''The Apu Trilogy'' comprises three Indian Bengali-language

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

s directed by Satyajit Ray: ''

Pather Panchali ''Pather Panchali'' (; ) is a 1955 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of West Bengal. It is an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same na ...

'' (1955), ''

Aparajito ''Aparajito'' ( bn, অপরাজিত ''Ôporajito''; ''The Unvanquished'') is a 1956 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray (1921–1992), and is the second part of ''The Apu Trilogy''. It is adapted from ...

'' (1956) and ''

The World of Apu ''Apur Sansar'' ( bn, অপুর সংসার), also known as ''The World of Apu'', is a 1959 Indian Bengali-language drama film produced, written and directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based on the second half of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's ...

'' (1959). The original music for the films was composed by

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...

. The films are based on two

Bengali novels Bengali novels occupy a major part of Bengali literature. Though the first Bengali novel was ''Karuna O Phulmonir Bibaran'' (1852), the Bengali novel actually started its journey with '' Durgeshnandini'' written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya ...

written by

Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay () (12 September 1894 – 1 November 1950) was an Indian writer in the Bengali language. His best known works are the autobiographical novel, '' Pather Panchali'' (''Song of the Little Road''), ''Aparajito (Undefeat ...

: ''

'' (1929) and ''Aparajito'' (1932). The three films went on to win many national and international awards, including three National Film Awards and seven awards from the

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

s. The films were produced on a shoestring budget (''Pather Panchali'' had a budget of roughly 150,000 ($45,300—)) using an amateur cast and crew.

Plot summaries

The three films comprise a " coming of age" narrative in the vein of a ''

bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...

''; they describe the childhood, education and early maturity of a young

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

named Apu (Apurba Kumar Roy) in the early part of the 20th century. ''Pather Panchali'' (English, "Song of the Little Road")
Apu's early experiences in rural

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

as the son of a poor but high caste family are presented. Apu's father Harihar, a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

, has difficulty in supporting his family. After the death of Apu's sister, Durga, the family moves to the holy city of

Benares Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...

. ''Aparajito'' (English, "The Unvanquished")
The family's finances are still precarious. After his father dies there, Apu and his mother Sarbajaya come back to a village in Bengal. Despite unrelenting poverty, Apu manages to get formal schooling and turns out to be a brilliant student. He moves to Calcutta to pursue his education. He slowly distanced himself from his rural roots and his mother who was not keeping well at the time. In the process the growing Apu comes into conflict with his mother. Later he is informed that, when his mother dies too, he has to learn to live alone. ''Apur Sansar'' (English, "The World of Apu")
Attempting to become a writer, Apu unexpectedly finds himself pressured to marry a girl whose mother rejected her mentally ill bridegroom on the day of their wedding. Their blossoming marriage ends in her death in childbirth, after which the despairing Apu abandons his child, but eventually returns to accept his responsibilities.

Production

In 1950, Ray had decided that ''

'', the classic coming of age story (

) of Bengali literature, published in 1928 by Bibhutibhusan Bandopadhyay, would be the subject matter for his first film. This semi-autobiographical novel describes the growing up of Apu, a small boy in a Bengal village. He went ahead with the film after meeting Jean Renoir during filming of '' The River'' (1951) and after watching the

Italian neorealist Italian neorealism ( it, Neorealismo), also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They pri ...

film ''

Bicycle Thieves ''Bicycle Thieves'' ( it, Ladri di biciclette; sometimes known in the United States as ''The Bicycle Thief'') is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It follows the story of a poor father searching in post- World ...

'' (1948) while he was in London. Besides the influence of

European cinema Cinema of Europe refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Europe. Europeans were the pioneers of the motion picture industry, with several innovative engineers and artists making an impact especially at the end of th ...

and Bengali literature, Ray is also indebted to the Indian theatrical tradition, particularly the '' rasa'' theory of classical

Sanskrit drama The term Indian classical drama refers to the tradition of dramatic literature and performance in ancient India. The roots of drama in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Rigveda (1200-1500 BCE), which contains a number of hymns in ...

. The complicated doctrine of ''rasa'' centers predominantly on feelings experienced not only by the characters but also conveyed in a certain artistic way to the spectator. The duality of ''rasa'' representation shows in ''The Apu Trilogy''. Ray gathered an inexperienced crew, although both his cameraman

Subrata Mitra Subrata Mitra (12 October 1930 – 7 December 2001) was an Indian cinematographer. Acclaimed for his work in ''The Apu Trilogy'' (1955–1959), Mitra often is considered one of the greatest Indian cinematographers. Early life and educati ...

and art director Bansi Chandragupta went on to achieve great acclaim. The cast consisted of mostly amateur artists. Shooting started in late 1952, using Ray's personal savings. He had hoped that once the initial shots had been completed, he would be able to obtain funds to support the project; however, such funding was not forthcoming. ''Pather Panchali'' was shot over the unusually long period of three years, because shooting was possible only from time to time, when Ray or production manager Anil Chowdhury could arrange further money. With a loan from the

West Bengal government The Government of West Bengal also known as the West Bengal Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of West Bengal , created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial authority. The ...

, the film was finally completed and released in 1955 to great critical and popular success, sweeping up numerous prizes and having long runs in both India and abroad. During the making of the film, Ray refused funding from sources who demanded a change in script or the supervision of the producer, and he ignored advice from the government (which finally funded the film anyway) to incorporate a happy ending in having Apu's family join a "development project". Even greater help than Renoir's encouragement occurred when Ray showed a sequence to John Huston who was in India scouting locations for ''

The Man Who Would Be King "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888) is a story by Rudyard Kipling about two British adventurers in British India who become kings of Kafiristan, a remote part of Afghanistan. The story was first published in '' The Phantom Rickshaw and other E ...

''. The sequence is the remarkable vision Apu and his sister have of the train running through the countryside. It was the only sequence Ray had filmed due to his small budget. Huston praised Ray to

Monroe Wheeler Monroe Wheeler (13 February, 1899 – 14 August, 1988) was an American publisher and museum coordinator whose relationship with the novelist and poet Glenway Wescott lasted from 1919 until Wescott's death in 1987. Biography Wheeler was born in Ev ...

at the

New York Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of th ...

, saying that a major talent was on the horizon. In India, the reaction to the film was enthusiastic; ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' wrote that "It is absurd to compare it with any other Indian cinema .. ''Pather Panchali'' is pure cinema". In the United Kingdom,

Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered for ...

wrote a glowing review of the film. However, the reaction was not uniformly positive. After watching the movie, François Truffaut is reported to have said, "I don't want to see a movie of peasants eating with their hands."

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, then the most influential critic of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', wrote a mixed review of the film that its distributor Ed Harrison thought would kill off the film when it got released in the United States; however, it enjoyed an exceptionally long run. Ray's international career started in earnest after the success of his next film, ''

'' (''The Unvanquished''). This film shows the eternal struggle between the ambitions of Apu as a young man and the mother who loves him. Some critics, notably

Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen (''Beng.'' মৃণাল সেন; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and few Hindi and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Ind ...

and

Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily rememb ...

, rank it even higher than the first film. Aparajito won the Golden Lion at the

. The film is also notable for its application of bounce lighting to recreate the effect of daylight on sets with the use of large scale diffusers, pioneered by the cinematographer

. Ray had not thought about a trilogy while making ''Aparajito'', and it occurred to him only after being asked about the idea in Venice. The final installation of the series, '' Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu''), was made in 1959. A number of critics find this to be the supreme achievement of the trilogy ( Robin Wood,

Aparna Sen Aparna Sen (, ''Ôporna Shen'') is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, five F ...

). Ray introduced two of his favourite actors, Soumitra Chatterjee and

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is a retired Indian actress, primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, Tagore is the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and the F ...

, in this film. The film finds Apu living in a nondescript Kolkata house in near-poverty. He becomes involved in an unusual marriage with Aparna, the scenes of their life together forming "one of the cinema's classic affirmative depiction of married life", but tragedy ensues. After ''Apur Sansar'' was harshly criticised by a Bengali critic, Ray wrote an article defending it—a rare event in Ray's filmmaking career (the other major instance involved the film ''Charulata'', Ray's personal favourite). His success had little influence on his personal life in the years to come. Ray continued to live with his mother, uncle and other members of his extended family in a rented house.

Cast and characters

Critical reception

This trilogy is considered by critics around the globe to rank among the greatest achievements of Indian film, and it is established as one of the most historically important cinematic debuts. ''

'' won at least thirteen international prizes (including Best Human Document at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival), followed by eleven international prizes for ''

'' (including the Golden Lion at the

) and numerous other awards for '' Apur Sansar'' (including the

Sutherland Trophy The Sutherland Trophy was created in 1958 by the British Film Institute as an annual award for "the maker of the most original and imaginative film introduced at the National Film Theatre during the year". History In 1997, the criteria changed to ...

at the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and sho ...

). When Ray made ''Pather Panchali'', he worked with a cast and crew most of whom had never been previously involved in film. Ray himself at the time of directing ''Pather Panchali'' had primarily worked in the advertising industry, although he had served as assistant director on Jean Renoir's 1951 film '' The River''. From this foundation, Ray went on to create other highly acclaimed films, like ''

Charulata ''Charulata'' (Spelt as ''Cārulatā''; ) is a 1964 Indian drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray. Based upon the novel ''Nastanirh'' by Rabindranath Tagore, it stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee and Sailen Mukherjee. The f ...

'', ''

Mahanagar ''Mahanagar'' () is a 1963 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray. Starring Madhabi Mukherjee in the leading role and based on the short story ''Abataranika'' by Narendranath Mitra, it tells the story of a house ...

'', and '' Aranyer Din Ratri'', and his international success energised other Bengal filmmakers like

and

. This extract from ''Youth'', by South African author

J. M. Coetzee John Maxwell Coetzee OMG (born 9 February 1940) is a South African–Australian novelist, essayist, linguist, translator and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is one of the most critically acclaimed and decorated authors in ...

, talks of the music in the ''Apu trilogy'', which is based on Indian classical music: On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''Pather Panchali'' has a 97% fresh rating based on an aggregate of 38 reviews and in 2009 was included in its list of top 100 foreign films. ''Aparajito'' has a 94% fresh rating based on an aggregate of 16 reviews, and ''Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu'') has a 100% fresh rating based on an aggregate of 22 reviews. This makes ''The Apu Trilogy'' one of the highest-rated film trilogies of all time (97%, 94%, 100%), along with the ''Toy Story'' trilogy (100%, 100%, 99%), ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (91%, 96%, 93%), the original '' Star Wars'' trilogy (94%, 97%, 78%), and the ''Before'' trilogy (100%, 95%, 98%). Film critic Roger Ebert, when including the films in his

Great Movies ''The Great Movies'' is the name of several publications, both online and in print, from the film critic Roger Ebert. The object was, as Ebert put it, to "make a tour of the landmarks of the first century of cinema." ''The Great Movies'' was p ...

list, wrote about the trilogy:

Theme

Andre Robinson, in his book ''Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye,'' comments that the three films differ in their predominant moods, and he compares the trilogy to the development of an

Indian classical Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were no ...

'' raga''.

Legacy

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'', the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

's film magazine, listed ''

'' several times in its Critics' Poll of all-time greatest films, in 1962 (ranked #11), 1982 (ranked #79), 1992 (ranked #6) and 2002 (ranked #22). ''

'' appeared in 1982, ranked at #42. In the 1992 edition, both ''

'' and ''The World of Apu'' were tied at #127, while ''The Apu Trilogy'' was ranked separately at #88. In a combined list of ''Sight & Sound'' critics' and directors' poll results in 2002, ''Pather Panchali'' was ranked at No. 28, ''

'' at No. 93 and ''

'' at #160. If the votes are combined, then ''The Apu Trilogy'' as a whole would be ranked at No. 14 in 1982, No. 4 in 1992 and No. 14 in 2002. In 1988,

John Kobal John Kobal (born Iwan Kobal; 30 May 1940 – 28 October 1991)Kobal's biography page
, John Kobal Fou ...

's poll of critics and filmmakers ranked ''The Apu Trilogy'' at No. 35 on their list of Top 100 Movies. In 1998, the Asian film magazine ''

Cinemaya ''Cinemaya'' (a blend of ''cinema'' and ''maya'' (illusion)) is a film magazine established in 1988 devoted exclusively to coverage of Asian film. It is published in New Delhi, India and distributed internationally. The present editor-in-chief o ...

s critics' poll of all-time greatest films ranked ''The Apu Trilogy'' at No. 7 on the list, while ''Pather Panchali'' alone was ranked at No. 2 on the same list. If the votes are combined, then ''The Apu Trilogy'' would be ranked at #1. In 1999, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' ranked ''Pather Panchali'' at No. 12 (tied with ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...

'') in its top 250 "Best Films of the Century" list, based on a poll of critics, while ''The Apu Trilogy'' was ranked separately at No. 54 in the same poll. If the votes are combined, ''The Apu Trilogy'' would be ranked at #5. In 2000, an audience poll of best Asian films conducted by ''MovieMail'' ranked ''The Apu Trilogy'' at No. 2 on the list. In January 2002, the trilogy as a whole was voted at No. 70 on the list of the "Top 100 Essential Films of All Time" by the

National Society of Film Critics The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...

. In 2021 the trilogy was ranked at No. 65 on '' Time Out'' magazine's list of ''The 100 best movies of all time''. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' ranked ''The Apu Trilogy'' at No. 4 on its list of "10 greatest movie trilogies of all time". ''Pather Panchali'' was included in various other all-time greatest film lists, including ''Time Out'' magazine's "Centenary Top One Hundred Films" in 1995, the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

''s "Hot 100 Films From the Past" in 1997, the ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' "100 Maverick Movies of the Last 100 Years" in 1999, and the British Film Institute's Top Fifty "Must See" Children's Films in 2005.

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

ranked ''Pather Panchali'' at No. 37 on his ''Top 100 favourite films of all time'' list. In 1996, ''The World of Apu'' was included in Movieline Magazine's "100 Greatest Foreign Films". In 2002, ''Pather Panchali'' and ''The World of Apu'' featured in "

Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made". ''The Apu Trilogy'' as a whole was included in film critic Roger Ebert's list of

The Great Movies ''The Great Movies'' is the name of several publications, both online and in print, from the film critic Roger Ebert. The object was, as Ebert put it, to "make a tour of the landmarks of the first century of cinema." ''The Great Movies'' was pu ...

in 2001 and in ''Time'' magazine's All-Time 100 best movies list in 2005. It was also ranked No. 17 in ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010. The original Trilogy has been reconstructed via the Harvard Film archive & Criterion and was shown in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA the 1st week of July 2015. ''

Apur Panchali ''Apur Panchali'' is a 2013 Bengali film directed by Kaushik Ganguly and produced by Shree Venkatesh Films. It is based on the life of Subir Banerjee, the actor who played Apu in ''Pather Panchali'' (1955), the first film of Satyajit Ray's Apu ...

'' is a Bengali film based on Subir Banerjee's life, who played child ''Apu'' in the first installment of ''Apu Trilogy''. Director

Kaushik Ganguly Kaushik Ganguly (born 4 August 2012) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor in Bengali cinema. Multiple National Award winner Actor-Director, Kaushik Ganguly is known for making films that explore various aspects sexuality, like ' ...

won the award of best director for ''Apur Panchali'' in the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November 2013. The director mentioned in an interview that he found similarities between certain parts of the life of Subir Banerjee and the iconic character Apu. In the film actor

Parambrata Chatterjee Parambrata Chattopadhyay (born 27 June 1980) is an Indian actor and director. Parambrata started his career with Bengali television and films. He has acted as the fictional character Topshe from Feluda under Sandip Ray's direction. He made his ...

portrays a younger Subir Banerjee, while Ardhendu Bannerjee plays the role of the aged Banerjee.

Influence

According to Michael Sragow of ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' in 1994: Across the world, filmmakers such as

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with scree ...

Abbas Kiarostami Abbas Kiarostami ( fa, عباس کیارستمی ; 22 June 1940 – 4 July 2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of ...

, Elia Kazan,

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932) is a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. Along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers. He has a long and prolific career t ...

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toe ...

Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...

Philip Kaufman Philip Kaufman (born October 23, 1936) is an American film director and screenwriter who has directed fifteen films over a career spanning more than six decades. He has been described as a "maverick" and an "iconoclast," notable for his versati ...

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...

and

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...

have been influenced by ''The Apu Trilogy'', with many others such as

praising the work. Filmmaker

when talking about ''The Apu Trilogy'' remarked "Without a doubt, in his(Ray's) films the line between poetry and cinema, dissolved." In

Gregory Nava Gregory James Nava (born April 10, 1949) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Nava was born in San Diego, of Mexican and Basque heritage. Nava graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and went on t ...

's 1995 film ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...

'', the final scene is duplicated from the final scene of ''Apur Sansar''. Similar influences and references to the trilogy can be found, for example, in recent works such as ''

Sacred Evil Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

'',

Paul Auster Paul Benjamin Auster (born February 3, 1947) is an American writer and film director. His notable works include '' The New York Trilogy'' (1987), '' Moon Palace'' (1989), '' The Music of Chance'' (1990), '' The Book of Illusions'' (2002), ''The ...

's 2008 novel ''

Man in the Dark ''Man in the Dark'' is a 1953 film noir drama 3-D film directed by Lew Landers and starring Edmond O'Brien, Audrey Totter and Ted de Corsia. It is a remake of the 1936 Ralph Bellamy film '' The Man Who Lived Twice''. It was the first Columbi ...

'', the '' Elements trilogy'' of Deepa Mehta and even in films of Jean-Luc Godard. The technique of bounce lighting pioneered by

, to recreate the effect of daylight on sets, has also had a profound influence on the development of

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to foc ...

's soundtracks to the films were also a major influence on

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, specifically George Harrison.

Awards and nominations

National awards

;President's Medals * Winner – 1955 – President's Gold & Silver Medals (New Delhi) – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') * Winner – 1959 – President's Gold Medal (New Delhi) – '' Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu'') ; National Film Awards * Winner – 1956 –

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

– ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') * Winner – 1956 – Best Feature Film in Bengali – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') * Winner – 1960 –

– '' Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu'')

International film festivals

;

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

* Winner –

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, ar ...

– Best Human Document – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') * Winner –

– OCIC Award (Special Mention) – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Nominated –

– Golden Palm for Best Film – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') ;

*Winner – 1957 – Golden Lion of St. Mark for Best Film – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') *Winner – 1957 – Cinema Nuovo Award – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') *Winner – 1957 – Critics Award – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') ;

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

*Winner – 1957 – Selznick Golden Laurel for Best Film – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Winner – 1960 – Selznick Golden Laurel for Best Film – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') ; British Film Institute Awards,

*Winner – 1957 –

FIPRESCI Award The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

– ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') *Winner – 1960 – Sutherland Trophy for Best Original And Imaginative Film – '' Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu'') *Winner – 1980 – Wington Award – Apu Trilogy (for each film) ;

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

*Winner – 1956 – Diploma of Merit – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Winner – 1960 – Diploma of Merit – '' Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu'') ;

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in i ...

*Winner – 1957 – Golden Gate for Best Picture – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Winner – 1957 – Golden Gate for Best Director – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') – Satyajit Ray *Winner – 1958 – Golden Gate for Best Picture – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') *Winner – 1958 – Golden Gate for Best Director – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') – Satyajit Ray *Winner – 1958 – International Critics' Award – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') ;

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

*Winner – 1958 – Best Film – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') ;

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, i ...

*Winner – 1959 – Best Foreign Film – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') ; Stratford Film Festival *Winner – 1958 – Critics' Award for Best Film – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'')

Other international awards

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National Board of Review Awards The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

(United States) *Winner –

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

–

Best Foreign Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

– ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Winner –

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

–

– '' Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu'') ;

Kinema Junpo Awards , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

(Tokyo) *Winner – 1967 – Best Foreign Film – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') ;

Bodil Awards The Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by the Danish Film Critics Association. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe. The awards are give ...

(Denmark) *Winner – 1967 – Best Non-European Film – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') *Winner – 1969 – Best Non-European Film – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') ; British Academy Film Awards (United Kingdom) *Nominated –

–

BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until 1 ...

– ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Nominated –

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

–

– ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') *Nominated –

– BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'') –

Karuna Banerjee Karuna Banerjee ( bn, করুণা ব্যানার্জী) (25 December 1919 – 13 November 2001) was a Bengali actress best known for her role in Satyajit Ray's '' The Apu Trilogy'' (1955–1959) as the long suffering mother, Sarb ...

*Nominated –

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

–

– '' Apur Sansar'' (''The World of Apu'') ;Other awards *Winner – 1956 Golden Carbao (

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

) – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Winner – 1956 Vatican Award (Rome) – ''

'' (''Song of the Little Road'') *Winner – 1958–1959 Golden Laurel for Best Foreign Film (United States) – ''

'' (''The Unvanquished'')

References

Citations

General bibliography

* . * * . * . * .

External links

* * *
The Apu trilogy
at SatyajitRay.org
The Apu Trilogy
at

Janus Films Janus Films is an American film distribution company. The distributor is credited with introducing numerous films, now considered masterpieces of world cinema, to American audiences, including the films of Michelangelo Antonioni, Sergei Eisenstei ...

The Apu Trilogy (1955, 1956, 1959)
in ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

''
Voted #17 on The Arts and Faith Top 100 Films (2010)''The Apu Trilogy: Behind the Universal''
an essay by

Girish Shambu Girish Shambu is an American film blogger, cinephile, film critic and educator. Besides maintaining an eponymous blog, which has become a popular center for the film blogging community, Shambu has contributed writing to including '' Senses of Cin ...

at the Criterion Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Apu Trilogy, The Film series introduced in 1955 Cinema of West Bengal Films directed by Satyajit Ray Indian film series Trilogies

Plot summaries

Production

Cast and characters

Critical reception

Theme

Legacy

Influence

Awards and nominations

National awards

International film festivals

Other international awards

See also

References

Citations

General bibliography

Further reading

External links