The Apu Trilogy | |
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Region 2 box set cover
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Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
Produced by | Satyajit Ray |
Screenplay by | Satyajit Ray |
Based on |
Pather Panchali and Aparajito by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay |
Starring |
Kanu Banerjee Karuna Banerjee (Pather Panchali and Aparajito) |
Music by | Ravi Shankar |
Cinematography | Subrata Mitra |
Edited by | Dulal Dutta |
Production
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Distributed by | Edward Harrison (Pather Panchali) |
Release date
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Running time
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342 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Bengali |
The Apu Trilogy comprises three Bengali films directed by Satyajit Ray: Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) (1959). They are frequently listed among the greatest films of all time and are often cited as the greatest movies in the history of Indian cinema. The original music for the films was composed by Ravi Shankar.
They are based on two Bengali novels written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay: Pather Panchali (1929) and Aparajito (1932). The three films went on to win many national and international awards, including three National Film Awards and seven awards from the Cannes, Berlin and Venice Film Festivals. Produced on a shoestring budget (Pather Panchali had a budget of roughly ₹ 150,000 ($45,300—equivalent to $405,000 in 2016)) using an amateur cast and crew, the trilogy is a milestone in Indian cinema and remains one of the most acclaimed works in the Parallel Cinema movement.
The three films comprise a "coming of age" narrative in the vein of a bildungsroman; they describe the childhood, education and early maturity of a young Bengali named Apu (Apurba Kumar Roy) in the early part of the 20th century.