Satyajit Ray made "The Music Room" in 1958, a few years after "Pather
Panchali" and before completing the rest of the Apu Trilogy and like
them, it too is a masterpiece. It's about the sin of pride and how it
destroys the supercilious old landlord Biswambhar Roy, (a magnificent
performance from Chhabi Biswas), whose idea of 'keeping up with the
Jones'' is to squander all he has on musical evenings that will outdo
those of his nearest neighbour. It's also about the transformative
affect of music, of which there is much and all of it wonderful.
Although you might say it destroys him Biswambhar is also redeemed by
opening up his music room for one last great concert. This is also one of the cinema's greatest studies of obsession and of
loneliness. If "Pather Panchali" were not enough this confirmed Ray's
stature as one of world cinema's greatest directors and it is a film
that remains as powerful today as it did when it first appeared. Treasure it.Monday, 6 May 2019
THE MUSIC ROOM
Satyajit Ray made "The Music Room" in 1958, a few years after "Pather
Panchali" and before completing the rest of the Apu Trilogy and like
them, it too is a masterpiece. It's about the sin of pride and how it
destroys the supercilious old landlord Biswambhar Roy, (a magnificent
performance from Chhabi Biswas), whose idea of 'keeping up with the
Jones'' is to squander all he has on musical evenings that will outdo
those of his nearest neighbour. It's also about the transformative
affect of music, of which there is much and all of it wonderful.
Although you might say it destroys him Biswambhar is also redeemed by
opening up his music room for one last great concert. This is also one of the cinema's greatest studies of obsession and of
loneliness. If "Pather Panchali" were not enough this confirmed Ray's
stature as one of world cinema's greatest directors and it is a film
that remains as powerful today as it did when it first appeared. Treasure it.
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