El mundo de Apu

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

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.

"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.

About midway through Apur Sansar there is an interjection of a film in the style of typical Indian cinema. The contrast in Ray's approach with his classic trilogy is astonishing, considering the mileau in which it emerged. Filmmaking in the 1950's in Hollywood as well as India was studio-driven with light-weight stories having little connection with reality. As another commentator pointed out, this film is closer to the Italian realism films such as "The Bicycle Thief". Every shot is a masterpiece of composition and lighting. It does not intrude on the story, but advances it. Likewise, the music composed by Ray, is natural and integral to the scene. This ranks with the all-time greatest watershed movies.

This movie is Ray at his best. Its sublime. Its distilled to perfection. You need not hear the dialogs or read the subtitles to follow and appreciate it. The visuals and background score tell the store more eloquently. The movie has a soul which will get destroyed if you make even the slightest change to the story, acting, cinematography, music etc. Ray has brought out the best in his actors. They are not experienced actors though both of the leading pair later go on achieve mega success as movie stars. If you blink an eye, you will miss out on the emotions captured. For example, when Aparna is brought to her new home, there is moment in which she matures – from a girl to a woman – while gazing out of the torn curtain. There are several such brief moments. The dialog is minimalist but enchanting. The letter from Aparna to Apu captures love in all its glory – longing, desire, concern and trust. Its movie-making at its best.