The Cloud-Capped Star Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Meghe Dhaka Tara" or "The Cloud-capped Star")

directed by Ritwik Ghatak
India 1960

Ritwak Ghatak is generally regarded as one of the big three of the Indian New Wave (and Indian cinema at large), along with Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, the latter whom is he’s perhaps closest aligned with given shared political leanings, an artful talent for incisive social commentary, and most of all, for auteurist experimentality. With The Cloud-Capped Star (1960), Ghatak took the melodrama genre along with its coherent, causally driven plot structures and relegated it as the backdrop of something much further removed from the conventional. Throughout, the personal is harmonized with the socio-historical condition, and this duality is a key component of the film’s accomplishments.

Situated in Calcutta, a straight-forward plot presents Neeta as a middle-class daughter encumbered by increasing demands to support her self-centered family members. She augments the income gained by her elderly father, while she moves toward the final year of her education. Her struggles are made bearable by hope, primarily founded on two loved ones—her brother Shankar, who admittedly takes advantage while waiting for his singing career to blossom, and her fiancé, Sanat, who pursues his Ph.D. as part of a promising future.

While there is immediacy in an unfolding plot of multi-dimensional characters, the story is as much elsewhere, in an allegory of post-partition India. Ghatak manages to take the “plastic material” of objects and people and charge them relationally by creating forceful situational congruencies. In this way a letter may later become a cloth and then a letter again, a sister may become some other neighborhood girl, a picture, often glimpsed, becomes a nostalgic index of childhood within which the pictured hills are hope itself, and all the while, an occasional passing train gathers voice with its conspicuous and emblematic passings, first harmonizing with a brothers singing, and then rising shrilly to disrupt conversation. And when the train is not passing, there’s the evidence—tracks, stations, and faint traces of its sound in a carefully constructed and manipulated soundscape.

One last, spoiler-free, example may best exemplify the multi-level magic that Ghatak is able to muster. Soon after introducing Neeta, and incidentally her sandal that’s in need of mending, there is a shot transition to her house before she’s arrived where her father is discussing some dark-skinned neighborhood girl, this girl will appear in passing much later and exchange brief words with Neeta, after which the camera stays with her, not Neeta for an intriguing, introspective interval, and then later on and in passing, this small girl gets mistaken by Sanat as his sister whom he asks for money before realizing his “error,” and then, finally, when he doesn’t mistake her, and she pauses, recognizing him, and adjusts her sandal strap that just came loose, and then walks awkwardly down the path that Neeta did at the film’s beginning. There are many examples of inversions and mappings that take place and lend a resonating quality to this remarkable film. The Cloud-Capped Star is a master work that invites subsequent viewings and vital contemplation.

Fred Patton for DVDBeaver

Posters

Latest Theatrical Release: Singapore 5 April 1997 (Singapore International Film Festival)

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Comparison:

BFI - Region 2 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover
Distribution	BFI - Region 2 - NTSC	Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:01:20	2:07:10.039
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.47 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 46,005,192,165 bytes Feature: 37,706,311,680 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.43 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	Bengali (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)	LPCM Audio Bengali 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: BFI Publishing Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Derek Malcolm Introduction (7:26) • Director Biography (3 static screens) • 1 page liner notes by Derek Malcolm DVD Release Date: October 7th, 2002 Transparent Keep Case Chapters: 16	Release Information: Studio: Criterion 1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 46,005,192,165 bytes Feature: 37,706,311,680 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.43 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • New conversation between filmmakers Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Kumar Shahani (28:40) • Stills gallery featuring rare photographs related to director Ritwik Ghatak’s life and work, curated by writer and photographer Nabarupa Bhattacharjee • PLUS: An essay by film scholar Ira Bhaskar New cover by F. Ron My Blu-ray Release Date: September 10th, 2019 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 15

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (August 2019): Criterion have transferred Ritwik Ghatak's brilliant 1960 film The Cloud-Capped Star (Meghe Dhaka Tara) to Blu-ray. It is cited as being a "New 2K digital restoration" and "The Cloud-Capped Star was restored in partnership with The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and the Cineteca di Bologna, from elements preserved by the National Film Archive of India". This 1080P is a very strong improvement over the 2002 BFI DVD. The image is vastly superior in detail, shows more information in the frame (mostly the side edges), contrast is a solid notch ahead. Plus the DVD had playing issues (noted at the bottom of these comments.) This can look extremely impressive in sequences with only a handful that may have been compromised by the source. Overall, this is a highly remarkable improvement.

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Bengali language. It advances over the DVD in the film's audio and music by Jyotirindra Moitra (Charulata) but can show some weakness in the high-end although this is more noticeable in the music. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray has supplements. Prominent filmmakers Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Kumar Shahani both studied under director Ritwik Ghatak at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, and their own movies have been inspired by Ghatak's work and teaching. In the included 1/2 hour conversation, recorded by the Criterion Collection in 2019, Mirza and Shahani discuss Ghatak and his film The Cloud-Capped Star. There is also a stills gallery featuring rare photographs related to director Ritwik Ghatak’s life and work, curated by writer and photographer Nabarupa Bhattacharjee. There is a liner notes booklet with an essay by film scholar Ira Bhaskar and a new cover by F. Ron M.

The Cloud-Capped Star is one of the greatest films to ever come out on India (that includes the work of Satyajit Ray - which signifies its importance). It's tragedy along the lines of Shakespeare and the light and shadow play are absolutely brilliant and impacting. I am so impressed with this new Criterion Blu-ray that this gets our highest recommendation. Do not miss this.

***

ON THE DVD (2002): A rare NTSC DVD from BFI!

Ghatak's films have been allowed to deteriorate but the master used here is in good condition. Despite the slight damage that shows up more prominently in the last 10 minutes of the film (but is still negligible,) this is a fine release from BFI. Contrast does fluctuate occasionally, but the image has some strikingly sharp moments. The subtitles ate wonderfully clear, unobtrusive and removable. Audio is a shade inconsistent, but still acceptable and the Derek Malcolm intro is good fodder for understanding this complex filmmaker and this astonishing film. Bravo to BFI for bringing this out, most likely knowing it would not be a blockbuster on the spreadsheets. This is a great film and they have treated it with respect and admiration. I give an enthusiastic thumbs up!

NOTE:

This DVD has no proper pulldown but field averaging instead. This is a bad NTSC DVD mastering practice as it can smear motion.

This NTSC DVD was made from a 25fps PAL master. If it were released as PAL DVD the problem would go away. The noise reduction would be the same, though. A new transfer might improve the results.

Gary Tooze