Meet Ray
Time magazine's list of 100 best films ever, includes legendary Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy (1,2,3). I wonder how many of today's generation have watched even a single Ray film. Having grown up in Mumbai, I can say it's a saddeningly low percentage. I personally watched my first Ray film when I was 24.
Ray's films do not provide the titillation of conventional films, the instant gratification of the senses, the superficial excitement that lasts a superficial second. Ray's films need you to trust the filmmaker and allow him to take you on a journey; a journey that slowly draws you into another world and exhilarates more than just the senses. It's not a tequila shot, but a mysterious wine from a far away land; it takes time to grow on you. You are not watching a film any more, but transcend into a world where you know the characters on a first name basis, you are part of the story, and the experience lingers much beyond the final frame. It's magic!
If you have never seen a Ray film, I urge you not to start with the Apu Trilogy, which requires an already developed taste for the neo-realistic form of cinema. I recommend something more accessible like Ghaire-Baire, Agantuk or even Devi.
Ray's films do not provide the titillation of conventional films, the instant gratification of the senses, the superficial excitement that lasts a superficial second. Ray's films need you to trust the filmmaker and allow him to take you on a journey; a journey that slowly draws you into another world and exhilarates more than just the senses. It's not a tequila shot, but a mysterious wine from a far away land; it takes time to grow on you. You are not watching a film any more, but transcend into a world where you know the characters on a first name basis, you are part of the story, and the experience lingers much beyond the final frame. It's magic!
If you have never seen a Ray film, I urge you not to start with the Apu Trilogy, which requires an already developed taste for the neo-realistic form of cinema. I recommend something more accessible like Ghaire-Baire, Agantuk or even Devi.
posted by baiscope wallah at
11:43 AM
2 Comments:
Can't agree with the choice of Ghare Baire as imho it is one of Ray's weakest movies....though totally agree with the general timbre of his movies-- "it's magic".
By
greatbong, at 4:07 PM
You may be right about Ghare-Baire being one of Ray's weaker films. However, that is in relation to his other movies, and is still far superior to other movies in the genre during that time.
I loved the character development in the movie, and thought the conflict of ideology and morality between the husband and wife was sensitively portrayed.
By
baiscope wallah, at 4:02 PM
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