#41 - The World of Apu (1959, Satyajit Ray)

After the domestic box-office failure of 1957's Parash Pather and 1958's Jalsaghar, Satyajit Ray found himself returning to the hero of his first two films to make good on a promise to deliver a trilogy of films based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's Apu character.

The World of Apu picks up where Aparajito left off (the novel Aparajito was split into the two films). Apu, now a young man in Calcutta, has *most* of a college degree and is *kind of* looking for work. Basically, he has become his father, but in a modern, urban environment.

A friend invites him to his cousin's wedding and in a wacky turn of events, Apu finds himself the groom! He now must take responsibility for not only his life, but his young bride's as well. And then, tragedy strikes. Again.

This could very well be my favorite Ray even if the scenario is a bit sitcom-y and later, soap operatic. Subrata Mitra's cinematography continues to evolve and I must confess to relating pretty strongly to Apu in this film. And you've gotta love that ending.

new #100: High and Low