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by Satyajit Ray
Review of the film and Vectra-com DVD by Gary W. Tooze |
India's greatest director, Bengalese
Satyajit Ray was recipient of numerous awards in his career. Typical of
the styling of cinema he created, he kept them unceremoniously out of
view under his bed,
aware of the lavish presentation they would make displayed out in the more public
rooms of his Calcutta home. This noble air of subtlety is also apparent in his
film-making with Jalsaghar (The Music Room) being a perfect example.
The film's major character is Huzur Biswambhar Roy who is a zemindar (the now ancient concept of an aristocratic landlord). He is shown as a tragic figure who is both a victim of his selfish pride and superfluous belief in his own nobility. Ray has made a profound and magnificent exploration of one man's obsolescence in a modern developing society in 1920's India. |
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Criticized for the lack of Indian cultural acceptance of his films, Ray purposely included a few musical numbers in Jalsaghar, although totally different from the Bollywood style cinema that is so popular with his countrymen. The sheer beauty of the final dance sequence is almost an acceptable gesture to understand Huzur's only visible interest; hosting concerts in his grand music room. Too apathetic to even ascertain what month or season it is, he smokes his hookah pipe on the terrace while his ancestors palace visibly crumbles around him. Tragic but also accurate as his egotistical and extravagant exhibitions to upstage his un-pedigreed, self-made neighbor Mahim Ganguly become more and more transparent. His gestures are all an attempt to maintain his presumed superiority granted to him by his birthright. |
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With
comparisons of brass bands and electrical generators over traditional
music, as well as the scenes of elephants instead of cars as a means of
transport, Ray displays the encroachment of modernization into India. His excessively beautiful film displays the ever-present
fact that change must be accepted. As the music room's lavish chandelier
flickers, Huzur's most frightening personal affirmation comes when he views
himself in a clouded mirror realizing what his behavior has wrought. The
damage that his chosen path has dealt him is devastating. His
realization is also our own with pride being shown as an overwhelming negative
trait. It is a totally gripping cinema experience allowing for days of
reflective thought.  out
of . |
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FILM and DVD Details |
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I
would say that although the quality of this video has its outstanding
moments, overall it is a disappointment. There are sequences in which
the English subtitles are so low on the screen that it is difficult to
read them and it becomes quite apparent that no restoration has been
done at all to this 1958 print. It appears to be a much older film than
it is. Scratches are prevalent throughout although the music in
the film is exceptionally clear. I won't recommend this DVD as I have a strange
feeling that the VHS copy may be of a much higher quality. The run-time
appears accurate according to IMdb. There are no extras to speak of but
the DVD does offer "English", "French" and
"NO" subtitles all in the original theatrical presentation. It
was such a thrill to see a Satyajit Ray film on DVD but I'm still hoping
for some restoration work in a box-set from a Criterion or the like in
the future. I give this a |
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| Full Cast and Crew for Jalsaghar (1958) Directed by Satyajit Ray Writing credits Tarashankar Banerjee (novel) Satyajit Ray Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Chhabi Biswas .... Huzur Biswambhar Roy Padma Devi .... Mahamaya, Roy's wife Pinaki Sen Gupta .... Khoka, Roy's Son Gangapada Basu .... Mahim Ganguly Tulsi Lahiri (I) .... Manager of Roy's Estate Kali Sarkar .... Roy's Servant Waheed Khan .... Ustad Ujir Khan Roshan Kumari .... Krishna Bai, dancer rest of cast listed alphabetically Sardar Akhtar .... Singer Tulsi Chakraborty .... Manager of Roy's Estate Bismillah Khan .... Musician Salamat Ali Khan .... Khyal singer Ustad Waheed Khan .... Dancer (uncredited) Pratap Mukhopdhya (uncredited) Tarapada Nandy (uncredited) Produced by Satyajit Ray .... producer Original music by Ustad Vilayat Khan Asis Kumar Robin Majumder Dakhin Mohan Takhur Cinematography by Subrata Mitra Film Editing by Dulal Dutta Production Design by Bansi Chandragupta Sound Department Durgadas Mitra .... sound |
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