(aka "Ekdin Pratidin" or "And Quiet Rolls the Dawn")
directed by Mrinal Sen
India 1979
A Bengali film in that it is untypically devoid of
all the trapping conventions of Bollywood - no extensive dance numbers or
excessive melodrama etc.. "Quiet Rolls the Dawn" is a fine film focusing
on a short span of an evening where a families bread-winner, the eldest
daughter, does not return home one night on her expected schedule. Through this
event we see a dynamic range of communication. The neighbors (10 other families)
closely existing in the tenement house where they reside are on the verge of
offering assistance while quietly gossiping about what has happened to her. Some
elderly females relate the double standard that if this was a male staying out
late what people who think as opposed to an unmarried girl - how unfortunate it
is to be born a female. After visiting police, morgue and hospitals to find her,
back at a home they resign themselves they will never see her again. The girl's
sister, Minu, expresses her displeasure towards her parents disconcerted
attitude, claiming
they are worrying more because she supports the family, helping them survive
financially, not caring enough about their daughter as a person. Unexpressed
emotion is captured very well in facial blank stares. Seemingly the act of her
disappearance has forced the family to judge her and acknowledge her possible
wants and desires. The performances seem quite real - almost bordering on
neo-realism. This is a refreshing, modernistic look at life in Calcutta, India
in the late 70's. The juxtaposition of traditional values with a poignant look
at a male dominant society that manipulates its standards to suit a situation.
This film says quite a lot in a simple and interesting way.
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