Birth Anniversary Of Ray

[Bhaskar Jyoti Talapatra]

Today is the birthday anniversary of the legendary film maker, writer, painter, and composer Satyajit Ray. Though this year we are passing through a hard time due to the spread of Covid19 and we are bound to remain at home and are anxious about our future, let us commemorate that great soul who contributed much to the development of the Indian movies, composed music, wrote stories and gave us many treasure. Today in the midst of sorrow ,anxiety , let us look at our rich legacy and be proud of our heritage.

 

[Ashenden]

Thanks for starting this thread, Bhaskarda

Ray holds a very special place in my adventures in movie going. His movies were one of the first I had watched when I was getting my feet wet with World cinema, and are some of the finest films I've seen to date.

The Academy had released this rare 12 minute restored version titled "Parable of Two", some time back. A wordless play which proves how effective he was in narrating a bittersweet tale in such a short time frame. It also goes on to show how good he was in directing kids. Since this came out during the Vietnam war, we can also guess what he is alluding to

Here's some additional info on the video from Academy's footnotes:

In 1964, renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray was asked to create a short film for ‘ESSO World Theater’, a cultural showcase presented on television and funded by the American oil company Esso. Asked to write and direct the film in English, Ray opted instead to make a film without words. The result is a poignant fable of friendship and rivalry. As he did for many of his films, Ray composed the music for the film, including the haunting tune played on the flute.

After Satyajit Ray was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1992, the Academy embarked on an ambitious endeavor to preserve the works of the Bengali filmmaker. “Two,” also known as “Parable of Two,” is part of the Academy’s Satyajit Ray Collection (https://www.oscars.org/film-archive/collections/satyajit-ray-collection ), which includes 18 feature films directed by Ray and preserved by the Archive.

Though Ray worked exclusively on 35mm, “Two” may have been filmed on 16mm, as it was created specifically for television. After an exhaustive search for elements relating to the film, three 16mm prints were found. From the 16mm print with the least wear and tear, courtesy of the Austrian Film Museum, a preservation negative was struck. “Two” was then digitally scanned and picture clean up and restoration were performed to eliminate scratches. The 16mm film’s poor audio was also restored. The film is now preserved and available to screen theatrically on 16mm or as a digital cinema package (DCP). Now, audiences everywhere can see this obscure gem, preserved by the Academy Film Archive, from master filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

 

[Ashenden]

Now playing



Farewell, My friend is an improvisation on the "Pather Panchali" soundtrack, composed and performed by Pt. Ravi Shankar

 

[tusharshukla1991]

Thanks for starting this thread, Bhaskarda

Ray holds a very special place in my adventures in movie going. His movies were one of the first I had watched when I was getting my feet wet with World cinema, and are some of the finest films I've seen to date.

The Academy had released this rare 12 minute restored version titled "Parable of Two", some time back. A wordless play which proves how effective he was in narrating a bittersweet tale in such a short time frame. It also goes on to show how good he was in directing kids. Since this came out during the Vietnam war, we can also guess what he is alluding to

Here's some additional info on the video from Academy's footnotes:

Thanks for sharing the Video. I saw it for the first time and got goosebumps. It's amazing how it conveys so much without single dialogue. To me, it looks like that the rich kid kid represents USA with his fancy toys, love for Coke and the joy he is getting from oppression

 

[Ashenden]

Thanks for sharing the Video. I saw it for the first time and got goosebumps. It's amazing how it conveys so much without single dialogue. To me, it looks like that the rich kid kid represents USA with his fancy toys, love for Coke and the joy he is getting from oppression

Yes, its possible
This short film was made during the Vietnam war and the rich kid and street kid could be representing USA and Vietnam, respectively. Ray too had strong anti-war sentiments and he made it clear through this, particularly the ending . Now that we know the outcome of that war, this film looks oddly prophetic!
His mentor, Jean Renoir had made a strong case against war with his epic "La Grande Illusion", and I guess this could be Ray showing his support to Renoir's ideals