The World of Apu

In this final installment, Apu is forced to abandon his education. His future looks bleak until he marries an abandoned bride, beginning a new life as a husband and a father. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Named 1960’s Best Foreign Film by the National Board of Review.

1 Apu Faces the Realities of Existence and Finds Love
In Pather Panchali and Aparajito we watch Apu grow into manhood all while he seems to be very unaware of the exotic Indian women swirling about him in all their beauty. This contributes to the subtle humor when he finds himself in a situation where he must save a family's honor.

Apu's ancestral family home has been destroyed; he has lost his sister, father and mother and is now living alone next to a noisy railway. As he faces the realities of existence, he spends his time reading, playing a wooden flute and occasionally looking for work. His job prospects are disheartening at best. His optimism is reminiscent of his father's attitude to life and he is also becoming a writer. His beauty and artistic carefree spirit is always in danger of being funneled into a life of quiet desperation.

After reuniting with his childhood friend Pulu (Swapan Mukherjee), Apu attends a wedding in which he ends up having to make decisions that changes the entire course of his life. Aparna (Sharmila Tagore) and Apu fall in love and yet can we hope that Apu has found true happiness? All hopes are soon dashed as the unthinkable occurs.

As Apu dreams of publishing his own novel, his life plays out a story of impending doom. The scene where he lifts a child from a location close to a railroad is a foreshadowing of an event that soon takes place in his own life. Finally life throws him a challenge he is not willing to face. It takes times for Apu to process the tragedy in his life and finally he is overwhelmed by grief.

Although this movie is filled with tragedy, there are moments of humor. Apu's casual defiance when he turns on the lights amused me because I'm always turning on lights and my husband is always turning them off. You will find yourself laughing at various moments throughout the Apu Trilogy.

The World of Apu is best watched after viewing Pather Panchali and Aparajito. After watching all three movies I tried to sleep for a few hours and awoke with words racing through my mind. The Apu Trilogy immerses your mind in a world of contemplation and I could not help thinking that Apu was on some journey towards enlightenment. Through his suffering he learned more than he could have ever learned through a life of leisure. Throughout Apu's life he continues to show an almost undaunted optimism and in the end he exchanges the fantasy for the reality.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

2 Satyajit Ray concludes the his beautiful Apu Trilogy
Having lost his sister and his parents in the first two installments of "The Apu Trilogy," I made the mistake of thinking there was no one left for Apurba Roy (Soumitra Chatterjee) to lose, but Satyajit Ray proves in Apur Sansar ("The World of Apu") that such expectations are foolishness. At that start of this 1960 film Apu has left school before graduation, dreams about being a writer, and is three months behind in his rent, which forces him to sell some of his beloved books. Then Pulu (Swapan Mukherjee), an old college friend, convinces Apu to attend a village wedding. When the groom turns out to have gone insane because of the fasting and meditation in preparation for the wedding, Apu's friend suggests he become the groom so that the wedding can continue and the family's honor maintained. At first Apu dismisses the idea out of hand, but then relents because he does not want the young woman to be cursed forever, and gets married to the beautiful Aparna (14-year-old Sharmila Tagore).

The middle of the film shows the happy time when Apu and Aparna get to know each other and fall in love. Two people who were complete strangers become incredibly close as we see a simple romance that rings true in a way few in cinema ever have before or since. However, after all of the suffering and hard times we have endured to this point in the trilogy it is hard to believe that Apu has finally found happiness, and indeed tragedy follows. We are suddenly confronted with the sense that we have come full circle and that once again our hopes in this story have come down to the fate of one small boy.

Even after three films Ray's genius is in using the camera to show character. What is memorable in these films are always the moments, and not the dialogue. It is the look that characters give each other than communicates much more than the words. For those who would complain that they do like to watch foreign film because it involved reading subtitles, these films should not be a problem. Ultimately it is the cinematography of Subrata Mitra and music of Ravi Shankar that are the chief mediums of communication (the only other time I have been struck this much by a similar combination was in "Road to Perdition," where the late cinematographer Conrad L. Hall won his final Oscar and Thomas Newman was nominated).

Although "The World of Apu" can stand on its own, you would be foolish not to go back and start with "Pather Panchali" ("Song of the Road") and "Aparajito" ("The Unvanquished"). Satyajit Ray is one of the greatest directors of the world, whose impact on the film industry in India was monumental, and deservedly so. When you are working out the short list of "foreign" directors with whom you need to become familiar Ray is right there with Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman.

3 Essential
The DVD release contains no extra features; the print quality is good; the movie is remarkable. Too bad Criterion didn't get the Apu Trilogy, but it is essential for film collectors nonetheless.

4 A Masterpiece of the Indian Cinema
The Apu trilogy is compulsory viewing for whoever is seriously interested in foreign cinema. This is the touching story of Apu, an Indian boy, from small child to early adulthood. Every time I watch these movies I find myself glued to the screen. One of the most famous and respected Indian movie directors, Sayajit Ray succeeded to make of a simple story a lesson in life, wonderfully told through the movie medium.

I recommend it highly. I gave it 4 stars only because they could have made a better job remastering the movies (video transfer and audio).

5 a criminal treatment of a classic film
i'm questioning whether they did anything at all but take the existing vhs edition and simply transfer it to dvd. compared to the vhs edition, one can still find the same scratches and grainy picture quality, the same sub-par sound, and the same embarrassingly inaccurate subtitle translations.

regardless of anything and everything, however, one should walk the desert and cross the seven seas to see this movie. 'the world of apu' is a complex study of the artist, the role of economic conditions on the artist's life, and a commentary on india's traditional marriage system. and yet, with all these topical distinctions, the movie rarely fails to do anything but touch the heart - in light or in break - in the most primitive and simple way possible.

to put things into perspective, this movie encapsulates the most beloved director, actor, actress, and musician of the bengali speaking world in 1959. and in 2003, it is one of the most beloved movies of anyone and in anywhere in the world.

'the world of apu' is not only my personal favorite of the apu trilogy, but along with the stars, the moon, and the air that i breathe - it is one of my favorite things in the world.

criterion, are you out there?

6 If you read this one first you may still be surprised
I'm hoping Amazon will place this review so that you read it before the others. Thus you might have a chance, despite Amazon's own over-revelatory review, of being surprised by the plot's twists. Surprise is, after all, one of the things for which artists strive - at least in my book. Having said that, I'll get on with it: The World of Apu is possibly one of this cinema buff's favorite films. Why? Because, along with consistently surprising, Ray reveals so much via oblique, subtle and sensual cues. Ray shares this knack with two of my other favorite directors, Marcel Pagnol and Jean Vigo. If cinema is a visual art yet exposition is a necessity less viewers retain too little engagement with the story and protagonists, Ray's work stands miles above the obvious and over-stated work of much modern, particularly Western, cinema. Indeed, some of Ray's power seems linked to his Eastern/Indian milieu. But Ray's facile intuitive chops are something else - the mark of a great artist. The real feast manifests when you watch this one after seeing the first two in the trilogy. Unforgettable.

7 Moving masterpiece
Imagine attending someone else's wedding and coming home with the bride. That's one of the many surprises in this, the final film in Satyajit Ray's monumental trilogy. But something even more strange happens. The newlyweds eventually fall in love. And just when it appears Apu, the surprise groom and main character of the movie, will finally find happiness, tragedy strikes. Director Ray takes both Apu and moviegoers on an emotional roller coaster ride. But as bizarre as this plot may seem, the love story is very moving. We can tell how deeply Apu and his wife Aparna feel for one another just by looking at their faces. There is no need for words. The ending of this movie won't let you down. The World of Apu will renew your faith in the power and beauty of cinema.

8 Greatest Love Story on Film ?
Let me break the suspense early .... this is just the most beautiful movie. It flows without a glitch and most of the time I forgot I was watching a movie.

Before I saw "Apu's World" I had no expectations. Infact, I wasn't even a Satyajit Ray fan. Two minutes into the movie, I was already hooked on to it. By the end of the movie, I realized that it was the greatest love story that I've ever seen on film.

There are scenes that I will savor forever. Apu's wife leaving a note in his cigarette box .... slapping his friend when he hears of his wife's death .... Oooofff! Just brilliant.

9 A true portrait of LIFE
Satyajit Ray is just perfect in this 1959 classic and the last of Apu Trilogy.

Leaving his disturbing past,Apu is now working in Calcutta.He is now alone in the world- no strings attached.He dreams to be a writer,he plays flute in his time off and he thinks he is different from any other young man-Apu lives in his dreams.He never ever wants to "settle down"-he hates that kind of a life.One day his friend Pulu comes in to his den and invited him to his sister's marriage.By some beautiful twist of fate,the groom turns out to be eccentric and Apu lands up marrying the bride(Aparna).They start a new life back in Calcutta.

Ray paints the young and funful lovelife of Apu and Aparna with some eternally beautiful scenes.Camera tells more than spoken words in this part of the movie.Apu assures Aparna on the way back from a movie show that he would dedicate the book he is working upon to Apana.

Now comes the inevitable-Aparna dies in her native place giving birth to their son Kajal.Apu couldnot believe this news--how could this happen to him again and again?He leaves Calcutta forgetting Kajal(to Apu,Kajal's existence would mean Aparna is nowhere now) although the manuscript was with him.

Apu did not want to "settle down"--now his life has been unsettled by fate-the whole world is now meaningless to him.
Now,far away from Calcutta,he roams about here and there, aimlessly,searching for peace of mind.One day in a forest,he seems to have got some meaning of his life and throws all the pages of the manuscript on air that he was still carrying and decides to lead a different life by taking up a job in coal mine.Pulu enters here once again here and Apu has to swallow a lot about his lack of responsibility towards his son.

On the other front,in Aparna's native place,the 6-year-old boy Kajal's world is strikingly different from any other boy's world of his age-while he believes his father is very strong ,very big and stays in Calcutta although he has never seen him-and he does not belive these guys who are telling that his father would never come back.But,one day his father really comes back--just to show up his "responsibilty" and not to take his son back as he's an alien to him. But,seeing Kajal's life has become a hell without a "father's presence" -Apu,perhaps for the first time in his life makes a conscious and mature decision of taking his son back with him.

The ending scene of the movie is a celebration of life--as Apu is seen laughing again and Kajal,on top of his father's shoulder,too is laughing and Kajal's eyes show the lovely dreams which reminds us of child Apu himself.The life goes on instead of ups and downs.

10 Unequaled depiction of matrimonial love
We see a young couple getting up. Later they go to a movie. And then we know that they're in love in a way that has never been shown before (or after) in film history.

11 Deeply touching
In my opinion, this is the best of the Apu trilogy films. Such a delicate theme, so well portrayed, so well acted - Ray's genius touches every nerve in one's soul.

12 One of the best films of all time!
It is incredibly difficult to review any film by Satyavit Ray because he is an artist without peer...director, screen writer, composer. Unlike so many Hollywood films, Ray's films seem real, not contrived and stike at the core of our feelings. The "World of Apu" is one of the Apu trilogy including also "Aparajito" and "Pather Panchali". Okay, these are black and white films with old soundtracks. But this should not deter you from seeing these classic films. "The World of Apu" is my favorite. It is an incredibly poignant tale of a young man's personal tragedy and how he rediscovers life. It will carry a special meaning for anyone who has ever lost a loved one and worked through grief to hope.

13 A Lyrical ode to human helplessness
Man seeks to live on his own, but his conditionings does not allow him to. Opu (Apurba) is only too happy to live with and within himself, but the basic human passion called hunger prompts him to search for a job. Amid his troubles, he meets childhood freind Pulu and the wheel of destiny is in full flow. Ray displays his artistic calibre in the mellowed and meticulous treatment he meted out to the theme, which can be argued to be rather cliched. Soumitro Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore display their potentials as well in many a scene. The Calcutta streets wherein Apu hopes from dungeons to dungeons, and those melodic backgrounders all give the viewer an hour or more in paradise.