MUBI

Pather Panchali is a brilliantly photographed and surprisingly well scored film. It also has a tediously boring narrative and this is the film’s greatest fault. There is so little about it that is dramatic or compelling. It is a film about people, not characters, but people – take em or leave em.

The people in question are a poor family living at the bottom of a village. The troublesome daughter, Durga, steals fruit for her grandmother, who is old and decrepit. Her father is a rather silly man who has trouble making ends meet. He has just acquired a new job which will lift his family out of debt, but he continually fails to collect his earnings. Furthermore he has romantic aspirations to be an original playwright (his family were writers). The fact that the actors are portrayed by what looks like real people, and not actors, makes for some pretty interesting and genuine performances, but ultimately it’s a difficult film to watch since it is an excruciating bore.

Now onto what Pather Panchali excels at. I do not mean to give the impression that this is a bad film; it is actually revolutionary. Probably more than anything due what is actually filmed. Countless simple acts are filmed in beautiful ways: the grandmother rocking the baby, a little boy brushing his teeth or drinking milk, people eating rice or washing themselves. My favourite part of the whole film is the way light is used. The way it suffuses and floods the frame, the way it reflects off stone and casts shadows, the way it shines through fabrics. It is truly one of the better looking films ever made. Also the score is surprisingly well done, providing the perfect counter-point for the images. Now if only good ideas made for great films! Or if only the visuals were enough. Unfortunately the story is so weak, dull & tedious that the film will likely put you to sleep, unless of course you are stoned.