Kanchenjungha

This is not meant as an insult, but this Ray film comes off a bit like an episode of "Love Boat". I really mean no disrespect, but on the old TV show, you had several different couples who all had a story and they all had that common link of working it out on vacation. Here, instead of in a boat, it's in the mountainside where various Indians are vacationing. Most of them are family members but there are also others whose stories end up intersecting with them. There is the family patriarch and his wife, the daughter they want to marry off and the man who she is not in love with, the nice but poor suitor, the husband and wife working through a case of infidelity and more.

Like so many of Satyajit Ray's films, this one is about middle and upper class Indians and their everyday problems. The key to these films is the acting--the realistic acting and the connection the audience makes with these real folks. In many, many, many ways, these films are nothing like the Bollywood films of today--and there is no singing and the fairytale-like plots of many of the newer films is totally absent. Realism is the key--and a bit reminiscent of Ozu's films about ordinary but likable folks. While "Kanchenjungha" is not one of his more famous films and its plot a bit too ordinary, I think it's actually one of his best films--full of realism and heart--but also not everyone's sort of film.

The movie walks in and around Darjeeling. It follows group of characters intricately woven together; describing each personality by themselves and with respect to the other characters. The movie may be described as a beautiful documentation on basics of human nature, with many folds; and every time one watches it, discovers a new dimension. Ray's films interact with the audience in a way that, anyone can perceive them, and Kanchenjungha is no exception to that. What is it about these picturesque snow-capped hills that make one ponder into reflections, which has no space for, in life typically? Unlike the popular understanding the various characters are not shown to "evolve". Rather surrounded by innocence and beauty of the Darjeeling hills, together each of Ray's characters unfurl gradually into a culmination. Every scene in this film has an element of Darjeeling included, such as the unseen bird call, or animals that pass by, or the locals adorn in their tradition. With the sunrays that playing hide-n-seek through the clouds, the Darjeeling mists dances around, only to clear out in the end. It is as if the mountains itself fashions the individuals to reveal themselves, to speak out. Then and only then would the fog clear and you can see "the most beautiful snow range in the world" In then end Kanchenjunga can be summed up into one word as "perfect".

This movie is Ray's first

1. Colored movie 2. Movie whose script is written by Ray himself 3. Movie whose story duration is only one day.

After Kanchenjungha Ray made a number of B/W movies until 1973 when he made second colored movie "The Distant Thunder." In most of his career Ray used to make movies out of novels and stories written by famous BENGALI writers. E.g. his best known works of APU TRILOGY (Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar) are actually movie version of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's novels. In the same way he made movies out of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore's stories and novels (e.g. Three Daughters, Charulata and Ghare-Baire). But this is one of the three movies whose writing credits fully goes to Ray himself (other 2 are Nayak and Agantuk). In all these three movies he in someway tries to speak about his own thoughts and philosophies of life via the characters of these movies. And of course all of these 3 movies are great works of Ray.

Indranath Choudhury (Chhabi Bishwas) along with his whole family goes to the beautiful hilly city of Darjeeling to spend vacation. Members of his family and some other characters of the movie start reacting differently influenced by the immense beauty and power of Kanchenjungha (Highest pick of India, also it is one peak of the mighty Himalayas). Anima (daughter of Indranath) confesses her secret love affair to her husband and assures him to amend the relationship for the betterment of Tuklu (their daughter). Labyanya Roy Choudhury (w/o Indranath) becomes worried for her husband's plan of giving their daughter Monisha's marriage to a more materialistic guy (Banarjee). Ashok, a tormented poor young man also refuses to accept any job offer from Indranath. In fact the mesmerizing effect of Kanchenjungha on the characters of this film is done with incredible perfection. On my judgement, Kanchenjungha along with Nayak are the best movies made by Ray. I also rate those films as two great movies ever made in film history.

I think this is a great movie by any standard. This is also a very complex one. People who are familiar with Ray's Apu Triology will find it difficult to grasp the fact that the same ray is the director of this film.

Kanchenjungha deals set in hilly areas deals with 20th century problems in pristine location. Problems that we try to suppress in daily life, seems to get revealed and exposed to everybody else. It is like we are revealing ourselves as Kanchenjungha is exposed through bright sunlight.

Please note that you have to be patient with this movie. It is very different from all other Ray movies. Furthermore, there exists no central character. It is probably the most underrated of all Ray movies.

If this movie were an ibsen play (like enemy of the people was) it would be a one act play. Its power comes from the firm pencil stokes of the sketch that is the film. And it is a film about the tiniest of all characters in it- the (suitable) girl that's fresh as a yellow mountain flower.

Satyajit ray uses the elements as symbolism in his films. He does so quietly here. The gentle sound montages (sply the raspy and raucous sound in a supposedly genteel holiday resort ) are used to draw attention to elements and turns in the smooth plot. And the mountain ranges are used as powerful visual metaphor.

The last day of the family's stay at the resort has come, the ranges of snowcapped Himalayas are still obscured by clouds. The view is reputedly spectacular and nobody knows if a glimpse of the Kanchenjungha peak is possible before they leave. The Suitable boy has not yet proposed to the youngest daughter of a patriarch moneybags , and everyone is hoping he will today. Her sister, who married unhappily and has continued an affair she started before her wedding must decide what to do about it. The brothers of the patriarch chase after birds of different kinds, while an old tutor seeks to get his nephew a Job with the patriarch..

Complexly created simple tale of everyday life.