Company Limited / The Stranger

The father of Indian cinema received an honorary Oscar in 1992 for his 'rare mastery of the art of motion pictures'. Even though the director of Goodfellas lauded his work for its 'simple poetry' and 'emotional impact', one sad fact remains, the father of Indian cinema has yet to receive the international reputation he deserves. Outside Bengali culture, he is just another schmuck in those 'Top 100 Directors' lists. Prominent filmmakers that have made movies like The Maltese Falcon, Star Wars, Ghandi, Midnight Cowboy, and The Darjeeling Limited would tell you the same thing, the cinema of Satyajit Ray has something special to say. Even the director of Seven Samurai said, 'Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon'...

Ray wrote and directed a consistent stream of movies from 1955 up until his death in 1992. They include Pather Panchali [Song of the Little Road] (1955), Aparajito [The Unvanquished] (1956) and Apur Sansar [The World of Apu] (1959). Referred to as the 'Apu Trilogy' these movies cemented Ray's approach to filmmaking. He made them raw, brutal, honest and passionate portrayals of real life in India. Later in his career, Satyajit didn't want to make phoney baloney Bollywood movies. He wanted to reflect humanity in all its guises and didn't want to make a song or dance about it. Other notable movies include The Big City (1963), The Lonely Wife (1964), The Coward (1965), The Saint (1965), The Chess Player (1977) and The Elephant God (1979). It's a crime against cinema that we only have a handful of Satyajit Ray movies on DVD. Considering he directed thirty-seven movies in thirty-six years, one has to wonder, where are his other movies?


Thanks to Mr. Bongo Films, this sad situation seems to be shifting. They have already released three seminal Satyajit Ray movies - The Goddess (1960), Two Daughters (1961) and The Adversary (1972). Their new releases will be Company Limited (1971) and The Stranger (1991).


After watching Satyajit Ray movies, there is a natural impulse to seek out more of his work. His cinema is insidious. It has impact. It has style. It has simplicity, grace, depth, realism. This is what makes him such a great director. He deals with subtext. He creates conflict. He makes you question the human condition. Makes you smile. Makes you laugh. Makes you cry. Satyajit Ray's depiction of life in Indian crosses all social and cultural boundaries. The people who inhabit his world have humanity. They are not mere representations of life. They are life.


Satyajit Ray must be mentioned in the same breathe as Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles, Ingmar Bergman, Sam Peckinpah, Akira Kurosawa, Yasjiro Ozu and Sergio Leone. He is a master of his craft. A professional. Someone who knows how to make good movies. Make them passionate. Make them engaging. When all the ingredients come together filmmakers like Ray create MAGIC. They make you question your own life.  Make you question society. Make you question culture.  They create a mysterious quality of enchantment. Satyajit Ray has achieved this. This is why, if you're a fan of cinema, you need to watch some of his movies. You wont regret it.


To see the master at work watch this fascinating documentary:-



If it doesn't present an impulse to pursue the splendour that is Satyajit Ray, maybe someone who grew up in the Bronx could twist your arm with this 6min clip:-



Special Features: None. It would have been great to have something substantial on these discs, maybe a documentary or a commentary (or even a booklet).

Verdict: Company Limited and The Stranger are honest depictions of life - they are effectual and emotional cinematic delights.