Satyajit Ray's “The Apu Trilogy” and Krzysztof Kieślowski's

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Satyajit Ray's “The Apu Trilogy” and Krzysztof Kieślowski's FIU – SENSES OF CINEMA – WINTER A MON EVE/TUES AFT. TWO MASTER DIRECTORS, 2 UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEYS; Satyajit Ray’s “The Apu Trilogy” and Krzysztof Kieślowski’s ”Three Colors Trilogy” (Blue, White, Red), among the two greatest works of twentieth century cinema. Considered one of the masters of 20th Century Cinema, and celebrated as India's "extraordinary filmmaker," the legendary Satyajit Ray has been credited with opening the world's eyes to life in India, with his humanist tales involving coming of age, marital life, class and his country's own troubled history. Akira Kurosawa, one of cinema’s most honored directors said of Ray: "To have not seen the films of Ray is to have lived in the world without ever having seen the moon and the sun" This session we will view the AWARD-WINNING CINEMATIC ACHIEVEMENT that brought him TO THE world’s attention: THE WORLD OF APU Over the three films, we see Apu progress from childhood to his thirties. Witnessing his progression, we see his character develop through experience. Pather Panchali –1955 The first installment we meet Apu, a young boy, and his life in a small village, in rural Bengal during the early twentieth century. We will see all those events of childhood, trivial and meaningful, which shape the adult he will become. Aparajito –1956 In this second installment, Apu, now 10, begins his schooling, and we see him mature into adolescence, weathering his existence, having moved with his mother to Calcutta. Apar Sansar – 1959 In the final episode of his story, Apu, now a 23-year old idealist, struggles as an author, marries, and faces obstacles and tragedies to overcome. “THREE COLORS”: Krzysztof Kieślowski’s boldly cinematic trio of stories about love and loss became a defining event of the art-house boom of the 1990s. Set in Paris, Warsaw, and Geneva, ranging from tragedy to comedy, they examine with artistic clarity a group of ambiguously interconnected people experiencing profound personal disruptions. Marked by intoxicating cinematography and stirring performances, Three Colors is a benchmark of contemporary cinema. Blue - 1993 In the devastating first film of the Three Colors trilogy, Juliette Binoche gives a tour de force performance as Julie, a woman reeling from and recovering from a terrible tragedy. White - 1994 The most playful of the Three Colors films follows the adventures of Karol Karol, a Polish immigrant living in France. White is both a dark comedy about the economic inequalities of Eastern and Western Europe and a reverie about twisted love. Red - 1994 Krzysztof Kieślowski closes his Three Colors trilogy in grand fashion with an incandescent meditation on fate and chance, starring Irène Jacob as a sweet-souled yet somber runway model in Geneva whose life intersects with that of a bitter retired judge, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. .
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