Pather Panchali

1955 DramaHistory 120 minutes Directed by Satyajit Ray

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About Pather Panchali

In a Bengal village, priest Harihar Roy dreams of poetry while Sarbajaya stretches what they have, and their daughter Durga steals fruit for old cousin Indir and is accused over a necklace. Durga and little Apu watch a train and a jatra, Indir dies, and Harihar leaves to find work. In the monsoon Durga sickens and dies. He returns, the family sets out for Benares, and Apu throws the necklace away.

Cast & crew

More about Pather Panchali

Satyajit Ray wrote and directed his first feature from Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 novel, produced by the Government of West Bengal and opened on 26 August 1955. Subrata Mitra was the cameraman and Ravi Shankar wrote the music. Wikidata lists the cost as 150,000 rupees.

Themes

  • A poor priest's household
  • A girl accused of theft
  • The train in the fields
  • A death in the rains
  • The road to Benares
  • Apu
  • Durga
  • Harihar
  • Sarbajaya
  • Indir
  • train
  • monsoon

Look

Subrata Mitra shot the village, the train in the fields, and the monsoon sequence in natural light.

Music

Ravi Shankar wrote the score.

Preservation

Restorations were completed in the 1990s by Merchant Ivory with the Academy Film Archive and Sony Pictures Classics, and in 2015 by the Criterion Collection with the Academy archive.

Notes

  • Subir Banerjee plays Apu. Uma Dasgupta plays Durga. Kanu Banerjee is Harihar. Karuna Banerjee is Sarbajaya. Chunibala Devi is Indir Thakrun.
  • English Wikipedia gives a running time that varies from 112 to 126 minutes. Wikidata lists 120.
  • Merchant Ivory, the Academy Film Archive, and Sony Pictures Classics restored a version in the 1990s.
  • The Criterion Collection and the Academy archive restored it again in 2015.
  • Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) continue Apu's story.

Awards

  • National Film Award for Best Feature Film, 1955
  • Best Human Document, Cannes Film Festival, 1956

Scenes

  • Apu and Durga run through the kans grass to see the train.
  • Durga dies while Harihar is away in the city.
  • Apu drops the stolen necklace into the water as the family leaves.

Influenced by

  • Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's novel Pather Panchali

Also available

  • Wikimedia Commons (Pather Panchali (1955).webm)

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