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The Music Room

Original title: Jalsaghar
  • 1958
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
6.4K
YOUR RATING
The Music Room (1958)
Three Reasons Criterion trailer
Play trailer1:42
1 Video
24 Photos
DramaMusic

Depicts the end days of a decadent zamindar (landlord) in Bengal, and his efforts to uphold his family prestige even when faced with economic adversity.Depicts the end days of a decadent zamindar (landlord) in Bengal, and his efforts to uphold his family prestige even when faced with economic adversity.Depicts the end days of a decadent zamindar (landlord) in Bengal, and his efforts to uphold his family prestige even when faced with economic adversity.

  • Director
    • Satyajit Ray
  • Writers
    • Tarashankar Banerjee
    • Satyajit Ray
    • Santi P. Choudhury
  • Stars
    • Chhabi Biswas
    • Gangapada Basu
    • Padmadevi
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    6.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Satyajit Ray
    • Writers
      • Tarashankar Banerjee
      • Satyajit Ray
      • Santi P. Choudhury
    • Stars
      • Chhabi Biswas
      • Gangapada Basu
      • Padmadevi
    • 38User reviews
    • 81Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos1

    The Music Room
    Trailer 1:42
    Watch The Music Room

    Photos24

    The Music Room (1958)
    The Music Room (1958)
    The Music Room (1958)
    Chhabi Biswas in The Music Room (1958)
    The Music Room (1958)
    The Music Room (1958)
    Chhabi Biswas in The Music Room (1958)
    The Music Room (1958)
    Chhabi Biswas in The Music Room (1958)
    The Music Room (1958)
    Chhabi Biswas in The Music Room (1958)
    Chhabi Biswas in The Music Room (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chhabi Biswas
    Chhabi Biswas
    • Huzur Biswambhar Roy
    Gangapada Basu
    • Mahim Ganguly
    Padmadevi
    • Mahamaya, Roy's wife
    • (as Padma Devi)
    Kali Sarkar
    • Roy's Servant
    Tulsi Lahiri
    • Manager of Roy's Estate
    Pinaki Sengupta
    Pinaki Sengupta
    • Khoka, Roy's Son
    Sardar Akhtar
    • Singer
    • (as Begum Akhtar)
    Roshan Kumari
    Roshan Kumari
    • Krishna Bai, dancer
    Waheed Khan
    • Ustad Ujir Khan
    • (as Ostad Wahed Khan)
    Bismillah Khan
    • Musician
    Salamat Ali Khan
    • Khyal singer
    Tarapada Nandy
    Pratap Mukherjee
      • Director
        • Satyajit Ray
      • Writers
        • Tarashankar Banerjee
        • Satyajit Ray
        • Santi P. Choudhury
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.
      • Goofs
        After talking to his wife about the cost of the music party, a close-up shows the landlord falling asleep with his hand bent down at the wrist. After the cut to medium, his hand lies straight up in his neck.
      • Quotes

        Huzur Biswambhar Roy: [laughing drunkenly, deriding the moneylender's son, Ganguly] He failed. He failed!

        Huzur Biswambhar Roy: [now talking to his servant Ananta, who is refilling his glass with liquor] He couldn't do it. He couldn't do it! That moneylender's son! He wanted to be king of the mountain. What arrogance, huh? What arrogance! A dwarf reaching for the moon! He couldn't do it. You know why he failed?

        Huzur Biswambhar Roy: [speaking directly to Ananta] Blood! The blood in my veins! You know whose blood flows in my veins? You want to see? Come...

        Huzur Biswambhar Roy: [proceeding to point out portraits on the wall of his elders] My father... my grandfather... my great grandfather... my great-great grandfather.

      • Connections
        Featured in Celluloid Man (2012)

      User reviews38

      Review
      Review
      Featured review
      10/10
      The Greatest Film You Never Heard Of
      At the time I post this, only 123 people have cast a vote of any kind for The Music Room. What a shame.

      Satyajit Ray is one of the greatest directors of all-time and The Music Room is his masterpiece. Correction: The Music Room is a masterpiece of world cinema.

      How to describe this movie? In Hollywood lingo, you could call it Citizen Kane meets Black Narcissus with a big dose of King Lear. Of course, if you called it that, they'd shelve the project and spend the money on the sequel to XXX.

      Pity poor Biswambhar Roy, a king in a lonely castle. He's lost not only his family but his entire way of life. He is a mistake. A forgotten man waiting in his empty shell of a world.

      He spends the last remnants of his once vast fortune on a final, lavish musical performance in his crumbling home, a last-ditch attempt to connect to the pride and joy he once felt in his life.

      Not that he is innocent. He is proud and oblivious, spoiled and selfish. But surely not a bad man. Merely a displaced man. So we can cheer as he is granted one last moment of happiness and weep for him as he meets his inevitable end.

      How is that Satyajit Ray remains unknown even to many die-hard cineastes in the States? I hope one of the companies will come along soon and release some of his work on DVD.
      helpful•62
      8
      • csjlong
      • Oct 18, 2002

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      FAQ3

      • What calendar do they use?
      • What is the significance of the "thread ceremony"?
      • What is a zamindar?

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • October 10, 1958 (India)
      • Country of origin
        • India
      • Languages
        • Bengali
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Das Musikzimmer
      • Filming locations
        • Nimtita Rajbari, Nimtita, West Bengal, India(The House)
      • Production company
        • Aurora Film Corporation
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

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      • Gross worldwide
        • $3,247
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 35 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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