The World of Apu (Apur Sansar)

1958 – 117 min – Original version w. FR subs

Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Swapan Mukherjee, Alok Chakravarty…

Last part of The Apu Trilogy, perhaps the most touching of the three. Calcutta, 1930. Apu dreams of literary success, but for lack of money he must interrupt his studies and find a job. One day a friend takes him to his cousin's wedding. After the bridegroom's madness, Apu, who has come as a simple guest, is forced to marry the young woman to avoid dishonor. Despite the economic problems of the young couple, the hasty marriage turns into a deep love. But the tragedy will hit Apu again. With this film ends one of the greatest successes in the history of Indian cinema and the extraordinary adaptation of the novel Song of the Road (Pather Panchali) by the Bengali writer Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (1894-1950). Zulma publishing launches this spring the first French translation of his other great novel: Aranyak (De la forêt).

The Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray (1921-1992), who was born in Calcutta, remains one of the greatest poets in cinema history. Of the 37 films of his imposing career, ARSMONDO offers 5 of his most accomplished works, which combine an ability to create engaging and complex characters struggling with an arduous reality and a look at the evolution of Bengali society in particular. Satyajit Ray received an Oscar for his work in 1992.