Satyajit Ray's final film is a sweet endearing comedy of manners in which an uncle (Utpal Dutt) suddenly shows up at his niece Anila's (Mamata Shankar) house in Calcutta following a 35 year absence (she last saw him when she was two). Anila's husband (Deepanker De) and friends all conclude that the uncle is an imposter who has come to claim a languishing inheritance. Ray deftly plays on the audience's emotions as--like the Bose family and their friends--we too keep wondering if the uncle is real or a stranger. A lovely close to a masterful career. Recommended. (R. Pitman)
The Stranger
(First Run, 212-243-0600, 120 min., in Bengali & English w/English subtitles, $59.95, avail. Feb. 4) Vol. 12, Issue 1
The Stranger
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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