Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye is the definitive biography of the movie giant Satyajit Ray, an exceptionally versatile film-maker who won almost every major prize in cinema, including an Oscar for lifetime achievement just before his death in 1992. Ray's films include the Apu Trilogy, The Music Room, Cahrulata, Days and Night in the Forest, The Chess Players and the Stranger. He also made comedies, musicals, detective film and documentaries.
This new edtition, revised and extensively updated following Ray's death, includes material covering his final films and his artistic legacy, and a uniquely comprehensive bibliography of Ray's writings. The book is based in extensive interviews with Ray himself, his actors and collaborators, an a deep knowledge of Bengali culture.
Handsomely illustrated with drawing and photographs, including evocative stills from Ray's films, the book presents a broadly chronological film-by-film account of Ray's work. It uncovers his roots -Bengali, Indian and Western; cinematic, literary, artistic and musical -so that readers can understand as well as enjoy Ray's films.
The Inner Eye reveals the totality of Satyajit Ray's achievement and its timeless appeal, and will be of interest to film lovers everywhere.
About The Author:
Andrew Robinson is the author of more than a dozen books, including several acclaimed works on Rabindranath Tagore (written with Krishna Dutta), and the editor of three screenplays by Satyajit Ray. He is the literary editor of The Times Higher
Excerpts From Review
'An extraordinarily good, detailed and selfless book'
-V. S. Naipaul
'Extremely thorough, often perceptive, and at times highly entertaining It is good to have a sympathetic portrait of one the giants of cinema.'
-Salman Rushdie, London Reviews of Books
'Mr Robinson's close analysis of the warp and woof of Mr Ray's work makers an almost answerable case for the defence.'
-The Economist
'A glorious book, a feast of research and insights.'
-Films and Filming
'Andrew Robinson has managed to combine research with knowledge and analysis to produce what could become an enduring work of reference on the technique and narrative brilliance of the cinema of Ray.'
-India Today
'Robinson's book is a labour of love, in every sense . The enthusiasm is infectious, the sympathy persuasive. The book will enrich our re-viewing of Ray.'
-Sight and Sound
'The book .is a splendid achievement, readable and informative, handsomely illustrated
' - William Radice, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
Preface to the Second Edition and Acknowledgements | vii | |
List of Illustrations | x | |
Not on the Pronunciation and Spelling of Bengali | xii | |
Introduction: Getting to know Ray | 1 |
1 | A Bengali Banyan Tree: The Ray Family | 12 |
2 | Early Years 1921-40 | 28 |
3 | Santiniketan and Tagore | 46 |
4 | Commercial Artist and Critic 1943-50 | 56 |
5 | The Making of Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) 1950-5 | 74 |
6 | The Apu Trilogy 1955-9: Pathar Panchali, Aparajito (The Unvanquished), The World of Apu (Apur Sansar) | 91 |
7 | Comedies: The Philosopher's Stone (Parash Pathar) 1958, The Holy Man (Mahapurush) 1964 | 107 |
8 | The Music Room (Jalsaghar) 1958 | 113 |
9 | The Goddess (Devi) 1950 | 120 |
10 | Three Daughter (Teen Kanya) 1961 | 128 |
11 | Kanchenjungha 1962 | 136 |
12 | The Expedition (Abhijan) 1962 | 144 |
13 | The Big City (Mahanagar) 1963 | 149 |
14 | The Lonely Wife (Charulata) 1964 | 156 |
15 | The Coward (Kapurusha) 1965 | 170 |
16 | The Hero (Nayak) 1966 | 177 |
17 | Musicals: The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) 1969, The Kingdom of Diamonds (Hirak Rajar Dese) 1980 | 182 |
18 | Days and Nights in the Forest (Aranyer Din Rat) 1969 | 192 |
19 | The Calcutta Trilogy: The Adversary (Pratidwandi) 1970, Company Limited (Seemabaddha) 1971 The Middle Man (Jana Aranya) 1975 | 200 |
20 | Distant Thunder (Asani Sanker) 1973 | 221 |
21 | Detective Films: The Zoo (Chiriakhana) 1967, The Golden Fortress (Sonar Kella) 1974 The Elephant God (Joi Baba Felunath)1978 | 231 |
22 | The Chess Players (Shatranj ke Khilari) 1977 | 240 |
23 | Two 1964, Pikoo 1980 | 252 |
24 | Deliverance (Sadgati) 1981 | 257 |
25 | The Home and the World (Ghare Baire) 1984 | 263 |
26 | Documentaries: Sikkim 1971, Sukumar Ray 1987, Rabindranath Tagore 1961, Bala 1976, The Inner Eye 1972 | 274 |
27 | Unmade Films: Ravi Shankar, The Mahabharata, A Passage to India, The Alien | 283 |
28 | Ray as Designer, Illustrator and Writer | 296 |
29 | 'Some Aspects of His Craft:' Ray as Film-maker | 306 |
30 | 'The Inner Eye' | 319 |
31 | Koh-I-noor: An Enemy of the People (Ganasatru) 1989, Branches of the Tree (Sakha Prasakha) 1990, The Stranger (Agantuk) 1991, and the Legacy of Satyajit Ray | 339 |
Glossary | 365 | |
Filmography | 370 | |
Notes | 381 | |
Bibliography | 401 | |
Index | 409 |
Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye is the definitive biography of the movie giant Satyajit Ray, an exceptionally versatile film-maker who won almost every major prize in cinema, including an Oscar for lifetime achievement just before his death in 1992. Ray's films include the Apu Trilogy, The Music Room, Cahrulata, Days and Night in the Forest, The Chess Players and the Stranger. He also made comedies, musicals, detective film and documentaries.
This new edtition, revised and extensively updated following Ray's death, includes material covering his final films and his artistic legacy, and a uniquely comprehensive bibliography of Ray's writings. The book is based in extensive interviews with Ray himself, his actors and collaborators, an a deep knowledge of Bengali culture.
Handsomely illustrated with drawing and photographs, including evocative stills from Ray's films, the book presents a broadly chronological film-by-film account of Ray's work. It uncovers his roots -Bengali, Indian and Western; cinematic, literary, artistic and musical -so that readers can understand as well as enjoy Ray's films.
The Inner Eye reveals the totality of Satyajit Ray's achievement and its timeless appeal, and will be of interest to film lovers everywhere.
About The Author:
Andrew Robinson is the author of more than a dozen books, including several acclaimed works on Rabindranath Tagore (written with Krishna Dutta), and the editor of three screenplays by Satyajit Ray. He is the literary editor of The Times Higher
Excerpts From Review
'An extraordinarily good, detailed and selfless book'
-V. S. Naipaul
'Extremely thorough, often perceptive, and at times highly entertaining It is good to have a sympathetic portrait of one the giants of cinema.'
-Salman Rushdie, London Reviews of Books
'Mr Robinson's close analysis of the warp and woof of Mr Ray's work makers an almost answerable case for the defence.'
-The Economist
'A glorious book, a feast of research and insights.'
-Films and Filming
'Andrew Robinson has managed to combine research with knowledge and analysis to produce what could become an enduring work of reference on the technique and narrative brilliance of the cinema of Ray.'
-India Today
'Robinson's book is a labour of love, in every sense . The enthusiasm is infectious, the sympathy persuasive. The book will enrich our re-viewing of Ray.'
-Sight and Sound
'The book .is a splendid achievement, readable and informative, handsomely illustrated
' - William Radice, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
Preface to the Second Edition and Acknowledgements | vii | |
List of Illustrations | x | |
Not on the Pronunciation and Spelling of Bengali | xii | |
Introduction: Getting to know Ray | 1 |
1 | A Bengali Banyan Tree: The Ray Family | 12 |
2 | Early Years 1921-40 | 28 |
3 | Santiniketan and Tagore | 46 |
4 | Commercial Artist and Critic 1943-50 | 56 |
5 | The Making of Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) 1950-5 | 74 |
6 | The Apu Trilogy 1955-9: Pathar Panchali, Aparajito (The Unvanquished), The World of Apu (Apur Sansar) | 91 |
7 | Comedies: The Philosopher's Stone (Parash Pathar) 1958, The Holy Man (Mahapurush) 1964 | 107 |
8 | The Music Room (Jalsaghar) 1958 | 113 |
9 | The Goddess (Devi) 1950 | 120 |
10 | Three Daughter (Teen Kanya) 1961 | 128 |
11 | Kanchenjungha 1962 | 136 |
12 | The Expedition (Abhijan) 1962 | 144 |
13 | The Big City (Mahanagar) 1963 | 149 |
14 | The Lonely Wife (Charulata) 1964 | 156 |
15 | The Coward (Kapurusha) 1965 | 170 |
16 | The Hero (Nayak) 1966 | 177 |
17 | Musicals: The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne) 1969, The Kingdom of Diamonds (Hirak Rajar Dese) 1980 | 182 |
18 | Days and Nights in the Forest (Aranyer Din Rat) 1969 | 192 |
19 | The Calcutta Trilogy: The Adversary (Pratidwandi) 1970, Company Limited (Seemabaddha) 1971 The Middle Man (Jana Aranya) 1975 | 200 |
20 | Distant Thunder (Asani Sanker) 1973 | 221 |
21 | Detective Films: The Zoo (Chiriakhana) 1967, The Golden Fortress (Sonar Kella) 1974 The Elephant God (Joi Baba Felunath)1978 | 231 |
22 | The Chess Players (Shatranj ke Khilari) 1977 | 240 |
23 | Two 1964, Pikoo 1980 | 252 |
24 | Deliverance (Sadgati) 1981 | 257 |
25 | The Home and the World (Ghare Baire) 1984 | 263 |
26 | Documentaries: Sikkim 1971, Sukumar Ray 1987, Rabindranath Tagore 1961, Bala 1976, The Inner Eye 1972 | 274 |
27 | Unmade Films: Ravi Shankar, The Mahabharata, A Passage to India, The Alien | 283 |
28 | Ray as Designer, Illustrator and Writer | 296 |
29 | 'Some Aspects of His Craft:' Ray as Film-maker | 306 |
30 | 'The Inner Eye' | 319 |
31 | Koh-I-noor: An Enemy of the People (Ganasatru) 1989, Branches of the Tree (Sakha Prasakha) 1990, The Stranger (Agantuk) 1991, and the Legacy of Satyajit Ray | 339 |
Glossary | 365 | |
Filmography | 370 | |
Notes | 381 | |
Bibliography | 401 | |
Index | 409 |