceable loss. somebody else has commented that the print quality was bad and dark so he didn't like it.i have heard many to have come up come with similar allegations. fact remains that Ray shot this film with masterfully chosen available light conditions(read:no reflectors,you morons!)to depict the subtle interplay of light and shade to blend in with progress of the storyline!(as an aside ray recounts the sad story of a Bollywood film crew who arrived in Darjeeling at the same time as ray's team,and were still waiting for the elusive sun to arrive so they could begin shooting by the time ray had his whole film in the can and packed up to go home!) the climactic scene of the kanchenjungha suddenly making a brilliant appearance at the penultimate hour never fails to bring out goosebumps!definitely recommended.

It is a great movie

[asm34 · 9 January 2003]

I think this is a great movie by any standard. This is also a very complex one. People who are familiar with Ray's Apu Triology will find it difficult to grasp the fact that the same ray is the director of this film.

Kanchenjungha deals set in hilly areas deals with 20th century problems in pristine location. Problems that we try to suppress in daily life, seems to get revealed and exposed to everybody else. It is like we are revealing ourselves as Kanchenjungha is exposed through bright sunlight.

Please note that you have to be patient with this movie. It is very different from all other Ray movies. Furthermore, there exists no central character. It is probably the most underrated of all Ray movies.

Kanchenjungha- a re-review

[somi_ck · 10/10 · 17 July 2007]

Synopsis: Kanchenjunga is not a story. It comprise snapshots of various human characteristics like pride, simplicity, carnal desires, thoughtlessness, romance, heroism and above all triumph of human spirits over conventional, social idiosyncrasy. All this happens in the hill station of Darjeeling, in the lap of nature with the picturesque eastern Himalayas in the backdrop.

In a nutshell, Kanchenjungha is a film about a wealthy, classy family: their views, experiences and approach towards life with the central theme revolving around a prospective matrimonial alliance between the younger daughter of the family and a well-established consultant.

The Film: The screenplay begins by presenting the last day of the vacation for the Chowdhurys headed by Raibahadur Indranath Chowdhury (Chhobi Biswas). The opening scene is a collage of shots, which establishes different members of the family and their respective modus operandi. The melodious grandfather clock announces 4"o clock in the background.

We find Indranath keen to visit the Mall in anticipation of a positive consequence of schema related to his younger daughter, Monisha's (Alakananda Ray) alliance with his newly found prodigy Mr.Banerjee (N.Visanathan). His wife Labanya (Karuna Banerjee), a timid, sensitive lady taking time to wrap-up last minute packing. Her brother Jagadish Chatterjee (Pahari Sanyal), an ardent bird watcher in this film consciously avoids Indranath's speculation by taking refuge in a book. Indranath's only son enacted by (Anil Chatterjee) hurries to meet his date while the elder daughter Anima (Anubha Gupta), a suave, stylish woman receives and promptly hides a correspondence in her purse. We could get a glimpse of her nervous glances revealing a possible secretive endeavor amidst marital sanctity. Her husband Shankar (Haridhan Mukherjee) looks laid back and sarcastic with mixed feelings towards the latest groom-hunting process initiated by his in-laws. There lies an underlying current of tension between him and his wife that gets confirmed by his advice to Monisha about not to get married without falling in love citing the ineffectiveness of his own status.

Cut to a parallel sequence of an elderly, middle-class man exhausted of climbing up the stairs to the Mall with his humble nephew Ashok (Arun Mukherjee) who apparently is searching for a job.

It is mentionable that the background of all the above characters, their thought process and behavioral traits have been brilliantly presented through series of well conceived dialogues. Yes, only dialogues. No third person narratives. No visual manifestation in terms of flash back, dream sequences etc. In fact, the master storyteller has been able to generate such an evocative dialogue sequences that at the end of the film, the audience acquire full capacity to judge each and every character in the light of respective rationale.

It is also noteworthy that Ray's characters never surpass the humane status quo. They reflect relevant cognitive behavior and contextual influences. Be it "Siddartha" in Pratidwandi or "Arindam" in Nayak, one can never expect Ray's protagonists molded in typical ubermanesque image in stark contrast to the so-called Heroes of Hollywood and Bollywood.

Kanchenjungha substantiate that. The elitist, urban Mr.Banerjee asserts boastfully about his professional and materialistic achievements. He even confesses about his clandestine foreign affairs while wooing his ladylove Monisha. This refined gentleman also depicts a prosaic approach towards conjugality and life in general. Towards the end he displays an extremely liberal and tolerant attitude, which is commendable in the realms of dominating, patriarchal association.

Although we see Monisha mostly in pensive, escapist mode, we also get to catch her in rare vivacity while interacting with Ashok --- a chapter, which hints at the potential of romance between the wellborn Monisha and Ashok of humble existence, who transcend commonality by disobeying the archetypal narcissistic Indranath Chowdhury.

The Anima-Shankar track provides an in-depth analysis of a marriage going haywire due to lack of understanding and interpersonal rapport. Through a thought-provoking, evocative conversation between the two we witness the gradual transition of the couple in pursuit of a fulfilling married life post admission of their respective peccancy – Anima indulging into an illicit love-affair and Shankar imbibing ancestral traits like gambling and mindless extravagance.

The promiscuous son perfects the art of flattery and triviality in the romantic surrounding of Darjeeling.

The ever cheerful, simplistic and benevolent Jagadish portrays the perceptive ornithologist, who is detached from worldly desires but plays his part well in comprehending the nuances of familial situations.

After a lifetime of unconditional subjugation to her husband, Labonya ascends to an assertive, inspiring parent.

Even Chhobi Biswas had his uncharacteristic vulnerable moments when he tries to justify his accurate decision-making capability to his uncertain wife or displays childish exuberance while talking to Ashok.

The brilliant soundtracks right from the Lepcha song to the appropriate background score like the bird whistle, noisy interlude of the radio or jingle of bells tied to the yaks contribute immensely to the dimensions of the mise-en-scene.

Beside, Ace editor Dulal Datta did an exceptionally well rendition in terms of synchronizing multiple character-sequences in perfection without compromising on the pace of the movie.

Any write-up on Kanchenjungha would remain unfinished if it doesn't mention the incorporation of 'nature' that accentuated the varied moods of the film -- An overcast evening to suggest unfavorable circumstances, mist to render underlying tension and sunshine to portray agreeable settlement. Finally the mighty Kanchengha with all its splendor depict celebration of hope and aspiration.

However, Ray has managed to remain an aloof and neutral presenter through out the process of the film, which adds to the aesthetics of this cinematic masterpiece.

A classic not to miss.

A painting ...

[sadhukhan-pri · 10/10 · 19 February 2013]

The movie walks in and around Darjeeling. It follows group of characters intricately woven together; describing each personality by themselves and with respect to the other characters. The movie may be described as a beautiful documentation on basics of human nature, with many folds; and every time one watches it, discovers a new dimension. Ray's films interact with the audience in a way that, anyone can perceive them, and Kanchenjungha is no exception to that. What is it about these picturesque snow-capped hills that make one ponder into reflections, which has no space for, in life typically? Unlike the popular understanding the various characters are not shown to "evolve". Rather surrounded by innocence and beauty of the Darjeeling hills, together each of Ray's characters unfurl gradually into a culmination. Every scene in this film has an element of Darjeeling included, such as the unseen bird call, or animals that pass by, or the locals adorn in their tradition. With the sunrays that playing hide-n-seek through the clouds, the Darjeeling mists dances around, only to clear out in the end. It is as if the mountains itself fashions the individuals to reveal themselves, to speak out. Then and only then would the fog clear and you can see "the most beautiful snow range in the world" In then end Kanchenjunga can be summed up into one word as "perfect".

Superb

[ckundu · 10/10 · 6 August 2003]

Magical, lyrical and a highly intellectual film, Kanchenjungha, was Satyajit's first original screenplay. It depicts a real time event of 100 minutes on screen. It was quite ahead of its time and it's still amazing to see again and again.

That Ingmar Bergman style filmmaking by Satyajit Ray to unfold the stained relationships and private struggles of humans.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 20 April 2021]

Kanchenjungha (1962) : Brief Review -

That Ingmar Bergman style filmmaking by Satyajit Ray to unfold the stained relationships and private struggles of humans. Kanchenjungha is one of the least known film of Satyajit Ray and that's unfortunate. May be our audience (referring to Indian Masses) isn't interested to watch such artistic human research flicks or may be they are not capable to understand the subtle meaning of it and that's why this beautiful film has remained unknown for years. I remember those intensely crafted films of Ingmar Bergman which lead viewers deep into human research and unfolded many secrets to fill the mind and heart with that burn of cold flame and those films were way too artistic and poetic to understand for common viewers. Here, Satyajit Ray has attempted the similar technique with Kanchenjungha by using the metaphorical value of nature, especially mountains and clouds. An upper-class Bengali family is on vacation in Darjeeling, a popular hill station and resort near Kanchenjungha and in that one odd day each one of them discover different meaning and intentions of thier lives, of course on individual level but somewhere linked to each other. I would say, the writing was really great for the 60s cinema of our country hence, more than eligible to be called ahead of time. Not just writing but the storytelling of Satyajit Ray was also very high-end artistic stuff. While there are some issues with the characters being little offtrack and uneven, the storytelling structure and new ideas of filmmaking surely makes Kanchenjungha a terrific film overall. All the actors give natural performances, screenplay is tight, cinematography is eye pleasing and dialogues are very regular, i mean very friendly to our daily Life hence, connect quickly. Overall, Kanchenjungha is a different experience for those who haven't witnessed Bergman Films. Recommendable.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

On of Ray's best light movies.. do watch it

[coolparag · 9/10 · 2 December 2007]

Do watch this movie

The movie is about a family who has come to Darjeeling on a vacation. The head of family, Mr. Indranath Roy, is an industrialist and wants to marry his younger daughter, Monisha to a boy of his choice, who is educated, rich and has family legacy. They are left together alone for some time. Monisha isn't interested in such a kind of marriage as she knows about the failure of her sister's marriage and her pretence. Accidentally, she meets Ashok, a young boy from Calcutta, who refused a job offer from Roy Bahadur, and likes him. She admits this only in the end of the movie, as she could not say it directly to Mr. Bannerjee, the rich guy. In between, her sister tells her husband about her affair, which eventually they settle out. Her mother is in a situation where she wants Monisha not to marry Mr. Bannerjee but can't tell her husband why she feels so. Finally Monisha politely refuses to marry and connects with Ashok and everything ends positively.

Though nothing happens between them, but presence of a boy whom she likes, a romantic location and of course the misty atmosphere gives Monisha the required courage to refuse.

At the end, everyone is happy. Well except Roy Bahadur, who feels defeated that her daughter has rejected a proposal and has invited home a boy who she has just met and who has rejected his job offer. He feels so gloomy and sad that he even turns his back to a visible Kanchenjungha, which was covered in fog through out their vacation and in his words would make his vacation perfect once visible.

There are many things which make this movie stand out of Ray's other films. It has an optimistic ending with all issues resolved, there are no post-tragedy situations. The movie is in color, the characters wear same clothes all through the movie to make it more realistic, multiple plots, dialogues are kept witty and very straight with no complexities, quite a few in English, and lastly, the movie is shot in picturesque and romantic location of Darjeeling.

The dialogues were good and witty which kept the movie light. Two extra characters were put in the movie to add to its humor, a guy who takes pictures of girls and gets knocked out every time, and a young boy, who reacts with his expressions as the story goes along. In the end, he also sings the popular Nepali folk song, Chiya Bari Maa, which perfectly suits the situation.

The movie was surely way ahead of its time. But this is Ray's great direction that even fifty years later, it didn't seem outdated or boring. I have no clue to why this movie was a flop and was so much criticized.

However, I enjoyed every moment of it.

In all, another Ray movie added in my good movies list. I give it 9 on 10.

More than just a holiday

[vogonify · 7/10 · 6 July 2010]

In the holiday hill-town of Darjeeling, the Kanchenjunga is covered with early morning mist on the day Mr. Choudhuri hopes his daughter is proposed to by the well-to-do, Mr. Bannerjee. As the day goes on you realise there are only two people who want this marriage to happen, and neither of them is the girl in question. Also during the day, the family encounters and solves many of it's other teething problems which might never have been spoken about in the busy daily life of Calcutta. You'd least expect Darjeeling to be venue for such a wholesale moral cleansing. But remember, there is the mighty Kanchenjunga looking at it from afar. You can only see it if the mist relents. The parochial patriarch doesn't know that an internal mist is blocking his mind's eyesight. The bickering married couple has it's own sins to clean. The mother, the youngest daughter and the unemployed youth haven't got any such problems. That however is the advantage of a day-long chronicle. The patriarch is as much a caricature as the "good" people are. But it's just a single day in their lives and even that was enough for Mr. Choudhuri to change tracks. Apparently, this film was the first time Ray wrote by himself without adapting from a source. Like in Sonar Kella, he gets his terrain right. If for thieves hunting for ancient treasures he went west, to Rajasthan. For a philosophical experience he went east, to the hills.

Metaphorical Masterpiece

[kunalsen_7684 · 9/10 · 24 January 2007]

This Ray film is fraught with imagery, symbolism, metaphors and weaves in a few independent stories together to culminate into an understanding of the human psyche. Ray comes out of the black and white neo real phase of his career and Kanchenjunga would mark the nascent stages in the second phase of his career- a career that had so brilliantly taken off with the bona fide masterpiece that is Pather Panchali. Coming to Kanchenjunga (the name belongs to the world's third tallest mountain peak which is said to be elusive to human eye as it's perennially clouded due to fog), the film follows a group of tourists on vacation in Darjeeling, a hill station - the first thing that comes to your mind is just how fraught the film is with metaphors- linking the human mind and attitudes to nature's marvels- thereby the dense fog which prevents our protagonist (played mesmerisingly by Chabi Biswas) from seeing Kanchenjunga clearly is symbolic of his myopic opinions and it is lifted in the last scene where after stripping himself away from all his erstwhile prejudices, he is able to view Kanchejunga for the first time. But, in the end, Kanchenjunga remains a film about human emotions which also talks about the socio- economic divide and dwells into the complex inflexible minds of some of us

Unpredictable mood of the nature

[myselfninad · 7/10 · 20 May 2020]

Satyajit Ray's Kanchenjungha is interrelated to the unpredictable mood of the nature juxtaposed over the characters seeking clarity. Ray's first color film and first original screenplay strikes an affirmation towards simplicity with no central characters. In the beginning, the characters are distant yet as the film culminates the strange closeness leaves with an echo of mist. Here, sun rays and mist are symbolically used to portray simple discussions seeking closure or bond. The visible mountain range of Kanchenjungha soars high in a peculiar culmination shot depicting the character's crystalized interpersonal relationships.

A cinematic one act sketch from an expert.

[bab-Zeroes · 26 March 2003]

If this movie were an ibsen play (like enemy of the people was) it would be a one act play. Its power comes from the firm pencil stokes of the sketch that is the film. And it is a film about the tiniest of all characters in it- the (suitable) girl that's fresh as a yellow mountain flower.

Satyajit ray uses the elements as symbolism in his films. He does so quietly here. The gentle sound montages (sply the raspy and raucous sound in a supposedly genteel holiday resort ) are used to draw attention to elements and turns in the smooth plot. And the mountain ranges are used as powerful visual metaphor.

The last day of the family's stay at the resort has come, the ranges of snowcapped Himalayas are still obscured by clouds. The view is reputedly spectacular and nobody knows if a glimpse of the Kanchenjungha peak is possible before they leave. The Suitable boy has not yet proposed to the youngest daughter of a patriarch moneybags , and everyone is hoping he will today. Her sister, who married unhappily and has continued an affair she started before her wedding must decide what to do about it. The brothers of the patriarch chase after birds of different kinds, while an old tutor seeks to get his nephew a Job with the patriarch..

Complexly created simple tale of everyday life.

One of my favorite movie of all time

[stndt97 · 10/10 · 23 March 2015]

I'm amazed to see why there are just 17 user review and 548 ratings. While trash products from Hollywood (I don't want to mention any Title) are getting so much appreciation even from Indian's. Does it mean the test are falling? Do we become more and more dull headed as days go on? Anyway, the purpose of my review is not to blame the viewers. I just finished it's viewing of 3rd or 4th time, and I myself considered this film one of my favorite because of certain quality, some of them can be explained, others have a feeling in non-verbal way. This is indeed one of Ray's most incomprehensible as well as brilliant and after all sophisticated film. The hidden meanings are underneath, beautiful views and uses of imagery which are called reflecting the human behavior both in their face and in natures, where nature is used, sublimed, underneath in between the shots(which are called literally in between the lines). There are type casting, beautiful, and which is more important, responsible comment from lower middle class to upper in terms of economical condition. But there is no touch of melodrama, which is the most crucial to any director. Unfortunately I'm not properly aware of World's Classic Films, rather I must say that this very film is India's one of the most sophisticated as well as important piece of art, not only in the genre 'Film'. But unfortunately there are not too much viewer or so called intellectuals to view it, obviously it is their fault and misfortunes.

Satyajit Ray refers to Mt. Kanchenjungha

[zz-80 · 9/10 · 16 February 2009]

A wealthy family of Calcutta's industrial bourgeoisie is vacationing in Darjeeling, at the foot of Mt. Kanchenjunga, the second highest peak of the Himalayas. The family members are dominated by the figure of the father, Indranath, who expects all of them to obey his will. Several long walks, embellished by long conversations, sow various seeds of crisis into the family's midst: for example, a couple breaks up when the younger daughter rejects the staid, respectable engineer her father wants her to marry. Instead, she seems attracted to Asok, a young student of modest means who has the nerve to refuse the job that the elderly Indranath offers him. There is a classic scene wherein Mt. Kanchenjungha references a theoretical devise known as Chekov's gun in terms of film.

One of the Greatest Creations of the Master

[siddhartha-gupta123 · 10/10 · 5 November 2014]

It is one of the best films that I've seen. The masterly crafted film depicts on one hand the withering colonial aristocracy characterized so aptly by the great Chhabi Biswas and a fast emerging post colonial emancipated youth played by Arun Mukherjee. There are other nuances that make the film so great. The abject loneliness of a housewife portrayed by Karuna Bandyopadhyay, the rendition of "Ë Parobashe Robe Ke, Hai" tells it all. The gloomy weather of Darjeeling hills has been so masterly used to narrate the inner essence of the film! The complex human relationship has also been portrayed with a masterly touch. The quintessential Pahari Sanyal had been in his best. The subtle defiance of Alokananda Roy is worth mentioning. Never to forget the playboy, Anil Chatterjee and overseas (Bilet) returned careerist N. Viswanathan. Overall a movie that has to be seen "Before You Die".

"the OG of hyperlink films"

[smkbsws · 9/10 · 16 September 2020]

Legend has it that this is the OG of hyperlink films. But more than the fuss, this was an earlier attempt of portraying a family, an extended family as the lead, not anybody specific. I forgot to tell, this is one of the two films Ray made without any literary work but just with a fresh screenplay. And the other one is, this is Ray's first colour film, and the first one in Bengal too. You will enjoy the pockets of Darjeeling and the dialogues between two legends - Chhabi Biswas and Pahari Sanyal. Just one thing annoyed me here is the earlier version of kodachrome - I wished this was shot in black & white films.

An artist's creation

[sujatasen-99958 · 6/10 · 21 September 2020]

Kanchenjunga is a classic fil directed by Satyajit Ray .Film location is chosen Darjeeling also called the queen of hills .this place is bestowed with the nature's most beautiful colors .This place was famous as a hill station for British people who use to get respite from the scorching heat, The movie described as a beautiful documentation of human nature Darjeeling mists dances around in between the sunrays peeping through the clouds.This film is like reavealing our problems in life as Kanchenjungha unfolds and gets clear as sunlight falls on it.The story line is about the well to do family on a vacation in the region of hills.they stay in a resort near kachenjungha.The performer in this movie -Chabi Biswas gives the performance of life time.It is about a classy family their views and approach towards life are potrayed which revolves around alliance between daughter of the family and an established consultant. Kanchenjunga is Satyajit Ray's first color film which is produced ,wrote and directed by Ray. This I believe is one of the most sophistitated as well as important piece of art.Overall A Movie must see.

One of the Ray's least seen, best movie ...

[shahbaz-2 · 22 December 1998]

This movie is Ray's first

1. Colored movie 2. Movie whose script is written by Ray himself 3. Movie whose story duration is only one day.

After Kanchenjungha Ray made a number of B/W movies until 1973 when he made second colored movie "The Distant Thunder." In most of his career Ray used to make movies out of novels and stories written by famous BENGALI writers. E.g. his best known works of APU TRILOGY (Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar) are actually movie version of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's novels. In the same way he made movies out of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore's stories and novels (e.g. Three Daughters, Charulata and Ghare-Baire). But this is one of the three movies whose writing credits fully goes to Ray himself (other 2 are Nayak and Agantuk). In all these three movies he in someway tries to speak about his own thoughts and philosophies of life via the characters of these movies. And of course all of these 3 movies are great works of Ray.

Indranath Choudhury (Chhabi Bishwas) along with his whole family goes to the beautiful hilly city of Darjeeling to spend vacation. Members of his family and some other characters of the movie start reacting differently influenced by the immense beauty and power of Kanchenjungha (Highest pick of India, also it is one peak of the mighty Himalayas). Anima (daughter of Indranath) confesses her secret love affair to her husband and assures him to amend the relationship for the betterment of Tuklu (their daughter). Labyanya Roy Choudhury (w/o Indranath) becomes worried for her husband's plan of giving their daughter Monisha's marriage to a more materialistic guy (Banarjee). Ashok, a tormented poor young man also refuses to accept any job offer from Indranath. In fact the mesmerizing effect of Kanchenjungha on the characters of this film is done with incredible perfection. On my judgement, Kanchenjungha along with Nayak are the best movies made by Ray. I also rate those films as two great movies ever made in film history.

Ray perfectly blends the random mood of nature and ever changing human mind

[biswanathdas86 · 8 November 2011]

I'm a Ray-worshiper. But the thing, which haunts me most about this film: the appropriate use of the natural lighting & weather conditions (may be the best in Ray's career). The intangibility syndrome of this Raibahadur comes out vigorously here, against the natural and brave (yet so childish) behavior from a young-educated but worthless (not humanly) person. And again the human mood was trafficking along with the weather change, which is very much relevant with the socio-economic trust/culture of that era. Characterization was perfect as N. Viswanathan was trying to put the western (Bileti) culture into the main stream of daily Bengali life, though want a homely wife! And again the theme 'NATURE', backbone of this film. Ray perfectly blends the random mood of nature and ever changing human mind. Last word: A true masterpiece...

Immature

[sid-47 · 21 March 2002]

As a Ray fan, I thought I liked Kanchenjungha. Actually, I had liked it when I saw it long time ago, in college. But then I recently got to see it again when my wife rented a dvd. It appeared trite, simplistic. The characters hold no wonder or empathy for me any more. I know these characters too well ( not these particular characters, the type of people they are ). Its difficult to explain. The small screen also does damage to the camera-work. But I have seen many other movies in even worse print condition and on smaller screens which I liked, so thats probably not the reason. So the conclusion I come to now is that this is Ray's worst movie. And not just Ray's. It is a bad movie. Unless you are young or curious, avoid it.