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 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Devi" or "The Goddess")

 

Directed by Satyajit Ray
India 1960

 

Master filmmaker Satyajit Ray explores the conflict between fanaticism and free will in Devi (The Goddess), issuing a subversively modern challenge to religious orthodoxy and patriarchal power structures. In the waning days of mid-nineteenth-century India’s feudal system, after his son (Soumitra Chatterjee) leaves for Kolkata to complete his studies, a wealthy rural landowner (Chhabi Biswas) is seized by the notion that his beloved daughter-in-law (a hauntingly sad-eyed Sharmila Tagore) is the reincarnation of the goddess Kali—a delusion that proves devastating to the young woman and those around her. The opulently stylized compositions and the chiaroscuro lighting by cinematographer Subrata Mitra heighten the entrancing expressionistic intensity of this domestic tragedy, making for an experience that is both sublime and shattering.

***

Less obviously a work of humanist realism than the Apu trilogy, Ray's film is nevertheless a carefully nuanced study in religious obsession, with Biswas convinced that his daughter-in-law (Tagore) is in fact the goddess Kali reincarnated. Comparatively baroque and melodramatic in terms of its images and story, it manages to mount a lucid, finally very moving argument against the destructive nature of fanaticism and superstition, with Tagore gradually losing all sense of her own individuality. Without a doubt, it is impressive film making; but whether its very Indian concerns are of widespread interest remains a moot point.

Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 19th, 1960

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:
Distribution Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:39:21.956        
Video

1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 38,943,816,687 bytes

Feature: 29,730,428,928 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.78 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

LPCM Audio Bengali 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Criterion

 

1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 38,943,816,687 bytes

Feature: 29,730,428,928 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.78 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• New program featuring interviews with actors Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee, recorded in 2013 (16:20)
• New video essay by film scholar Meheli Sen (17:19)
• PLUS: An essay by film critic Devika Girish


 Blu-ray Release Date: October 26th, 2021
 Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters 14

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (October 2021): Criterion have transferred Satyajit Ray's Devi to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration". Early in the 1080P presentation there are a lot of scratches - even to the point of 'damage' but after a while they become far less prevalent and the image is pleasing and consistent with a few speckles surfacing. There are strong black levels and film-like textures.  Aside from some imperfections, I was so pleased to see Devi on Criterion Blu-ray. 

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Bengali language. Devi has no aggressive moments and music credited to Ali Akbar Khan (as Ostad Ali Akbar Khan), that is sparsely used but subtly impacting in the uncompressed transfer. There are a few minor inconsistencies but nothing overly distracting. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' Blu-ray (released in the UK in November.)

Extras on the Criterion Blu-ray include a new 1/4 hour program featuring interviews with actors Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee (who worked with Satyajit Ray, on fourteen films), recorded by the Criterion Collection in 2013 in Delhi and Kolkata, respectively. Sharmila Tagore is part of the prominent Tagore family, one of the leading families of Calcutta and a key influence during the Bengali Renaissance. There is also a new 18-minute video essay on Devi written and narrated by Meheli Sen, an associate professor of South Asian and global cinemas at Rutgers University, and produced by the Criterion Collection in 2021. Lastly, is a liner notes booklet with an essay by film critic Devika Girish.

Satyajit Ray's Devi is a masterpiece. It is written that the story is a fine attack on religious dogmatism in a patriarchal society. But it is much more. Ray's realization brings to an outstanding level of impact with Sharmila Tagore's restrained, stoic performance exuding the possibilities of embracing the qualities of a higher power. Outstanding. I found it one of Satyajit Ray's most impacting films - along with The Music Room and the Apu Trilogy. The Criterion Blu-ray is a world-cinema must-own - never looking this good on digital video... ever. Our highest recommendation!

Gary Tooze

 

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Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:
Distribution Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray


 


 

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