Pather Panchali

Year: 1955

Grade: B

Country: India

Director: Ray

Review

though it predates it, this film reminds me most of “tree of wooden clogs,” both in the way it’s filmed and its subject matter. i liked both films, but tree of wooden clogs was a more moving and arresting film than pather panchali and i have no way of explaining it. both were foreign films taking place in small farm-based villages, both were organic verite-ish films, and both were good, but i just liked tree of wooden clogs more. i know that the apu trilogy (this is the first installment thereof) is a masterpiece of indian cinema, but i can’t honestly say that i see that much to get excited about here. like tree of wooden clogs there is a definite emphasis on nothing in particular, in other words an emphasis on everything that is life. apu eating a mango and durga’s death are given equal weight…not in the sense that they are seen as equal events, but neither is stated with more emphasis through the filming style. ultimately this is both the best and worst of films like this – if you’re not into it, or if you have a short attention span then you’re likely to be frustrated and not see the point; but if you’re like me and you don’t mind watching ordinary life unfold in a naturalistic film style then you’re apt to dig this one. ray certainly has a gift for telling the story of characters through film, and it’s a gift that can’t really be learned. his cut-aways and edits are natural and smooth, but olmi’s tree of wooden clogs does it even better.