大地之歌

An ordinary village in the 1920s, before the wave of modernization, with its lush woods and clear ponds, vast paddy fields, and big trees, is the typical Bengali village where Apu and his family lives. The influence of De Sica and neorealism on Ray is clearly manifested in this work - a low-budget film made by "amateurs" in a realistic setting. Unlike many other Hindi films, Ray chooses the most realistic narrative in this work, not only telling us what happened, but displaying why it happened as well.

What impressed me the most in the film is the amount of poetic details Ray uses to present the story itself: Durga and Apu's reflection in the pool when they run with the candy seller, the silhouettes on the wall when auntie is telling a story, the face of Apu dressed as a king in the mirror, the dreamy mango flowers taller than a man while watching the train passes, and the ripples that scatters when Apu threw the necklace stolen by his deceased sister into the water. The images are beautifully presented as if they are covered with a hazy, melancholy veil.

The depth-of-field shots and camera positions also always capture the different states of the family: the somewhat idealistic and irresponsible father, the strong mother who takes care of all the household chores, the happy but thieving sister, and the easy-going old auntie who accompanies Apu's childhood, along with the snack vendors, the festival troupe, the teachers and the snobbish neighbors, all of whom make up this vibrant picture of Bangladeshi life. The picture of life. The integration of man and nature is always so harmonious and powerful in Indian films, and Ray has perfected the details, such as the scene when Durga comes to wake Apu, who is wrapped in a blanket and sleeping, and she finds a crack and then props Apu's eyes open with her hand. It's such a lifelike and creative shot that one can't help but marvel at Rey's delicate script and camera design.

Of course life is not only beautiful, death is also an important theme throughout the film. The sister-brother love is so touching, but Durga's hands reaching for her mother before she dies are also so powerless. At the end of the film, the old music plays slowly, the oxcart moves forward slowly, and then the film bids farewell to the audience, as if it is also the end of Apu's long, poor, and poignant childhood.