El mundo de Apu

"The World of Apu" is a tale joy of and tragedy, unmatched in its beauty and profound emotion. Satyajit Ray's final film in the Apu trilogy ranks with King Vidor's "The Crowd" and Carl Theodor Dreyer's "Ordet" as a cinema landmark of family life. But it far exceeds those films in its visual poetry. Apu's journey with a friend and his unplanned marriage sets the stage for a story of domestic life in all its simple joy and awful despair. The serene, contented beauty of the girl is a soaring vision, matched in its humanity only by the broken heart of Apu when she dies. The pages of an unfinished novel, a life's work floating in the mountain air like the seeds of a dandelion, become the symbol of Apu's devastation. The rebirth of life and hope realized in the child illustrates a fundamental belief of Hinduism. Beautifully photographed and edited, "The World of Apu" is a masterpiece of film as narrative storytelling. It is the most "Indian" of all Indian films.

Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) is the stunning final chapter of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, one of the most widely acclaimed series in film. While Pather Panchali and Aparajito, the trilogy's first two, are extremely well crafted, the lack the heart-wrenching beauty of this installment. These three films revolve around tragedy, and it has an almost predestined quality to it, which reminded me somewhat of Stanley Kubrick's excellent, "Barry Lyndon." That's where the similarities end of course, as this film is warm and radiates humanity, and Lyndon (as well as all of Kubrick's work) is cold and icy. Ray's rich lyrical realism breathes beauty in the mundane acts of his characters. The film opens as Apu, now a young man, attempts to eek out a living. He searches relentlessly for work, most of which is monotonous and doesn't pay well. However his pudgy friend Pulu invites him to a wedding, and Apu obliges, hoping maybe this display of love will help inspire him and the novel he is writing. In a fascinating turn of events (which I won't spoil,) Apu finds himself coming back to Calcutta married. Aparna, his new bride, is used to a life of luxury outside of the big city` but she is prepared for a life of poverty with her new husband. In one of the most beautiful sequences in film, Apu and his bride slowly begin to love and care for one another. The beauty of this is that we never see them embrace, or kiss or make love. Instead we see it in gestures, in window curtains, in little notes Aparna puts in Apu's cigarettes reminding him only to have one after every meal. Their love is like a dream of love we've had, one that's so innocent and wonderful we want to dream forever. But like all dreams, Apu must wake up. Happiness is just a fleeting emotion for Apu, one that enters his life at random points and then dissapears. Apu wanders bitterly through the Indian landscape, searching for solace and peace. The end moments cannot be explained in words, and simply must be experienced. One of the greatest films of all time. 10/10

After watching 'Pather Panchali' & 'Aparajito'; the 1st and 2nd two epics of Apu Trilogy, I unable to control myself to wait for sometime to watch the third epic 'The World of Apu' directed by Academy Honorary Award winning(in 19992), the great director Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Ray paints how much covered a bitter pain that breaks someone's heart in his life. Someone means the main character Apu; which half of life is already reflected in his 1st & 2nd epic.

It is seen that Apu had lost his elder sister and father before he knows the value of life. His mother struggles for his life and making him into a educated person though he should turn into a priest as his their family profession. But director have no mercy upon him. His mother had passed away when he was studying at Kolkata after 10th passing. The story ends up here and so we don't know what happened in his life after everything lost.

At the 1st light of "The World of Apu" we have seen that Apu is grown up and become turn into a healthy young man, struggling to live without any distress of his past life. He learns to live into a new life. He lives as a tenant in a small room of Kolkata unable to give rent for several months. The story is running on and then suddenly changes the track. We are happy to see his delightful face after getting his life partner or wife suddenly after many years. Now he lives in a romantic world. But again the track changes. He losses everything. After 5 years he is ready to meet a boy named Kajal(5 years old) who always wait to see his father's face. Is Kajal Apu's son? If yes, does Kajal accept him as a father?...to know everything you should watch the movie which is easily available on torrent.

There have no error in direction. You can feel a different taste. Acting is everywhere perfect. Great work is done by Soumitra Chatterjee(as Apu), Sharmila Tagore(as Aparna, wife of Apu) and other actors. Alok Chakravarty who acts in a very sort periods as the 5 years old boy touches the heart. Director is successful to reflect the story in his three trilogy. So before watching Apur Sansar(3rd part,called it in Bengali) you should watch 1st Pather Panchali and then Aparajito. Though it is released in 1955-1959, still it is the best i ever seen.

I am not usually drawn to slow-moving, "artistic" films. But this film is of rare beauty and insight. I found it much more moving than the first two films in the Apu trilogy. The themes of loss, of running away from grief, and ultimately of reconciliation and responsibility have rarely been handled with a wiser eye.

I found Apur Sansar, the final part of the Apu Trilogy, every bit as superb as its prequels. I liked the pacing even better than its predecessors, as there was not a single moment that didn't keep me interested. Although the ending wasn't as powerful as its prequels, I thought it was a more hopeful and fitting ending for the saga. However, it did give me the feeling that I didn't want the story to end at all.

Soumitra Chatterjee's debut performance as the adult Apu was truly Oscar-worthy (like Karuna Bannerjee who played his mother in the first two films) and a young Sharmila Tagore was also convincing in her debut performance as his wife. Overall, I'd say Apur Sansar is my second favourite in the Apu Trilogy, after Aparajito.

Now that I've finally finished watching the Apu Trilogy, I must say this is probably the greatest film trilogy I've ever seen. Although it's a simple story about a country boy's growth to adulthood, it felt like I was watching a truly epic saga. Satyajit Ray really is one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century in my opinion.

10/10