Product Description
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Two decades after its original negatives were burned in a fire,
Satyajit Ray’s breathtaking milestone of world cinema rises from
the ashes in a meticulously reconstructed new restoration. The
Apu Trilogy brought India into the golden age of international
art-house film, following one indelible character, a
free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an
adolescent urban student and finally a sensitive man of the
world. These delicate masterworks—Pather Panchali (Song of the
Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished), and Apur Sansar (The
World of Apu)—based on two books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee, were
over the course of five years, and each stands on its own as
a tender, visually radiant journey. They are among the most
achingly beautiful, richly humane movies ever made—essential
works for any film lover. Pather Panchali The release in 1955 of
Satyajit Ray’s debut, Pather Panchali, introduced to the world an
eloquent and important new cinematic voice. A depiction of rural
Bengali life in a style inspired by Italian neorealism, this
naturalistic but poetic evocation of a number of years in the
life of a family introduces us to both little Apu and, just as
essentially, the women who will help shape him: his independent
older sister, Durga; his harried mother, Sarbajaya, who, with her
husband away, must hold the family together; and his kindly and
mischievous elderly “auntie,” Indir—vivid, multifaceted
characters all. With resplendent photography informed by its
young protagonist’s perpetual sense of discovery, the
Cannes-awarded Pather Panchali is an immersive cinematic
experience and a film of elemental power. Aparajito Satyajit Ray
had not planned to make a sequel to Pather Panchali, but after
the film’s international success, he decided to continue Apu’s
narrative. Aparajito picks up where the first film leaves off,
with Apu and his family having moved away from the country to
live in the bustling holy city of Varanasi (then known as
Benares). As Apu progresses from wide-eyed child to
intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata,
we witness his academic and moral education, as well as the
growing complexity of his relationship with his mother. This
tenderly expressive, often heart-wrenching film, which won three
top prizes at the Venice Film Festival, including the Golden
Lion, not only extends but also spiritually deepens the tale of
Apu. Apur Sansar By the time Apur Sansar was released, Satyajit
Ray had directed not only the first two Apu films but also the
masterpiece The Music Room, and was well on his way to becoming a
legend. This extraordinary final chapter brings our protagonist’s
journey full circle. Apu is now in his early twenties, out of
college, and hoping to live as a writer. Alongside his
professional ambitions, the film charts his romantic awakening,
which occurs as the result of a most unlikely turn of events, and
his eventual, fraught herhood. Featuring soon to be Ray
regulars Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore in star-making
performances, and demonstrating Ray’s ever more impressive skills
as a crafter of pure cinematic imagery, Apur Sansar is a moving
conclusion to this monumental trilogy. DVD SPECIAL EDITION
COLLECTOR’S SET FEATURES • New 4K digital restorations of all
three films, undertaken in collaboration with the Academy Film
Archive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and
L’Immagine Ritrovata • Audio s from 1958 of director
Satyajit Ray reading his essay “A Long Time on the Little Road”
and in conversation with film historian Gideon Bachmann • New
interviews with actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Shampa Srivastava,
and Sharmila Tagore; camera assistant Soumendu Roy; and film
writer Ujjal Chakraborty • New video essay by Ray biographer
Andrew Robinson on the trilogy’s evolution and production • “The
Apu Trilogy”: A Closer Look, a new program featuring filmmaker,
producer, and teacher Mamoun Hassan • Excerpts from the 2003
documentary The Song of the Little Road, featuring composer Ravi
Shankar • The Creative Person: Satyajit Ray, a 1967 half-hour
documentary by James Beveridge, featuring interviews with Ray,
several of his actors, members of his creative team, and film
critic Chidananda Das Gupta • Footage of Ray receiving an
honorary O in 1992 • New program on the restorations by
filmmaker :: kogonada • New English subtitle translations • PLUS:
A booklet featuring essays by critics Terrence Rafferty and
Girish Shambu
Review
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Two decades after its original negatives were burned in a fire,
Satyajit Ray’s breathtaking milestone of world cinema rises from
the ashes in a meticulously reconstructed new restoration. The
Apu Trilogy brought India into the golden age of international
art-house film, following one indelible character, a
free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an
adolescent urban student and finally a sensitive man of the
world. These delicate masterworks—Pather Panchali (Song of the
Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished), and Apur Sansar (The
World of Apu)—based on two books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee, were
over the course of five years, and each stands on its own as
a tender, visually radiant journey. They are among the most
achingly beautiful, richly humane movies ever made—essential
works for any film lover.