The first time I saw this movie was just after it was released in the United States. Ravi Shankar was becoming popular and the fact he did the score added to the movie's interest.
But Satyajit Ray is really in a class by himself. The movies -- there are three in the series, this one being the last, are mostly acted by amateurs. The trilogy starts with Pather Panchali, with Apu being a child. Next, Aparajito shows Apu growing up, going to school and learning English because that was the only way to get ahead in the grinding poverty of Bengal.
The last of the trilogy, the World of Apu shows Apu marrying, his wife dying, his leaving his son with his wife's parents and then going away to find himself. How the movie ends is your task. But each time I see it, tears cloud my eyes and my stomach turns over in joy and Let's just say the Academy gave Ray a long overdue Oscar for his films which are universal in appeal.
But Satyajit Ray is really in a class by himself. The movies -- there are three in the series, this one being the last, are mostly acted by amateurs. The trilogy starts with Pather Panchali, with Apu being a child. Next, Aparajito shows Apu growing up, going to school and learning English because that was the only way to get ahead in the grinding poverty of Bengal.
The last of the trilogy, the World of Apu shows Apu marrying, his wife dying, his leaving his son with his wife's parents and then going away to find himself. How the movie ends is your task. But each time I see it, tears cloud my eyes and my stomach turns over in joy and Let's just say the Academy gave Ray a long overdue Oscar for his films which are universal in appeal.