Criterion Collection: Apu Trilogy/ [DVD] [Import]

Purchased as a gift

These three films contain so much beauty, and so much heartache, it's hard to know where to begin. First off, if your a ciniphile, or criterion collector, it's pretty much a must to own these newly restored films. I believe the original prints where very damaged , or completely lost in a fire, so the restoration is nothing short of amazing. The films do look older then they are, but the clarity and visual beauty is not diminished here at all. The films basically follow a young boy Apu throughput his life, growing up Bengali in India , and the trials and tribulations he faces from his poor rural behinings, to his education and later move to Calcutta. On my initial viewing of these films, I thought the heartache was too much, and quite honestly put them out of my mind, but they actually never left, due to the power of them, and the vision of this fantastic director, and the talented actors. Upon reviewing them, at least 3 times each, I realize there is much beauty and hope, along with the pain..in these quite frankly incredible films.

It’s a Criterion box set so....... it’s a great set of movies and extras.

This extraordinary trilogy earns it's place among cinema's greatest masterworks. The saga a young Bengali boy's journey into adulthood, feeling his way through the mysterious world, as he experiences living in rural poverty, trains to be a priest like his father, attends university in Calcutta, the unusual circumstances that he meets the love of his life, and becoming a wandering writer. Filmed in an unpretentious neorealist style, simply told but complex in nature, life, loss, love, family, religion, and one's place in the world are all confronted with uniquely gentle and artistic charm and heart breaking tragedy. These films are so pure, so genuine, and so thoughtful, they reach the heights of humanity in cinema. This towering landmark in Indian cinema was a shot heard around the world when first released in the 1950's , winning awards, establishing Satyajit Ray as a world class director, popularizing the music of Ravi Shankar, and has enchanted film-lovers ever since. This Criterion Collection set is superb. Extra content includes plenty of interviews, documentaries, and essays. The restoration is excellent -nothing short of a miracle, considering the original prints were damaged in a fire (this is documented in one of the many extras). These are must-see entries in world cinema and highly recommended to fans of foreign film (especially Kurosawa and Italian neorealists) and those that appreciate great storytelling.

A masterpiece of filmmaking that ignores the privileged way of life in North America and reduces life to it's basic joys and struggles.