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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka 'The Masses' Music' or 'The Middleman' or 'Jana Aranya')
directed by Satyajit Ray
India 1976
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The last film of the 'Calcutta Trilogy'. The first two being Pratidwandi (The Adversary, 1970) and Seemabaddha (Company Limited, 1971).
Somnath, a student, ends up absurdly failing his exams when the grader, without his glasses, is unable to decipher Somnath's miniscule handwriting. Somnath gives up his studies, looks for a job, and decides to launch himself on a career in business. He becomes an independent salesman, paid on commission, to the great despair of his father, a descendant of a noble caste who considers engaging in commerce to be supremely disgraceful to the family reputation. As part of his business dealings, Somnath discovers the expedient value of corrupt practices. After lengthy hesitation, he agrees to provide a prostitute (who is none other than the sister of his best friend from school) in order to obtain a contract. He says nothing about all this to his father, who may to some extent only be pretending to be ignorant of what is being concealed from him. ********
Strongly recommended. Ray portrays the seedy side of
the business world in an extremely believable way. It has a prevalent theme of
moral corruption in regards to the almighty $$$... not a unique dilemma but this
is an interesting cultural take on it. Certainly reporting the universal sin
that binds many... greed.  |
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Theatrical Release: 1976 India - TV
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DVD Review: Muktadhara - Region 0 - NTSC
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| Distribution | Muktadhara - Region 0 - NTSC |
| Runtime | 2:14:48 |
| Video | 1.37:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.5 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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| Audio | Bengali (Mono) |
| Subtitles | English (burned-in) |
| Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • None |
| Comments: |
Obviously
a very disappointing transfer - which has been bootlegged from the
available NTSC VHS tape (see blurred information at the bottom of each
capture) but as I saw a lot of blurred 'ghosting' in motion sequences so
it may have also been taken from PAL. I am unsure of the exact time of
the film so I can't say positively. Not that it matters - regardless it
has a very poor image. Very low bitrate, surprisingly well done
subtitles, crackling sound. I suspect the VHS is superior. Only saving
grace is that it at least allows one to see the film if they cannot
through other means. I obviously can't recommend this DVD, but hope my
other Ray DVDs from CalcuttaWeb are from a genuine DVD Production
Company. Stray tuned.
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