14 Two decades ago received an Academy Award for his Lifetime Achievement just Satyajit Ray: Part One before his death in Calcutta. Since then has become vastly wealthier. Introducing part one of our two-month retrospective, Ray’s biographer The key to understanding the appeal of But what makes Ray virtually unparalleled Andrew Robinson asserts that the director’s films Satyajit Ray’s body of work is that the is his versatility. He wrote his scripts have lost none of their power, humanity, humour director himself, though intimately rooted solo, and they were often original in , was also immersed in western screenplays. He designed the sets and and topicality for both Indians and the world. culture: European and Hollywood films, costumes down to the smallest details. He of course, but also literature, art and acted out the roles for his actors with music. ‘I’m thankful for the fact that I’m consummate nuance. He operated the familiar with both cultures and it gives camera and he edited each frame. He me a very much stronger footing as a composed the music, scoring it in a filmmaker,’ Ray told me. One of his most mixture of western and Indian notation. admired films, , was directly He even designed the credits and posters. inspired by his love of Mozart’s operas. said of Ray: ‘The quiet Born in Calcutta in 1921, Ray was but deep observation, understanding educated in both Bengali and English, and love of the human race which are and studied for a fine arts degree, which characteristic of all his films, have he abandoned for a job as a commercial impressed me greatly.’ At a time when artist in advertising. As a filmmaker, the razzamatazz of too often Ray was entirely self-educated, except dominates Indian culture, it will be a for a brief period helping , treat to experience – in prints faithfully who had come from Hollywood to make restored by the Academy Film Archive The River. The strongest influence on his – an alternative, subtler and richer first film, , was seeing cinematic vision of India and the human the neo-realist classic, , condition: the universe of Satyajit Ray. in London in 1950: ‘It gored me,’ said Ray. See p7 for other Ray events. Ray’s films cover an exceptional range of Presented in collaboration with moods and genres: from the epic tragedy The Academy of Motion Picture of to the black comedy of Arts and Sciences The Middle Man, from the ghost story Monihara to the children’s fantasy The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha, with hugely popular songs by Ray (two of these will screen next month, in the second part of our Ray season). WHAT’S ON 15 Film Season | Satyajit RaySatyajit | Season Film

INTRO INTRO

Pather Panchali The Philosopher’s Stone The Music Room Song of the Little Road The Unvanquished Parash Pathar India 1955. With , India 1956. With Kanu Banerjee, India 1957. With Tulsi Chakravarti, India 1958. With , , . Karuna Banerjee. 108min. EST. U Ranibala. 111min. EST , Pinaki Sen Gupta. 122min. EST. U The second Apu film, in which the Though not a major film, by Ray’s own 100min. EST. U Ray’s debut established his credo that boy grows into a college student, admission, this is among his funniest. The fatal obsession with classical ‘the really crucial moments in a film is perhaps under-appreciated. Yet, it A humble Calcutta clerk, wondrously Indian music and dance of an should be wordless’. The eventful story has the deepest characterisation, played by Tulsi Chakravarti, living a imperious Bengali landowner in his of the uneventful village childhood of especially the searing conflict between humdrum life, stumbles across a stone decaying palace was not something Apu, from a novel by Bibhutibhushan the mother and her adolescent son; while returning from his office. To his Ray expected would appeal to viewers Banerjee, is punctuated with some of and the first part of the film, set in amazement, it turns all it touches into outside India. But in fact The Music the most lyrical scenes ever seen on holy (Banaras), is among gold. Suddenly, the clerk is one of the Room entranced western audiences, screen: the coming of the monsoon Ray’s finest work. It won the Golden most sought-after society figures. But especially in France, where it directly accompanied by ’s music, Lion at Venice and was the favourite then his secret gets out, and all hell inspired Gérard Depardieu’s interest in and, most famously, Apu’s encounter of Ray’s fellow Bengali directors, breaks loose. Ray. Chhabi Biswas gives a monumental, with his first steam train. and . at times mesmerising performance, Joint ticket available with Aparajito Joint ticket available with and the music comes from some of and ; £22.50, Pather Panchali and The World of Apu; the greatest performers in 1950s India. concs £15 (Members pay £1.50 less) £22.50, concs £15 *Introduced by Philip Kemp *Introduced by Michael Lawrence (Members pay £1.50 less) Thu 15 Aug 18:10 NFT1* Thu 15 Aug 20:45 NFT1 Fri 16 Aug 20:40 NFT3 Sat 17 Aug 20:45 NFT1 Sun 18 Aug 16:00 NFT1 Sun 18 Aug 18:30 NFT1 Sat 24 Aug 18:30 NFT1 Thu 22 Aug 18:10 NFT1*

Follow us 16 WHAT’S ON Film Season | Satyaji Ray

The World of Apu Devi + Sukumar Ray Apur Sansar The Goddess India 1961. 54min. EST India 1987. 30min. EST India 1958. With , India 1960. With Chhabi Biswas, Ray made the moving documentary Sukumar Ray, made for his birth , Alok Chakravarti. Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore for the birth centenary, emphasizes Sukumar 103min. EST. U 93min. EST. PG centenary of the poet, writer, painter Ray’s much-loved work as a writer Ray did not originally intend to make Although Ray’s films are full of imagery and song composer, who wrote India’s and illustrator of Bengali nonsense a third Apu film, but at Venice, under about Hinduism, they generally avoid national anthem and was its first verse – comparable with Lewis Carroll press questioning after the success of confronting religious orthodoxy directly. Nobel laureate. The film was funded and Edward Lear – and closes with Aparajito, he found himself announcing Devi is an exception. An ageing by the Indian government, but was his poignant premature death, a trilogy. In the youthful Soumitra landowner, disturbingly played by also a personal tribute. Tagore had when his son Satyajit was just Chatterjee and the teenaged Sharmila Chhabi Biswas, dreams that his been a close friend of Ray’s grandfather two years old. Tagore, he found the perfect actors to beautiful daughter-in-law is an and father, Sukumar Ray, both writers play Apu and Aparna. The story of incarnation of a goddess. Crowds come and artists; moreover, as a child Ray their bizarrely arranged marriage, to worship her, despite her modern had known Tagore and later attended transformed by love before being husband’s horror. The film is set in his university as a student of fine arts. struck by tragedy, is told with many the 1860s, but its contemporary The trickiest challenge was shortage wonderful comic moments. resonance has increased over the of film footage, solved with some past half-century since it was made. Joint ticket available with Pather sensitive dramatizations of Tagore’s Panchali and Aparajito; £22.50, early life. concs £15 (Members pay £1.50 less) Sun 18 Aug 20:45 NFT1 Mon 19 Aug 18:20 NFT1 Mon 19 Aug 20:40 NFT2 Tue 27 Aug 18:30 NFT1 Sat 24 Aug 20:45 NFT1 Mon 26 Aug 16:00 NFT2 WHAT’S ON 17 Film Season | Satyajit RaySatyajit | Season Film

INTRO

Three Daughters Kanchenjungha The Expedition Charulata India 1962. With Chhabi Biswas, The Lonely Wife India 1961. With , Alaknanda Roy, Karuna Banerjee. India 1962. With Soumitra Chatterjee, India 1964. With Soumitra Chatterjee, Chandana Banerjee, Aparna Das Gupta. 102min. EST , Ruma Guha Thakurta. . 117min. EST. U (The Postmaster. 56min/Samapti. 56min/ Ray’s first colour film skilfully exploited 150min. EST. PG Ray justifiably regarded Charulata, Monihara. 61min). Total 173min. EST. U the atmosphere of the famous Neglected outside Bengal, The Expedition based on a Tagore novella, as his most These touching short features derive hill-station Darjeeling beneath the was a hit at home, because of its accomplished film. Almost everything from three Tagore short stories with snow-capped Himalayan peak of elements of melodrama, including a – from the plush Victorian settings a female central character, set in the Kanchenjungha. For wealthy , car chase, drug-running, a punch-up and probing camerawork to the 1890s. The Postmaster, a two-hander Darjeeling is a place to escape from and low-life comedy with the brilliant rich and witty script, Tagore’s music about a sensitive orphan servant girl the heat and grime of Calcutta: a , and also because it and the flawless performances, and a lonely city-bred postmaster romantic setting where conventional starred the Bollywood heroine, especially by the entrancing Madhabi stuck in a backwoods village, is among values may not always prevail. Will the Waheeda Rehman, as a village girl Mukherjee – feels perfect. The Ray’s greatest films: a gem, sparkling young woman at the centre of Ray’s forced into prostitution. The central triangular relationship between a rich with pathos and comedy. Samapti is a subtly orchestrated ensemble accept character, a taxi-driver with Rajput husband, his neglected wife and her near-farcical love story about a tomboy; the eligible suitor chosen by her warrior values, does not wholly younger brother-in-law came from Monihara a ghost story involving a wealthy tyrannical businessman father, or will convince, but the compensation is his Tagore’s own youthful relationship wife with a dangerous obsession. she stand alone? Chrysler of 1930 vintage. with his sister-in-law. *Introduced by Philip Kemp

Tue 20 Aug 17:30 NFT3 Thu 22 Aug 20:45 NFT1 Fri 23 Aug 17:50 NFT1 Fri 23 Aug 20:40 NFT1 Sat 24 Aug 14:10 NFT2 Mon 26 Aug 20:45 NFT1 Sun 25 Aug 15:40 NFT1 Thu 29 Aug 20:30 NFT1*

Follow us 18 WHAT’S ON Film Season | Satyaji Ray

The Coward + The Holy Man The Hero The Zoo Nayak Chiriakhana India 1965. With Soumitra Chatterjee, India 1965. With Charuprakash Ghosh, India 1965. With Uttam , India 1967. With , Madhabi Mukherjee, Haradhan Banerjee. Rabi Ghosh, Prasad Mukherjee. Sharmila Tagore, Bireswar Sen. Sailen Mukherjee, Susil Majumdar. 75min. EST 65min. EST 120min. EST. PG 125min. EST This highly contrasting double bill, Mahapurush pokes fun at Indian This original screenplay came from Ray had a penchant for Sherlock chosen by Ray for simultaneous willingness to be duped by dubious Ray’s desire to direct the Holmes from boyhood and later for screening, pairs a contemporary love gurus, with some delicious satire of Bengali films, Uttam Kumar. Ray American thrillers. He wrote detective story with a hilarious farce. carried off with aplomb and relish, disliked Kumar’s films but admired his stories from the 1960s, but The Zoo In Kapurush, a tyro screenwriter from though not easily translatable. As a talent – as was true of most Bollywood derives from another writer’s story, Calcutta looking for ‘local colour’ cynical procurer of a guru remarks, actors cast by Ray. The Hero is a film bought by Ray’s assistants, who on a tea plantation is stranded by the holy man seeks not young about the commercial movie industry cajoled him into directing. It involves a breakdown and has to stay the followers but old and wealthy ones, with an ironic title. Set mainly on a a murder at a peculiar colony founded night with a hard-drinking planter, ‘blinded by faith or by cataract’. train taking the ‘hero’ from Calcutta to by a retired judge with a conscience whose wife unexpectedly turns out collect a prize in Delhi, it captures his about the people he condemned to to be a former lover. Soumitra less-than-heroic career in a series of death. The key clue to unravelling the Chatterjee and Madhabi Mukherjee disturbed flashbacks. murder is a catchy film song are rematched as the romantic leads composed by Ray. after Charulata; whether or not the planter is aware of their relationship is left tantalizingly ambiguous. Sun 25 Aug 17:50 NFT2 Wed 28 Aug 18:15 NFT1 Thu 29 Aug 18:15 NFT3 Sat 31 Aug 17:30 NFT2 Fri 30 Aug 20:30 NFT3 Sat 31 Aug 20:30 NFT2 Sight & Sound

Coming in September: TALK Sight & Sound offers a unique insight into the very Satyajit Ray: Part Two best of film culture. Subscribe now for a print subscription which includes 12 months access to The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha; Two; Days and Nights in the Forest; the recently-launched digital edition of the magazine. The Adversary; Sikkim; ; Bala; Distant Thunder; Company Limited; Subscription packages are available that also The Golden Fortress; The Middle Man; include the complete digital archive of Sight & Sound The Chess Players; The Elephant God; The Kingdom of Diamonds; and Monthly Film Bulletin. Deliverance; ; ; An Enemy of the People; Visit bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/subscribe Branches of the Tree; The Stranger + short course on The Cinema of Satyajit Ray Choose to pay by direct debit Satyajit Ray Season and receive one of these BFI Introduction dual-format editions for free. In this illustrated talk, Dr. Manishita Restoration and Print Credits Terms and Conditions apply Dass (Lecturer in World Cinema, Pather Panchali, Aparijito, The Music Back issues are available. Royal Holloway) will lead us through Room, The World of Apu, Devi, The the hybrid cultural milieu of Calcutta Postmaster, Samapti, Charulata To order call 020 8955 7070 that shaped Ray’s cinematic sensibility Restored by the Satyajit Ray Preservation and cosmopolitan world view, and Project through a collaboration of the examine the interplay between Academy Film Archive, the Merchant- the local and the global in his films. Ivory Foundation and the Film Foundation. As well as pointing to some highlights Prints courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. in the upcoming two month season, she will also explore the lesser-known The Philosopher’s Stone, The Coward, links between his filmmaking and The Holy Man, Monihara, The Expedition, The Hero his career as a writer and a commercial artist. Restored by the Satyajit Ray Preservation Project at the Academy Film Archive. Prints courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. Rabindranath Tagore, Sukumar Ray, Kanchenjungha BFI Members enjoy a discount Prints courtesy of the Satyajit Ray Film at bfi.org.uk/members and Study Center Collection at the Wed 14 Aug 18:10 NFT3 Academy Film Archive. 20 EXTENDED RUN 37 Screenings AD The Big City The Big City Wonderfully enjoyable, with the scope and density of a great novel, Satyajit Ray’s tale of family and city life is set in mid-50s Calcutta, a society still adjusting to Independence. Subrata Mazumdar (Anil Chatterjee), a young bank clerk struggling to support his family on a meagre salary, is horrified when his wife Arati (a ravishing performance from Madhabi Mukherjee) dares to challenge his cherished belief that ‘a woman’s place is in the home’. She not only takes a job but proves a huge success, relishing her independence and thoroughly upsetting the family dynamic. Bengali star Mukherjee, working with Ray for the first time, confessed herself ‘stunned’ by his extraordinary ‘woman-centred’ screenplay, so different from anything she had previously encountered. Yet, for all his focus on Arati, Ray – who is renowned for his breadth of sympathy – also deploys warmth, humour and acute psychological insight in his depiction of Arati’s conservative father-in-law, her studious teenage sister-in-law and her benevolently despotic boss. Newly restored and re-released to mark its fiftieth anniversary, The Big City with its emphasis on conflicting social values – and most particularly the role of women – still feels sharply relevant. – Margaret Deriaz India 1963. Dir Satyajit Ray. With Anil Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee. 135min. Digital. EST. PG. A BFI release. Seniors’ Matinee Fri 23 Aug 14:00 NFT3, Introduced by Behroze Gandhy NEW Fri 16 – Sat 31 Aug (Continues in Sept) PRINT ‘Xxxxxxxxxx’

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