The Music Room (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

A poignant film about the need for certain people to keep up appearances above more important things like family.

entertainment

When I first saw the Music Room in a big screen at the Ice-skating Ring Calcutta, I found it to be slow but intriguing. Since then whenever I watched this film, I felt I rediscovered it once again. When I found that the Criterion Collection has released the DVD version, I didn't think twice to buy it from Amazon though the price is more than sum total of all the Satyajit DVD/VCDs I have ever purchased. With a superb digital restoration, it is an audio-visual pleasure to watch the khayal recital in the backdrop of the looming disaster, the Kathak performance, tinkling sound of the chandelier, the night scene and so on. Analysis of the film by the French television channel, Mira Nair and by Andrew Robinson are delightful bonus. What a love and perfection that have gone in to restore this masterpiece from oblivion.

Satyajit Ray's fourth feature film, "The Music Room" remains one of the strongest in the Ray canon, not least because it skirts sentimentality, verging instead upon the tragic. The restored Criterion print is first rate and reveals Ray as a stunning poet in the medium of black and white. The extraordinary quality of the music and dance--all seamlessly integrated into the plot--speaks for itself. The supporting material is uniformly excellent and genuinely serves to illuminate the film. It is only to be hoped that Criterion will see fit to release further Ray films with this degree of care, conervatorship, and sophistication.

Watch it! It's one of S. Ray's best. The movie is deeply thought provoking and stands well for repeated viewings. The remastered copy of "Criterrion" is excellent. Highly recommended.

It was quite good and arrived on time.

The only Ray films I've seen are THE APU TRILOGY & DISTANT THUNDER, so this was a treat. He achieves a nice balance b/w cynical observation of the aristocrat & melodramatic, even maudlin, sympathy. Lead actor Biswas' 1st name is pronounced "chubby", & indeed here he looks & acts like an overfed baby. Crisp, elegant cinematography, w/ lovely tracking shots, of the desolate palace w/ furniture all sold @ auction. The symbolism is rilly heavy-handed, but it's shot so well that one doesn't mind. Then there's the music: the zamindar blows the last of his fortune hiring the very best musicians, so we're treated to *3* scenes of complete songs by India's best musicians & dancers. Biswas IRL was basically tone-deaf w/ zero ear for music, so his convincing appreciation of it is a testament to his acting & Ray's direction. 8/10

Beautiful movie!