I previously heard about Satyajit Ray, often considered among the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century, but had never seen any of his films or any Bengali films at all for that matter until last week. The Apu Trilogy is usually regarded as his magnum opus, while the first part of the trilogy, Pather Panchali, was the first film he ever made. I finally decided to watch it (with subtitles) last week.
I'm usually into watching more fast-paced films, so I wasn't quite used to Pather Panchali's slow pace at first. The film started out interesting, then got a little slow in the middle, and then picked up again in the last third which managed to keep my interest throughout. By the time I was finished watching the film, I found myself staring blankly into the screen for some time while in deep thought. I still couldn't forget about the incredibly moving ending, which was simple yet touched me in a way very few films before ever have, not to mention the unforgettable music by Ravi Shankar (whose music I had previously only heard in some Beatles songs but his earlier music in Pather Panchali was far more effective). It was probably one of the most powerful and memorable endings I've ever seen.
9/10
I'm usually into watching more fast-paced films, so I wasn't quite used to Pather Panchali's slow pace at first. The film started out interesting, then got a little slow in the middle, and then picked up again in the last third which managed to keep my interest throughout. By the time I was finished watching the film, I found myself staring blankly into the screen for some time while in deep thought. I still couldn't forget about the incredibly moving ending, which was simple yet touched me in a way very few films before ever have, not to mention the unforgettable music by Ravi Shankar (whose music I had previously only heard in some Beatles songs but his earlier music in Pather Panchali was far more effective). It was probably one of the most powerful and memorable endings I've ever seen.
9/10