Film Forum

India, 1955
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Starring Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Chunibala Devi
Screenplay by Satyajit Ray
Approx. 125 min. DCP.

In a poor Bengal village, Mom tries to hold things together while dreamy Dad looks for work, daughter Durga is accused of stealing, aged “Auntie” (82-year-old former actress Chunibala Devi) eats more than her share, while the young Apu (8-year-old Subir Bandopadhyay) drinks it all in — including the memorable run through the field of waving grasses for his first sight of a train.
 

Reviews

“Beautiful, sometimes funny, and full of love, it brought a new vision of India to the screen.”
– Pauline Kael

“A triumph of mood and character rather than an exercise in brisk Western storytelling.”
– Jonathan Rosenbaum

“A hymn to curiosity, courage and conscience, it introduces Apu as an opening eye, innocent of adult anxieties but alert to adventure and, finally, moral discovery. A masterpiece, inarguably.”
– Geoff Andrew, Time Out (London)