Cinema's greatest classics

Who can forget the great Hollywood classics of the 1950s, especially movies like Ben Hur and Ten Commandments. These were the days before special effects with computers and a lot of work (and money) went into making these.

Great acting, great cinematography, outstanding editing, brilliant sound mixing, legendary background scores and much more. In my view, none of the Indian classics mentioned here, can come close to these. We can debate and debate for years about what Indian directors like Ray, Ghatak, Sen and Gopalakrishnan, could have achieved if they have the facilities and money of their Hollywood counterparts but the fact is that there is a reality-difference between what could have been achieved and what has been achieved :)

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I just watched benhur few weeks back after watching it for the first time during my school days. Wow.. what a movie, not even a single dull moment in the entire 3.5 hrs + movie.... Must watch...
 
The Academy had published this short video a while back on the restoration of Satyajit Ray's masterpiece, literally from the ashes. Stellar restoration work by Academy Film Archive, Criterion Collection, and L'Immagine Ritrovata!

This what the Auteur Akira Kurosawa had to say about Ray's movies (quoting from Indiewire article):
The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. … I feel that he is a “giant” of the movie industry. Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon. I can never forget the excitement in my mind after seeing it (Pather Panchali). It is the kind of cinema that flows with the serenity and nobility of a big river. People are born, live out their lives, and then accept their deaths. Without the least effort and without any sudden jerks, Ray paints his picture, but its effect on the audience is to stir up deep passions. How does he achieve this? There is nothing irrelevant or haphazard in his cinematographic technique. In that lies the secret of its excellence.

 
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Last couple of days I had the opportunity to revisit some excellent movies from a few of my favorite directors. These movies have a common trait, we get something more out of them with each additional viewing, they are open-ended and as long as the viewer has no major prejudices, they help in unraveling the human nature in all its glory. They try to answer the age old questions of Who are we? Where do we come from? And where do we go from here?

Agantuk - The Stranger (Satyajit Ray): This was the last movie from Ray and follows his usual technique of minimalism. On the outset the tale might look like one of morality, but in essence probes into the deeper subjects: on our understanding of civilization, identity, right and wrong, myopic views, innocence and materialism. The cast comprising of Utpal Dutt, Mamata Shankar and Dipankar De comes off as exceptional in portraying their respective characters. At times Utpal Dutt’s character gives us a glimpse of looking at life of painter Paul Gauguin, in Somerset Maugham’s “The Moon and Six Pence”, the non-conformist attitude, the intensity and piercing outlook on preconceived notions are all there :)

Face to Face (Ingmar Bergman): This movie, like his exceptional Persona, questions the concepts of sanity, reality and our versions of it through dream sequences. Bergman goes on a ride with his favorite topics in this excellent work of art. This is probably not his best, but his usual star, Liv Ullmann, makes it up for the shortcomings. The manner in which the dream sequences merge with reality are all expertly done and a deviation from the Freudian world.

The Rope(Alfred Hitchcock): Hitchcock definitely knows how to entertain us while narrating a difficult story. He casts prominent actors in this breathtaking experimental movie, using a never before deployed camera technique of continuity. It deals with the concepts of feeling of superiority and control. He deploys a voyeuristic viewpoint while moving the camera around, which he perfected later on in his excellent Rear Window. Considering the time this movie came out (1948), we can see the parallels to Hitler and his ideas/methods. While the mainstream movies have this notion that horror resides in the celebration of violence, gore, profanity and jump scares, Hitchcock uses none of it, on the contrary the whole sequence feels as if we are listening to a piece of classical music :) He does know how to grip us with a terrifying and macabre plot, using ordinary references!
 
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Hi
Sandeepss
Ray was a versatile genius and his movies are considered as masterpieces. You can watch jalsaghar( The music Room), soner kella( the golden fortresses), shakha proshakha, Goopy Gayne Bhagha Bain, Hirok Rajardeshe, Agontuk( the fugitive), Nayok (starring Uttam Kumar and one of the best Ray movies)Ganashatru ( The enemy of people) and so on. These days you can have digitally remastered copy of those movies. Collect those and enjoy. Besides, Ray had made some docufeatures like TWO and SIKKIM and a short film on the childhood of Tagore. Those are also admirable.I shall write about other Ray movies later.
Cheers
Bhaskar
 
Hi Sandeepss Some other movies of Ray that I have forgotten to mention are Porosh pathar ( the touchstone), jonoaronyo( the middle man), oshoni sanket(Distant thunder). All the movies bear the talent of Ray but of them you will perhaps enjoy Nayok ,Ganashatru, Porosh pathar to your heart's content. In Porosh pathar we discovered the talented thespian Sri Tulsi Chakraborty whom we regarded earlier as a mere comedian. So this is the craft of a maestro who can change brass in to glittering gold. Besides this his soner kella and the fictitious detective character Feluda( in Bengal da means dada just as you may be called by me as sandeepda) deserve a special mention because in this movie Ray had created a title music which is unparallel. Goopy Gayne.... was watched by me when I read in class4 but even now I like to watch it and regard it to be relevant just as I find similarities in between Shakespeare's Macbeth and some political leaders of our country. :D Jono arayna is also mind blowing. I read the novel by Shankar , a famous Bengali writer( it was a birthday gift coming from my father) and after watching the movie I thought there was no tussle in between literature and movie.
Cheers
 
Even though I agree with the list of the movies added here being classics (watched quite a few of them) I don't agree to the point being made that all other movies are trash. There are movies which are made for masses and for pure entertainment. And hell they are entertaining, and no way those movies are sleep inducing. It's ok to praise the Classics (I do praise and watch) but never demean other movies (new gen) at the same time. Basically there is no need to trash other Masala movies to make the classic/world cinema look better. Just my two cents.
Yes, Absolutely, any movie is for entertainment. Just watch and forget. Just enjoy the latest technologies of Audio and Video.

Of course, there are some good movies to watch as a movie in our lifetime. That is also there. Those type of movies are also coming rarely here also.

Friends,
Kindly give your opinions about a Hollywood movie, The Terminal.

Thanks.
 
I am just waiting for somebody to come in and give an example for vintage value like - Test cricket is better than T20.
On whatever value basis - that one is true :).

A man after my own heart! I know and care that Bumrah is out of the SA test series. I don't know and don't care about the results of the T20 series that has ended (?).

Sorry about the digression.

Likewise.
 
Hi Sandeepss Some other movies of Ray that I have forgotten to mention are Porosh pathar ( the touchstone), jonoaronyo( the middle man), oshoni sanket(Distant thunder). All the movies bear the talent of Ray but of them you will perhaps enjoy Nayok ,Ganashatru, Porosh pathar to your heart's content. In Porosh pathar we discovered the talented thespian Sri Tulsi Chakraborty whom we regarded earlier as a mere comedian. So this is the craft of a maestro who can change brass in to glittering gold. Besides this his soner kella and the fictitious detective character Feluda( in Bengal da means dada just as you may be called by me as sandeepda) deserve a special mention because in this movie Ray had created a title music which is unparallel. Goopy Gayne.... was watched by me when I read in class4 but even now I like to watch it and regard it to be relevant just as I find similarities in between Shakespeare's Macbeth and some political leaders of our country. :D Jono arayna is also mind blowing. I read the novel by Shankar , a famous Bengali writer( it was a birthday gift coming from my father) and after watching the movie I thought there was no tussle in between literature and movie.
Cheers
Thanks a lot for sharing, Bhaskarda :) I’ll start watching these movies over the weekend. I’ll probably start with Goopy gyne.... as I really liked the song that you shared earlier :)

Ray has a very clear vision of how his movies should be, what/whom it addresses and makes sure that the stories he chooses, mimics real people/surroundings with all their vagaries, exceedingly well. The vision takes center stage, like the sun and the rest (direction, story, screenplay, characters, stars, score)revolves around it like the planets. We have this parallel in audio, that a well set up audio system should make the speakers disappear such that only music remains. Similarly the rest of the constituents of the movie vanish away and the vision stands tall shining through showcasing art at its finest. Big name stars and production houses can often impair than aid the true creation of a wonderful movie. But if an auteur is around, I guess they can pull it through. Other luminaries like Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Stanley Kubrick etc also have worked with big name actors and yet created artistically beautiful, immensely enjoyable and thought provoking works.

Coming to Feluda books, I have read that they are the Indian version of Hercule Poirot-Captain Hastings, Sherlock Holmes-Dr Watson. Who can forget our own Byomkesh Bakshi-Ajit Kumar (I loved watching this TV series on DD in the 90s :)) I have seen the books at our local library and will also check them out. I guess Ray had written them in Bengali and the English versions are a translation? Please correct me if I’m wrong.
 
There's an ongoing petition on change.org to make Criterion Channel available in India. If anybody is interested, please sign here.

I don't know if it will be successful, but since another movie-related petition was recently successful, there's some hope :)
Thanks
Signed :)
Possibly a separate thread might be better.
 
Thanks to @Bhaskar Jyoti Talapatra recommendations here, I ended up watching a few of Satyajit Ray's movies. Fortunately YouTube has Criterion collection/good remastered versions with captions for several of the aforementioned titles. Apart from the below two which really stood out, I also saw "Jalsaghar - The Music Room" and "Ghare Baire - The Home and the World". Over the coming weeks I hope to continue watching Ray's movies. This is a filmography that should be cherished by all cinephiles :)

The beauty of Ray’s film making is that he portrays people of all social and economic backgrounds, but never looks down upon any of them. He is a true humanist and an astute observer of life around him. All his movies I saw so far have integrity and have been honest depictions of humanity. These are the movies that makes us feel alive.

Nayak - The Hero (1966)

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Satyajit Ray was never a filmmaker who dabbled in mainstream movies and has shown his displeasure at the “blockbuster” movies with it’s larger than life characters and song and dance routines, often. The Hero, I feel is his way of being cynical about the state of affairs and at the same time a satire on the way people in general lead their lives.

The protagonist in this movie is a successful movie star Arindam Mukherjee, played by the excellent Uttam Kumar, who travels to Delhi from Calcutta to collect an award. The public (mostly) adore him and his movies, and he does carry a smug look about him. But he does know deep inside that what he is doing is selling himself to the devil in order to be successful. What follows in the tale is his travel in a train which has compartments each carrying people with similar traits as the hero, a metaphor to life outside. Some put him on a pedestal, while some do not, but in essence they too are the “heroes” and “heroines” of their own lives, acting their own parts and running their little schemes to get through. So all this begs the question, what does the real man look like? Is the world as real as viewed through the tinted glasses of the protagonist? (The only person on the train without any vested interests seems to be the little girl who's ill :)) What do you do when you encounter conscience calling? This movie doesn’t try to answer these questions, but like any great work of art, makes us aware of them and keeps it open-ended.


Mahanagar- The Big City (1963)

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This is a brutally honest tale of hope and despair, personal freedom, family bonds, rising businesses and changing values post Independence. The film opens with the title credits showing the panto-graph of a tram car as it moves through the city (Calcutta) in a placid manner but with a tense background score. There are sparks that fly as it slides over two sections while remaining uneventful otherwise, I guess it's Ray's way of showing how much energy that is latent in it and can erupt at any time, a sign of things to come in the movie.

Ray, in this bittersweet story, shows with subtlety how precarious being alive can be for a lower middle class family living in a small house. Fortunes keep changing, forcing them to take desperate measures to keep the fire burning and things in balance. Characters flawlessly depict emotions ranging from superiority, indifference, sadness, hopelessness, insecurity, defiance and obnoxiousness in this poignant tale.

As the protagonist says to his wife towards the end,”You stood up to injustice, while I doubt if I could do the same. Earning our daily bread has made us cowards, but you weren’t a coward. Now isn’t that the greatest achievement?” This is a movie celebrating independence and hope in its truest sense.
 
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There's an ongoing petition on change.org to make Criterion Channel available in India. If anybody is interested, please sign here.

I don't know if it will be successful, but since another movie-related petition was recently successful, there's some hope :)
Thanks
Signed :)
Possibly a separate thread might be better.
Here's a workaround that might work for you :)
You'll need someone in US/Canada to create an account with a local credit card first, and you can access the entire library from here. For some reason they have not imposed any region based restriction on the content (for now). I rebooted the Canada subscription which I had earlier, yesterday and got it to work.

The Good: CC has very good quality curated content, segregated by director and collections. They also feature extras, documentaries and interviews.

The Bad: The content is DRM protected with HDCP (high bandwidth digital content protection) for preventing unauthorized use. So the device used to access needs to be HDCP compliant. IIRC, HDCP is an obsolete technology and no longer used. As a result of this, I was not able to get it running on Chromebook and Linux, chromecast and firestick. It works on Windows 10 laptops (newer devices) which are HDCP compliant.
Criterion app doesn't appear on our app stores, so the only way around is through a web browser on laptops. The video player on the web has no control for setting video quality (or rather any useful setting) and has several bugs including inability to restart from a paused location. I think, unless they iron these out, it won't be a good viewing experience.
Also like Netflix, every month some movies go out and new ones get added to the catalog. This is something I never liked about streaming services :)

The current subscription costs CDN $10.99 per month with a 24% discount for annual plans, which is quite good given the quality of content. IMO, they need to get the software right for this to be really attractive though. They are new in this, and it shows. If only they partnered with Netflix or YouTube movies, who have already mastered the tech behind efficient content delivery, it would've been a great thing for cinephiles :)

P.S.: There is an "Amazing Classics" app on Firestick which has many vintage Hollywood movies. Content is much lesser compared to CC, but it's free with ads and $1 pm otherwise, so worth a try.


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I had watched a few more of Satyajit Ray's exceptional movies, following are some of my thoughts about them......

Pratidwandi - The Adversary (1970)

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This is the sort of movie that can have polarizing opinions from the viewers. The young Dhritiman Chatterjee (I didn’t recognize him at first :) ) plays the protagonist who is a youth in search of a job in the India of the 70s. Unlike today, there are no clear avenues to pursue with the grim political scenario prevalent.The movie deals with the impact the city has on the educated youth and the price it extracts from them. The protagonist is confused, angry, wavering and has frequent episodes of hallucinations in which he has flashbacks and intuitions. One half of him is willing to play the part of the society expects him to, and he dutifully attends interview after interview with the hope of getting a job. But his other half, the adversary, wants to question the system and everything it stands for, there is the unmistakable existential angst which makes him lash out. When an interviewer asks him “do you love flowers?” he doesn’t hesitate much to retort, “not unconditionally”, showing his defiance to authority figures and mocking their stand.
His relation with his pretty younger sister is also precarious and his brother seems to have taken up a cause with the communist movement. So he is the only one left out without a purpose. Ray uses camera angles and close ups to show the protagonists emotions intermixed with the situation India was in the 70s, exceedingly well in this masterwork. Compared to the rest of his filmography I had seen so far, this appeared to be a bit abrupt when it comes to the dream sequences, but on the whole it captures the mood very well.

After watching the movie and a quick peek through the Wiki page has revealed that this movie is part of what later was known as the “Calcutta Trilogy”, the other two being, “Seemabaddha - Company Limited (1971)” and “Jana Aranya - The Middle Man (1975)”. I’m yet to watch the other two.

Charulata - The Lonely Wife (1964)

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This movie is an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s story, “The Broken Nest”. I had in the past, seen a different take on this story, but I was never prepared for the visual feast that Ray had managed to assemble for this movie. In one word, brilliant :)

After watching Mahanagar, I was enthralled by Madhabi Mukherjee’s performance in it. With Charulata she outdoes the high benchmark that she has set, in portraying the intelligent, bored and lonely wife. The rich husband (Shailen Mukherjee) is trying to find meaning and spend his time by running an “ideal press” and is quite obsessed with the endeavor. The neglected Charu finds solace in the company of the free-spirited and outspoken younger brother of her workaholic husband, Amal (Soumitra Chatterjee), who starts noticing and appreciating her literary talents. Amal’s entry into their placid but tepid existence is shot by Ray in the backdrop of a dust storm, a probable hint on the things to come. Their platonic relationship is quite subtle and a joy to watch, and at times reminds us of the author Tagore and his relation with his brother's wife Kadambari devi.

Ray, in this movie, raises the benchmark which he has set in getting the details right and paying attention to them throughout the movie. Not a single shot is extra and each frame is so beautifully captured as if a painting is frozen in time. The initial shots show (without a single word being spoken) the frustration and boredom Charulata faces, trying to while away her time. She is part of the elite India, whom her husband terms as the idle rich. The socio-economic class of people shown here are such a stark contrast to Mahanagar which came a year earlier, but Ray gets it all right and Madhabi shines through her character with aplomb.

Teen Kanya - Three Daughters(1961)

This series of short movies consists of three independent stories adapted from Rabindranath Tagore’s works. Wiki says that the initial video release was called Dui Kanya (Two Daughters) with the third story omitted, but the Academy archives released the full international version. The three stories doesn’t have a common thread and happen at different times, the only connecting link being the author and the director.

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“Story 1: The Postmaster” is probably the most poignant of the three with the excellent Anil Chaterjee playing the city born new recruit who comes in as a postmaster in a remote village. After Mahanagar, I was really looking forward to watching him in this movie and he does deliver very well his role as the bored and naive postmaster. But in my view what stole the show from Anil himself was the little girl called Ratan, who plays his housekeeper. She is a poor, thin and orphan kid, but in every sense of the word, she is better equipped at dealing with her world than her master is. Quickly they develop a bonding and the subtle way in which Ray portray’s it is perhaps some of the finest moments in any movie I had ever seen. This is the sort of tale we wish had never ended, as with his Pather Panchali this too is like a quiet river which meanders and flows, taking its own course when faced with obstacles. My only gripe is that this flow ends too soon :)


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“Story 2: Samapti - The Conclusion” is the longest running of the three and deals with a young man who rebels against his arranged marriage and instead falls for a high-spirited, headstrong and childlike girl (keeping a squirrel for a pet :)) from his village. Soumitra Chaterjee as Amulya and Aparna Sen as the girl, Mrinmoyi are excellent. As with many other Tagore’s works, the story delves into the nature of marriages, and the loss of independence it brings about to the free spirited souls entering into it. Will it change their way of thinking and outlook? Is such a change needed for the greater good? Ray, adds his own magic to the tale with the inclusion of intricate details in each shot, humour and a pivotal scene which on its own brings out the essence of the story, the transition from the girl to a woman. All of this stays with us long after the movie has ended.


“Story 3: Monihara - The Lost Jewels” when watched back to back with the others, fell short of my expectations and lacked the depth the other two had. But nevertheless is a haunting take on a woman’s obsession with jewels in the hope of filling up a void in her life and where it leads her to. The tale is narrated in a story within a story framework and has a climactic twist, quite unlike Tagore :).
 
Hi
Sandeepda
Have enjoyed your detailed write up. I am sorry as I hadn't mentioned those movies. However all the three movies watched by you are excellent and all depict what Ray himself thought about people. In my opinion Ray was always for the middle class people who suffer much for various socioeconomic or sociopolitical tussle. Think about the protagonists in PROTIDWANDI ,GOOPY GAYNE, SIMABADHHA, ABHIJAAN and even NAYAK , the heros or the protagonists are mainly from middle class families. Perhaps Ray had felt the struggle of them for existence. Same is true of MAHANAGAR. JONO ARANYA very nicely shows how an unemployment youth had to grope along the sordid way of success . Seems that RAY knew the Bengal middle class as the palm of his own hand. Having said all these, I would like to request you to watch some movies of RITWIK GHATAK and MRINAL SEN who also contribute a lot to the silver screen.
Regards
Bhaskar
 
Hi
Sandeepda
Have enjoyed your detailed write up. I am sorry as I hadn't mentioned those movies. However all the three movies watched by you are excellent and all depict what Ray himself thought about people. In my opinion Ray was always for the middle class people who suffer much for various socioeconomic or sociopolitical tussle. Think about the protagonists in PROTIDWANDI ,GOOPY GAYNE, SIMABADHHA, ABHIJAAN and even NAYAK , the heros or the protagonists are mainly from middle class families. Perhaps Ray had felt the struggle of them for existence. Same is true of MAHANAGAR. JONO ARANYA very nicely shows how an unemployment youth had to grope along the sordid way of success . Seems that RAY knew the Bengal middle class as the palm of his own hand. Having said all these, I would like to request you to watch some movies of RITWIK GHATAK and MRINAL SEN who also contribute a lot to the silver screen.
Regards
Bhaskar
Thanks for sharing your viewpoint, Bhaskarda :) I had watched The Apu Trilogy for the first time while in college and later on multiple times over to really understand the nuances in Ray’s film making. Needless to say, I’m certain there are several visual elements which keep unraveling with each viewing and depending on our stage in life and understanding, they present themselves as an additional layer to the tale :)
Ray often quotes filmmaker Jean Renoir, "You don't have to show many things in a film, but you have to be very careful to show only the right things." and this was something he had always taken care of in his movies, with an emphasis on the human element.

The video linked below (in 3 parts, each having a duration of about 10 mins.) includes excerpts from a BBC documentary from the 1980s, Omnibus - The Cinema of Satyajit Ray, and has Ray’s take on the movie, influences, importance of casting, realism, continuity and showing major events in a story; along with some rare footage.


Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:
 
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'A pervert's guide to cinema' gives you a interesting perspective and glimpse into a lot of the classics to watch through a psycoanalyst's perspective.
 
The entire world seems to be inundated with films made in Hollywood and Bollywood.Alas!It may be my personal solitary opinion that these films are unwatchable.Cinema is a director's medium.In 1954 the French film critic and director Francois Truffaut advocated the auteur theory,in which among other things he stated that a film should reflect the director's personal vision.Watching the films made in Bollywood and Hollywood one cannot help concluding every film is first and foremost a vehicle for the STAR'S studied dialogue deliveries and trademark clothes and mannerisms.A star never becomes the 'character' in the film.Instead the 'character' is subsumed into the persona of the star in film after film after film.Throw in a potpourri of special effects,sex,violence,melodrama and some inane music and you have the average masala film.The director is reduced to the status of a clumsy juggler with too many balls in the air.The results inevitably are disastrous.There is no personal,in fact,NO vision at all at work.Every Shahrukh,Aamir,Amitabh,De Niro,Pacino,Clooney film is a tired rehash of the same old formulas.
Some of the greatest films ever made have come from Hungary,Poland,Italy,France,Germany,Spain,Sweden,Russia,China,Japan,Argentina,Brazil... there's a vast wonderful world of fabulous cinema out there.Why settle for the sleep inducing Avatar's and Titanic's ?
Starting a list of Cinema Classics NOT made in the masala factories of Mumbai and Hollywood.Will keep editing and adding more...
ANDREI TARKOVSKY
Andrei Rublyov/Ivan's Childhood/Stalker/Solaris/Zerkalo/Nostalghia/Offret
INGMAR BERGMAN
Winterlight/Wild Strawberries/Cries & Whispers/Seventh Seal/Persona/ Autumn Sonata/Through a Glass Darkly/Fanny & Alexander
MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI
L'Avventura/L'Notte/L'Eclipse/Red Desert/Blowup
FEDERICO FELLINI
L'Dolce Vita/8 1/2 /La Strada/Nights of Cabiria
VITTORIO DE SICA
The Bicycle Thief/Shoeshine/Umberto D
LUIS BUNUEL
Viridiana/Belle De Jour/Tristana/Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie/Phantom Of Liberty/That Obscure Object Of Desire
FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Jules Et Jim/400 Blows/Fahrenheit 451
JEAN LUC GODARD
Breathless/Vivre Se Vie/Pierrot Le Fou/Alphaville
ROBERT BRESSON
Diary of A Country priest/Pickpocket/Money/The Devil Probably
AKIRA KUROSAWA
Roshomon/Ran/Kagemusha/Seven Samurai/Ikiru/Dersu Uzala
YASUJIRO OZU
Tokyo Story/Early Spring/Late Autumn
KENJI MIZOGUCHI
Oharu/Ugetsu/Sansho The Bailiff
SHOHEI IMAMURA
The Ballad of Narayama/Black Rain/Endless Desire
SATYAJIT RAY
The Apu Trilogy/Charulata/Jalsagar
ADOOR GOPALAKRISHNAN
Elippathayam/Mukhamukham/Maithilukal
Watched the akiras seven samurai, intially I didn't liked it but when the movie progress it draged me into the movie.
 
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