The World of Apu

The World of Apu
by Satyajit Ray

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Movie Reviews of The World of Apu

Movie Review: Satyajit Ray concludes the his beautiful Apu Trilogy
Summary: 5 Stars

The middle of the film shows the happy time when Apu and Aparna get to know each other and fall in love. Two people who were complete strangers become incredibly close as we see a simple romance that rings true in a way few in cinema ever have before or since. However, after all of the suffering and hard times we have endured to this point in the trilogy it is hard to believe that Apu has finally found happiness, and indeed tragedy follows. We are suddenly confronted with the sense that we have come full circle and that once again our hopes in this story have come down to the fate of one small boy.

Even after three films Ray's genius is in using the camera to show character. What is memorable in these films are always the moments, and not the dialogue. It is the look that characters give each other than communicates much more than the words. For those who would complain that they do like to watch foreign film because it involved reading subtitles, these films should not be a problem. Ultimately it is the cinematography of Subrata Mitra and music of Ravi Shankar that are the chief mediums of communication (the only other time I have been struck this much by a similar combination was in "Road to Perdition," where the late cinematographer Conrad L. Hall won his final Oscar and Thomas Newman was nominated).

Although "The World of Apu" can stand on its own, you would be foolish not to go back and start with "Pather Panchali" ("Song of the Road") and "Aparajito" ("The Unvanquished"). Satyajit Ray is one of the greatest directors of the world, whose impact on the film industry in India was monumental, and deservedly so. When you are working out the short list of "foreign" directors with whom you need to become familiar Ray is right there with Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman.

Summary of The World of Apu