Satyajit Ray: A Study of His Films

(Hardback)

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With 26 films to his credit and numerous international prizes, Satyajit Ray is India's most recognized filmmaker, yet no extended study of his films has previously been published in English in the West. In this book the author examines each of Ray's films in close detail and provides a cinematic examinaton of his style. Film scholars, students of international cinema, and scholars of Indian social history may find this work of interest. Nyce explores Ray's career chronologically to best chart his stylistic development as a filmmaker. Each chapter considers one film and how it expresses the particular quality of rhythm and mood whch characterizes his work. Narrative synopses are first presented, and the opinions of his critics are continually noted and discussed. Included are studies of the following well known films - "Panther", "Panchall", "Aparajito", "Apur Sanar" (the Apu Trilogy), "Jalsaghar" (the music room), "Ashani Sanket" (distant thunder), and "Ghare-Baire" (the home and the world).

Reviews

. . . Nyce's understanding of filmmaking is crucial in providing insightful interpretations of Ray's methods and skills. . . . In addition, a complete filmography and a bibliography that includes books, aritlces, films and general studies on Ray and his work are useful for exploring the subject further. Of all the works on Ray, this is the only one to focus systematically on the films, essentially in chronological order of production. . . .-The Journal of Asian Studies
The primary value of the book for film studies rests especially on some of these passages of close analysis, earning it a place beside the books of Henri Micciolo (in French) and Chidanandan Das Gupta on the director's work and Robin Wood's monograph on the Apu Trilogy.-Chicago South Asia Newsletter
"The primary value of the book for film studies rests especially on some of these passages of close analysis, earning it a place beside the books of Henri Micciolo (in French) and Chidanandan Das Gupta on the director's work and Robin Wood's monograph on the Apu Trilogy."-Chicago South Asia Newsletter
." . . Nyce's understanding of filmmaking is crucial in providing insightful interpretations of Ray's methods and skills. . . . In addition, a complete filmography and a bibliography that includes books, aritlces, films and general studies on Ray and his work are useful for exploring the subject further. Of all the works on Ray, this is the only one to focus systematically on the films, essentially in chronological order of production. . . ."-The Journal of Asian Studies

Author Bio

BEN NYCE is Professor of Literature and Film at the University of San Diego. He has been Fulbright Professor of American Literature at Rabat, Morocco and Nairobi, Kenya. He has published articles on literature and film in such journals as Modern Language Quarterly and New Orleans Review.