An Evening with Ray

Renting DVDs seem to be the only option to save my sanity...with a husband married to his job, shops like Cinema Paradiso is a boon to all married-yet-lonely-film lovers. Checkout www.cinemaparadisoshop.com it is truely a mind boggling shop full of films you've always wanted to see....
On Friday as usuall after my work hours i headed towards Cinema paradiso. I was in a reflective/contemplating mood and was not keen on picking on any new action flicks or new releases...(romantic films could have driven me insane).....

I was just about to pick up a Jap film from the World Cinema section when my eyes caught Satyajit Ray's section that had some newly added stock.... As a child i was introduced to Ray's films when i was in class four or something....thats' when Ray passed away...and a string of Ray's films were telecasted on Doordarshan as a Tribute. As a 9 year old i thought Ray was an extremely depressing character...who made 'sad' films. What a shame! With passing years and thanks to God, who had plans of allott ing a little more sense to my brains...i realised what Ray's films were all about.

On Friday i picked up Shakha Proshakha (The branches of Tree) and Devi (the Godess). I had seen the former a long time back but not Devi. Nevertheless I picked up both the films and made my way back home (ofcourse i stopped by at Subway to pick up my rosted chicken breast salad - 10 % off for Cinema Paradiso members) ...

Ray's simplicity is heartbreaking. his films speak endlessly of human dignity and reality. His films are real films about real people....

i dont think Ray gave much thought to technique and style, as much thought he gave to his characters and stories.....
In Devi i almost felt like Ray was an Aethist...yes, the film did clearly talk of superstitions...somehow...i had this feeling. Have been wanting to read this book of Ray's - Our films-their films. Seems like he is strongly influenced by Vittorio De Sica's the Bicycle Thief.

Ray states: 'All through my stay in London, the lessons of Bicycle Thieves and neo-realist cinema stayed with me.' - Satyajit Ray, in Our Films, Their Films

Speaking of Bicycle Thief, that film is perhaps one of the most unforgettable movies i will ever see.....it is about human dignity, about life, about ...hope .

The commitment and contribution of filmmakers like Vittorio De Sica' and Ray to the world only makes me wonder will our generation of film lovers have to bear more of Murder, Rog and Zeher ......will our next generation of film lovers also have to refer back to Ray's films to know what good Cinema is all about?

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