Aparajito

Starring:Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Pinaki Sengupta, Smaran Ghosal, Santi Gupta, Ramani Sengupta, Ranibala, Sudipta Roy, Ajay Mitra, Charuprakash Ghosh, Subodh Ganguli, Mani Srimani, Hemanta Chatterjee, Kali Bannerjee, Kalicharan Roy, Kamala Adhikari, Lalchand Banerjee, K.S. Pandey, Meenakshi Devi, Anil Mukherjee
Director: Satyajit Ray
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
In this, the second film in the Apu trilogy, Harihar (Kanu Bannerjee) takes his wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Bannerjee), and his son, Apu, to live in the bustling city of Benares after the tragic death of his daughter, Durga, and the destruction of the family's home. Harihar ekes out a living reading sacred texts by the shores of the Ganges River. When he falls ill, Sarbajaya must learn to cope on her own and leaves the city to work as a cook for a wealthy family living in the country.

Apu, by now an adolescent (played by Smaran Ghosal), is extremely bright and hungry for knowledge. Good fortune befalls him, and he is able to attend school, eventually going to Calcutta to attend the university. Sarbajaya is reluctant to let her son go, but she is unable to stop him. She waits patiently for his return, but at the same time is growing weak from illness. When Apu learns of his mother's illness, he must decide if he's going to sacrifice his final exams and return to her side or take the exams and risk the chance she might die before he gets there.

Product Description

The Apu trilogy is the most celebrated work of Satyajit Ray, the greatest filmmaker ever to have emerged from India cinema. The three films - each a masterpiece in its own right - are enormously touching in their simplicity, emotional sweep and visual beauty and established Ray in the pantheon of the world's finest directors. 'Pather Panchali', Ray's extraordinarily accomplished debut feature, begins the story of Apu, a young boy born into a poor but loving family in rural Bengal, and continues in 'Aparajito', when adolescence and his growing independence bring both joy and sorrow. 'The World of Apu', the final and most profoundly moving chapter in the trilogy, encompasses the extremes of joy and despair, ultimately reaching a conclusion that is among the most uplifting and life-affirming in cinema.

Apu Trilogy (Aparajito / Pather Panchali / Apur Sansar) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]

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Apu Trilogy (Aparajito / Pather Panchali / Apur Sansar) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Satyajit Ray
Manufacturer: Artificial Eye
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

"Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: Bengali(Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), SYNOPSIS: Pather Panchali (Song of the Road): Pather Panchali (Father Panchali), Indian director Satyajit Ray's first feature film, relates the story of an impoverished Bengalese family. When the father (Karuna Bannerjee) leaves for the city to pursue a writing career, the mother (Karuna Banerji) is left with the responsibility of caring for the rest of the brood. Gradually, the film's true central character emerges: Apu (Subir Banerji), the family's son. Though excruciatingly realistic at times, Pather Panchali takes an occasional timeout to dwell on the purely cinematic... Aparajito (The Unvanquished): The Unvanquished is the second of Indian director Satyajit Ray's 'Apu Trilogy' (the first was Pather Panchali). Ray's young protagonist Apu is permitted a formal education over the gentle objections of his mother, who'd wanted him to be priest. Eventually, Apu earns a university scholarship and arrives in the teeming metropolis of Calcutta. Overwhelmed by life in the Big City, the impressionable country boy forgets about his loving mother... Apur Sansar (The World of Apu): Originally released in India as Apur Sansar, The World of Apu was the last of Satyajit Ray's 'Apu Trilogy'. Now Apu (Soumitra Chaterjee), having abandoned college due to lack of money, hopes to find success as a writer. He is sidetracked from this goal when he meets Aparna (Sharmila Tagore), whose impending wedding is cancelled when the groom turns out to be mentally unstable. To save Aparna from a custom-dictated life of spinsterhood, Apu marries her himself... SPECIAL FEATURES: 3-DVD Set, Box Set, Documentary, Featurette, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Posters, Production Notes, Storyboards, "

Average customer rating:

brilliant film.....
What makes a man?
Moving relationship between mother and son!
Sarbajaya's Struggle for Meaning
Essential

Aparajito
Starring: Kanu Bannerjee , Karuna Bannerjee , Pinaki Sengupta , Smaran Ghosal , and Santi Gupta
Director: Satyajit Ray
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The World of Apu
Pather Panchali
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L'Avventura - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B0000C9JFN
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Amazon.com essential video

In this, the second film in the Apu trilogy, Harihar (Kanu Bannerjee) takes his wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Bannerjee), and his son, Apu, to live in the bustling city of Benares after the tragic death of his daughter, Durga, and the destruction of the family's home. Harihar ekes out a living reading sacred texts by the shores of the Ganges River. When he falls ill, Sarbajaya must learn to cope on her own and leaves the city to work as a cook for a wealthy family living in the country.

As compelling as its predecessor, Pather Panchali, this film was made only one year later, in 1956. Karuna Bannerjee is riveting in her portrayal of a woman who has lost everything of value to her but her beloved son. The film was based on the novel Aparajito by Bibhutibhushan Banerjee, and the music was composed by Ravi Shankar. --Luanne Brown

Description

Tale about Apu and his family, as they move to the city, where they encounter more tragedy, forcing Apu to become a man and make choices about the life he will lead. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

Customer Reviews:

brilliant film............2007-03-22

This is the second installment in the "Apu Trilogy," by masterful Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
Apu (Pinaki Sengupta, as the young Apu and Smaran Ghosal, as the adolescent) has relocated with his mother (Karuna Bannerjee) and father (Kanu Bannerjee) to Banares. Apu's father is working as a medicine man there, and Apu is very ambitious to start school with the other young boys. This follows the life of this family, its joys, struggles and the choice Apu must make to either pursue the life of his father (as a priest) or venture out to Calcutta, as a scholarship student, to build a foundation for himself.

This film was shot beautifully and is really a great example of marvelous storytelling. Also, the acting is brilliant. The two young men who portray Apu as a child and a young man are wonderful and engaging--particularly Pinaki Sengupta whose eyes say so much in the scenes between him and his parents that there is very little need for dialogue. Beautiful.......

What makes a man?.......2006-06-22

This was the second entry of a famous Trilogy (Panther Pancahli was the first one and The world of Apu the last one). Satyajit Ray was essentially, a poet of the image, an untiring searcher of the total expression about cinema means. His notable traveling, his expressive close ups, the admirable sense of the contrasts, that confers him a superb status among the giants of the world cinema.

Aparajito is fundamentally, the story of a boy who becomes a man through a rigorous process of growing up. After his father's death. Apu decides to study in Calcutta, despite the ferrous opposition of his mother; so against all odds, he makes the journey(once more the unerring mythic seed beneath the plot), and he demonstrates to be a very clever and intelligent pupil. The adolescence is by definition, an age of sudden changes, meditations and doubts. Far from his birth land he will know and deal with those little miseries of the life but also with the significance of the personal effort as a continuous work in progress.

Arresting images, sharp contrasts with the Ganges river working out as a big frame, a realist script with towering performances make of this movie one of the best films in cinema's story without a bit of doubt.

A must-see.

Moving relationship between mother and son!.......2005-07-08

The Apu Trilogy was recently named in Time magazine's 100 greatest films. Satyajit Ray, 1921-1992, one of the world's finest directors was born into a family of elite that includes musicians, physicians, scientist, author, illustrator, photographer, singer, etc. Made in the late 50's, the trilogy is set in the 20's. Ray's career lists an impressive number of movies, books, documentaries, etc. Passionate for film at a very young age he was influenced by the greatest.

His movies capture humanistic elements - relationships, behaviors, social issues, conflicts. He allows the viewer to grasp these emotions that leave you thinking. Ray has been known to use memorable characters with distinguished faces.

If you plan on viewing this, see the Pather Panchali, the first of the trilogy. You will learn that the family experiences economic, ecological & emotional hardships. Tragedy strikes and the family moves to the city. Sarbojaya endured lonliness and desperation, and sheer frustration while living in poverty.

Now, in the second movie, Aparajito, Sarbojaya faces a life without a husband, and her remaining child begs for an education; wins a scholarship and travels to Calcutta for further studies. Like his father, Apu is now away from home on long stretches, as he will embark on a journey to be educated. His mother tries to make him feel guilty about leaving, with no one to care for her, but he isn't too concerned about her lonliness.

What puzzled me was that this appears to be a loving family, but when Apu goes away to Calcutta to study, or arrives for a visit, his mother and he do not as much as exchange a hug. Perhaps this is the custom, but I found it ironic.

This DVD is at times difficult to read, with white letters against no black background. And, unfortunately, the DVD lacks commentary!! How wonderful it would be to have had commentary about Ray and his vision as a director. If you value film from world's greatest directors, include Satyajit Ray ......MzRizz

Sarbajaya's Struggle for Meaning.......2004-04-07

This is the second film in director Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy and is best viewed after Pather Panchali and followed by The World of Apu. Harihar (Kanu Bannerjee) takes his wife, Sarbajaya (Karuna Bannerjee) and their son Apu to live in Benares. Their family home has been destroyed in the monsoon and with the loss of their daughter, they are struggling to cope emotionally as well as financially.

I found this movie to be more about the struggle Sarbajaya (Apu's mother) faces on a daily basis. She is an example of a woman who has given up her desires for the good of her family. As she cares for her family on a daily basis you can see how she is sinking into the darkest of depression. Not only is she terribly lonely, she does not fully recover from the loss of her daughter. While she is surrounded by members of her immediate community, she seems to strangely isolated and alone and the unfulfilled desires of her heart seem to weave an invisible and yet debilitating cocoon around her soul.

Throughout this movie, her sacrifice becomes even more beautiful as it allows Apu to see some of his own dreams come to fruition. Apu's father makes his living reading sacred texts by the shores of the Ganges River and then suddenly falls ill. Apu must continue his education and find his own way in this harsh world.

I love the scene where Apu pretends to miss the train and when his mother worries about what they are feeding him at school. The first few scenes also show birds sitting on umbrellas and then taking off suddenly. Could this be a foreshadowing for the situation in which Apu finally finds himself? I found these movies have quite a few "foreshadowing" moments that I only recognized on the second viewing. Which is why the Apu Trilogy must be watched more than once to be fully appreciated. These are finely woven stories that deal with the deepest human issues we all must face at some point in our lives.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Essential.......2004-01-30

Good print quality; no DVD extras; the movie is outstanding.

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Aparajito

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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