Two

In 1964, renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray was asked to create a short film for 'ESSO World Theater', a cultural showcase presented on television and funded by the American oil company Esso. Asked to write and direct the film in English, Ray opted instead to make a film without words. The result is a poignant fable of friendship and rivalry. As he did for many of his movies, Ray composed the music for the film, including the haunting tune played on a flute. After Satyajit Ray was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1992, the Academy embarked on an ambitious endeavour to preserve the works of the Bengali filmmaker. "Two," also known as "Parable of Two," is part of the Academy's Satyajit Ray Collection, which includes 18 feature films directed by Ray and preserved by the Archive.

It is ironic that film without words can make one speechless. One can say so much by not speaking at all. It is partly the storyline and also the ingenuity of the director that helps to bring out the unspoken message which is left to everyone's imagination to decipher.

It is ironic that Ray made this short film for a multinational company which is involved in the global promotion of consumerism, materialism and decadence of the environment. I look at it as a slap on the face. From the get-go, one can see a well-fed home-alone well dressed young boy complete with a hat with big ear-like contraptions which will only remind one of Mickey Mouse. And he is seen gulping a beverage from a bottle which has the shape of Coca Cola - what else can it be? He is obviously feeling bored despite all the expensive toys that are lying around him.

Out down from his window, he sees a poor peasant boy having a whale of a time playing a melodious tune on his flute. Jealous that the poor boy can have such a good time, he sabotages his every plaything; banging his drums, shooting with his toy gun and even shooting down his kite.

Despite all the destructive attempts at spoiling the poor boy's play, the latter returns with more ideas to entertain himself. The rich boy remains unhappy despite his access to luxury and the toys at his disposal.

The people in power are hellbent on crushing the hopes and attempts of the less fortunate to progress. The well-heeled feel that only they deserve to be happy. After all, money can buy happiness, they think. The poor, they believe, merit what they have for all their Dionysian outlook of life.

The clip may be voiceless, but the message is loud and clear. Happiness is also a metaphor for the human spirit. The poor are representative of the human race collectively. Despite the repeated insults hurled upon them by the powers that be, the rich multinationals which rapaciously destroy the planet or even Mother Nature who regularly test them with calamities, the human race will never give up. Hitting brick walls has become second nature to them. Overcome they shall.

This film validates my belief in the importance of scarcity.

You need to live in scarcity at least for some phase in your life. It inculcates the value of building instead of breaking things. This also made me recall a quote from The Fellowship of the Ring.

"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom" - Gandalf

Satyajit Ray's Two metaphorically represents many situations of difference in stature and violent egoist mentality. It can be a rich country gunning down a poor country, it can be a toxic colleague at your workplace trying to pull you down, or just a friend who is not able to digest you're better than him at something.

But the message is loud and clear, your relentless love and melody will eventually break the hollow ego of malevolent men like a house of cards.

And after that, they're left with nothing but regret.

Out of his two short films, this one is the best. I do not remember properly, but I think this is a silent film.

The storyline by 'Nick Riganas' here just hits the spot,So I would recommend everyone to read that one first.

This exactly is happening too in the Russian war with Ukraine, with russia being the absolutely spoiled brat just unable to see the street urchin having his simple unbridled fun!. Sixty-plus years have passed, but the events portrayed are even true today and will be true another 600 years after now too. The envious/destructive human nature inherent in us all portrayed by the Master himself.

And Long before Pixar started to made their shorties, here we have the Master already making them way back in 1965...wow.

Attempted analysis of short Film By Satyajit Ray – Two "There has been recent attempt to restore some Ray's work by the world & a recent digital restoration of Ray's lesser known work called as Two – which is a 12 minute short film. My analysis is on this 12 minute short film in points. This film is a Fable. It teaches you a moral at multiple levels based on your maturity level. The broad story line is about two kids from opposite layer of the Indian society of 1960's playing alone in their house & the film is shot from the view of the rich kid. The movie starts with the rich kid being bored in his bungalow of foreign toys, balloon and cold drinks. He hears a flute playing & observes a poor kid playing that across his window. The kids then compete with their respective toys & end with the poor kid happy flying his kite but just momentarily as the rich kid shoots the kite down with his air rifle. The morals are below as per audience & there may be more – a) The easiest moral is rich suppressing the poor, nothing to write on that b) The next level of thought is ; two worlds colliding where there is a battle and then a war. The rich kid wins the battle initially when he shoots the kite but loses the war as the poor kid again picks his flute and starts playing. This is evident from the tower of pisa toys that falls down in last frame. The rich kid loses the war c) We move higher, happiness verses consumerism. The rich kid has imported cold drinks and maybe ripe apples to eat as he plays but then he has no hunger and joy. He casually flips from room to room along his toys until he comes to the window. The poor kid has the camera span across the field hence infinite possibilities. Happiness has nothing to do with consumerism d) Higher again, momentary nature of ego. The rich kid while alone flips toys, rolls over the sofa & sees his recently celebrated birthday balloons still hanging over the ceiling. He rolls a match stick & starts bursting the balloons. He simply drops this and moves on once he burst two balloons. He fails to celebrate an old friend, here the balloon from yesterday's birthday which was probably so splendid earlier. Ego has no mind no brain e) Politics. Ray was influenced by Vietnam war. His film chronology suggests he did Gupi Gyne after this. He was building his base for the under dogs. The ripe paddy fields with one solo hut (not a slum) indicate the poor's kid parents were maybe cultivators or land labours. On the other side, a carbonated drink & Mickey Mouse hat conveys Western influence f) Finally, Ray salutes indomitable spirit of mankind. The film is a celebration of human spirit. The ability to jump back from a loos and play back the flute of life

In case you liked this you may watch his short film trilogy. The next two were on Ballet troupe and Pandit Ravi Shankar. The well known Sikkim documentary was much later in 70's. Ray never celebrated or sold India's poverty, he did make a statement out of it. He asked us the hard questions."