We recently watched the three B&W movies Pather Panchali(1955), Aparajito(1957) and Apur Sansar(1959) made by the late Satyajit Ray. I had always heard about these movies and so placed them on our netflix queue. It was quite an experience. The movies follow a baby boy Apu, born in a middle-class brahmin family in rural pre-partition Bengal through his college years in Calcutta and on to parenthood. The characters are gentle making one fall in love with them and the storyline is fluid. The story of Apu's family is presented in a simple yet striking manner. Music and sound is used to very good effect.
They are filmed like a photographer's dream. Camera movement is rather restricted. In a typical shot, the subject enters the frame from a corner and disappears in the distance. Almost each shot is so well framed and composed, you could pause the movies anywhere and have a wonderful photograph. But there is more to the movies than that. They are true to life. Satyajit Ray's love of the land and empathy with its people shines through.
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