Press Release Criterion Press Release: The Apu Trilogy (4k UHD Combo) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

​

A breathtaking milestone that brought India into the golden age of international art-house film, Satyajit Ray’s The Apu Trilogyfollows one indelible character, a free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an adolescent urban student and, finally, a sensitive man of the world. Ray’s delicate masterworks—Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished), and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)—based on two books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee, were shot over the course of five years, and each stands on its own as a tender, visually radiant journey. These films—which have risen from the ashes in meticulously reconstructed restorations, after the original negatives were burned in a fire—are among the most achingly beautiful, richly humane movies ever made.

FILM INFO​

• Spine #782

FILMS IN THIS SET​

• • 
    Pather Panchali
    
    1955
    With the release in 1955 of Satyajit Ray’s debut, Pather Panchali, an eloquent and important new cinematic voice made itself heard all over the world. A depiction of rural Bengali life in a style inspired by Italian neorealism, this naturalistic but poetic evocation of a number of years in the life of a family introduces us to both little Apu and, just as essentially, the women who will help shape him: his independent older sister, Durga; his harried mother, Sarbajaya, who, with her husband away, must hold the family together; and his kindly and mischievous elderly “auntie,” Indir—vivid, multifaceted characters all. With resplendent photography informed by its young protagonist’s perpetual sense of discovery, Pather Panchali, which won an award for Best Human Document at the Cannes Film Festival, is an immersive cinematic experience and a film of elemental power.
  
  
  • 
    Aparajito
    
    1956
    Satyajit Ray had not planned to make a sequel to Pather Panchali, but after the film’s international success, he decided to continue Apu’s narrative. Aparajito picks up where the first film leaves off, with Apu and his family having moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Varanasi (then known as Benares). As Apu progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata, we witness his academic and moral education, as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother. This tenderly expressive, often heart-wrenching film, which won three top prizes at the Venice Film Festival, including the Golden Lion, not only extends but also spiritually deepens the tale of Apu.
  
  
  • 
    Apur Sansar
    
    1959
    By the time Apur Sansar was released, Satyajit Ray had directed not only the first two Apu films but also the masterpiece The Music Room, and was well on his way to becoming a legend. This extraordinary final chapter brings our protagonist’s journey full circle. Apu is now in his early twenties, out of college, and hoping to live as a writer. Alongside his professional ambitions, the film charts his romantic awakening, which occurs as the result of a most unlikely turn of events, and his eventual, fraught fatherhood. Featuring soon-to-be Ray regulars Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore in star-making performances, and demonstrating Ray’s ever more impressive skills as a crafter of pure cinematic imagery, Apur Sansar is a moving conclusion to this monumental trilogy.

SPECIAL FEATURES​

• 4K digital restorations of all three films, undertaken in collaboration with the Academy Film Archive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and L’Immagine Ritrovata, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions
• In the 4K UHD edition: Three 4K UHD discs of the films and three Blu-rays with the films and special features
• Audio recordings from 1958 of director Satyajit Ray reading his essay “A Long Time on the Little Road” and in conversation with film historian Gideon Bachmann
• Interviews with actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Shampa Srivastava, and Sharmila Tagore; camera assistant Soumendu Roy; and film writer Ujjal Chakraborty
• Making “The Apu Trilogy”: Satyajit Ray’s Epic Debut, a video essay by Ray biographer Andrew Robinson
• “The Apu Trilogy”: A Closer Look, a program featuring filmmaker, producer, and teacher Mamoun Hassan
• Excerpts from the 2003 documentary The Song of the Little Road, featuring composer Ravi Shankar
• The Creative Person: “Satyajit Ray,” a 1967 documentary short by James Beveridge, featuring interviews with Ray, several of his actors, members of his creative team, and film critic Chidananda Das Gupta
• Footage of Ray receiving an honorary Oscar in 1992
• Programs on the restorations by filmmaker Kogonada
• PLUS: Essays by critics Terrence Rafferty and Girish Shambu, as well as a selection of Ray’s storyboards for Pather Panchali
  
  Cover by F. Ron Miller
  
  January 2, 2024

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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[titch]

This is one of world cinema's greatest trilogies, together with Three Colors. The restoration was stunning on blu-ray and will look magnificent on a 4K UHD release!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Preorder is live. See second post.

 

[Michel_Hafner]

No negatives and no 4K resolution. Don't see why this was prioritized for a 4K release over doing some more desperately needed restorations of Indian films where most classics are in very poor shape. The current Apu BDs are really sufficient for now.

 

[titch]

No negatives and no 4K resolution. Don't see why this was prioritized for a 4K release over doing some more desperately needed restorations of Indian films where most classics are in very poor shape. The current Apu BDs are really sufficient for now.

Easy to see why. They already had a 4K master and this is one of Criterion's flagship titles. I agree that the current blu-rays are really good (in stark contrast to what the situation was with the Thee Color blu-rays), but a major restoration requires major funds and major resources. This release requires only mastering the 4K UHD discs and a slight adjustment of the printed information on the box.

 

[titch]

I received the 4K UHD box today and compared just the opening shots of Pather Panchali with the blu-rays. Better grey-scale and grain rendition, but otherwise virtually identical to the blu-rays, regarding detail. It's discernible in the leaves in the couple of screenshots I snapped - that's how minor it is - and only obvious on a large screen. I relish having the 4K UHD of this trilogy but would never urge anyone else to double-dip.