The Apu Trilogy

In 1955, aspiring Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray released his debut feature. A labor of love made independently over the course of two years, Pather Panchali (aka Song of the Little Road) was the first film in a remarkable trilogy about young Apu. Serving up a portrait of life in a small, impoverished village in rural India, Pather Panchali displays the texture and grace of a painting. Seen through the eyes of young Apu (Subir Banerjee), the story is really about three generations of women in his home: elder Auntie, protective Mother, and bright-eyed older sister Durga. This was India's answer to Italy's neo-realism, partially due to inspiration but also because it was made under similar conditions: with little money, non-professional actors, and a first-time director trying to capture a world that hadn't yet been seen on screens. It was followed in 1956 by Aparajito (The Unvanquished), which takes the now teenage Apu (Smaran Ghosal) and his family to the city of Benares, and 1959's Apur Sansar (The World of Apu), which tells a powerful story of love and tragedy as it follows the adult Apu's (Soumitra Chatterjee) story of loss and eventual rebirth. Over the course of the three films—adapted from novels by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay—we see Ray evolve as a filmmaker, heralding the arrival of one of the great humanist directors of modern cinema. This new boxed set presents the trilogy with beautiful restorations, along with a slew of extras, including new and archival interviews, audio recordings of Ray, documentary excerpts, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and footage of Ray receiving an honorary Oscar in 1992. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Axmaker)