![]() And therefore, he decides to pack up their meagre belongings and begin a new life in the city of Banaras, where he may be able to find work. A big piece of the heart is torn out of his family. He feels that he has lost much more than he has earned during his absence from home. When Harihar, her father returns home after a long time, he is shocked to know about Durga‘s death. Her death was a terrible blow for all her family members. But afterwards, she suddenly dies due to the heart break. Her mother takes every care of her daughter and finally she recovers from malaria. Her father was not present there to look after her. She develops a fever and is unable to shake it leading to malaria. Actually, during the monsoon, Durga dances playfully and joyously about in the rain, getting herself soaked and catching the cold. Towards the end of the second part of the novel, the readers are told that Durga died of heart break. However, she enjoys a little more freedom at home probably because her father is away. Here it can be noted that Durga, being a girl child, is expected to play her ̳feminine‘ role in the traditional Hindu society. She steals a beaded necklace from one girl who is unwilling to let her string any of the beads for which she is punished. Durga must endure the humiliation of being the ̳poor girl‘ in the neighbourhood and longs for the opportunities that her friends enjoy. She shares the fruit from the neighbour‘s orchard with Aunt Indir with whom she feels some natural affinity. Still, it's a small complaint for a film that is otherwise so impressive.Actually, Pather Panchali is more about Durga than Apu. It's in the pacing that the movie finally fails, as Ray's love for his material seems to have prevented him from administering some much-needed editorial adjustments. Ravi Shankar's score perfectly accompanies Ray's images, turning simple shots of dirty ponds and kittens playing into moments of high art. Ray proves to be a natural filmmaker, and his use of black and white photography (along with cinematographer Subrata Mitra) is often incredibly effective. Periphery characters, such as a mean and gossipy lady from the village, are surprisingly well developed and avoid the danger of becoming caricatures. Ray does a fantastic job of turning these two characters into more than just stereotypes, to the extent that their relationship remains intriguing even when both women are behaving stubbornly. Durga wants to do her own things, while Sarbojaya is more interested in preparing her for a life of domesticity. It's clear that Sarbojaya loves her daughter, but intensely disapproves of her rebellious ways. The heart of the movie is the relationship between Sarbojaya and Durga, which is - as one might expect - ridden with conflict. It's interesting that the film is known as the first part of Ray's Apu trilogy, as Apu's participation in the story is minimal. Still, the simplicity with which Ray tells this tale gives it a feeling of universality by stripping away superfluous elements, we come to really care about this family. Pather Panchali moves at an incredibly slow pace, but the film never becomes boring - although Ray might've been well advised to cut down the running time (at over two hours, there are a number of sequences that go on longer than necessary). Durga and Apu spend the majority of their time playing, though Durga's penchant for petty theft causes friction among their neighbors. Harihar is a struggling poet/playwright who's barely making ends meet by working odd jobs, while Sarbojaya has her hands full keeping their household running smoothly. Set in a Bengali village, this uncomplicated story revolves around a family of four - mom Sarbojaya (Karuna Bannerjee), dad Harihar (Kanu Bannerjee), daughter Durga (Uma Das Gupta), and son Apu (Subir Bannerjee). Ray, who also wrote the script, funded the majority of Pather Panchali with his own money and cast his family and friends in pivotal roles. ![]() Though Ray made his debut with this movie, his ability behind the camera is unmistakable. The camerawork isn't perfect and the acting is occasionally mediocre, but Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali is nevertheless a compelling and surprisingly moving tale of a poor family trying to get by.
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