The World of Apu

The final episode of the Trilogy takes us to a young adult Apu. IMdb seems to have missed the British Film Award that this and Sathyajits' other two episodes (Song of the Road, Unvanquished) received.

This movie together with the other two movies are a monumental work in movie making. The way the story is portrayed, and the use of many details, enrich the emotional experience it provides. One can recall the way the screen of the movie theatre fades into the window of the horse carriage, or the way the hole on the window curtain reverberates with the spotted decorations on the actress face and etc.

This a "must see" movie for all, in the different ways emotions are expressed and the way it takes the audience in a roller coater ride of emotions. It is an enriching and a moving experience. It reinforces and reinvigorates the humanity within each of us.

To enjoy the movie most, viewers should see the first two episodes in sequence before viewing "Apur Sangsar."

"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.

The final episode of the Trilogy takes us to a young adult Apu. Received the British Film Award which Sathyajits' other two episodes (Song of the Road, Unvanquished) also received.

This movie together with the other two movies are a monumental work in movie making. The way the story is portrayed, and the use of many details, enrich the emotional experience it provides. One can recall the way the screen of the movie theatre fades into the window of the horse carriage, or the way the hole on the window curtain reverberates with the spotted decorations on the actress face and etc.

This a "must see" movie for all, in the different ways emotions are expressed and the way it takes the audience in a roller coater ride of emotions. It is an enriching and a moving experience. It reinforces and reinvigorates the humanity within each of us.

To enjoy the movie most, viewers should see the first two episodes in sequence before viewing "Apur Sangsar."

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.

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