Pather Panchali (1955)

Yeah, I finally saw a Satyajit Ray film. It was somewhat intimidating, because of Ray's and the film's high stature, but it's a very engaging and touching portrait of family life, and growing up and coming of age amidst suffering and hardships.

I was reminded somewhat of Truffaut's The 400 Blows, early on, because they both detail a child's life, growing up, in their own corners of the Earth at their own times. Yet, bulk of the stories are completely different, the underlying theme is still somewhat similar. Most of all though, I was reminded of Renoir's work, and that of French poetic realism. The world is shown very frankly, very realistically, though there is a lyricism and an undercurrent of hope running throughout. The way that Ray makes the film is not with grand gestures, but with small, deft strokes.

I liked the way that the film showed seemingly insignificant events, like the candy man coming around, that adults really ignore, but from a child's view, they are key highlights and go far towards establishing their memories and determining their personas throughout life. I'm thinking of the scene where Apu breaks into his sister's toy box, and knows he's been caught. Instead of terror, when she chases him, he's enjoying it, he's having a lot of fun running around being chased. Until the moment where he's caught and in trouble, he's enjoying every moment. I think that Apu himself represents his parents' hopes and dreams, as most children do for their own parents. We want our children to grow up and be what we never were, achieve what we didn't and live up to their full potential. And, since it's a trilogy, I actually look forward to seeing how wee Apu makes out.