Devi (The Criterion Collection)

The Criterion mastering is gorgeous. Such a beautiful film. The supplemental interviews are well done, informative. I can see watching this again and again.

**** Warning: a few spoilers. DEVI (1960) is arguably Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece. The name Devi means ‘goddess’ in Sanskrit, and is the focus of the plot. Dayamayee (played by Sharmila Tagore) is the daughter in law of Kalikinkar, who has a dream where Dayamayee becomes an incarnation of Kali, a divine goddess. He believes his dream, and as the story progresses, Dayamayee gets pressured and caught up in her new life as a supposed divine goddess who can heal the sick, even when her supposed healing powers coincidentally play out on a young boy. As a result, she doesn’t know what to believe anymore, questioning her own beliefs and her place in the world. The heavy burden placed on her by her father in law takes an emotional toll on her, with several scenes showing her with a sad expression and in tears. There are several stunning closeups of the characters and their emotions that are powerful in their presentation. The haunting music adds more drama, while the rich lighting and darker images in this black and white film create the melancholy mood. The Criterion Collection blu ray is a good restoration that also features some nice extras. If you’re a fan of Satyajit Ray, then DEVI should be in your collection.

DEVI has been one of the missing films in Satyajit Ray's filmography: all the prints that were available have been severely degraded, with the wonderful black-and-white cinematography looking fuzzy and faded. It has taken decades, but finally, this film has been restored in prime condition, and has now been made available through Criterion. And it is glorious! It's a pity that there aren't more extras (what is provided is quite enlightening), but the quality of the restoration is the primary attraction!

entertainment

Criterion can do no wrong (mostly). Devi is an exquisite work of art from Satyajit Ray. Did he create anything that wasn’t breathtakingly perfect?

The restoration of Devi - A Satyajit Ray masterpiece is excellent. We all enjoyed the output. Great Job Criterion

Only two things disappoint about this Criterion release; first, that it’s the only film to be added to the collection on the 100th anniversary of Satyajit Ray’s birth. (That’s probably not Criterion‘s fault, since most of Ray’s films were compromised by scandalously poor storage conditions.)The second is that their story description is inappropriate to the actual film, and doesn’t reflect the director’s focus in the slightest. (Ray’s exploration of the human condition is far more telling and nuanced than the trite flag-waving they present it as here.)Aside from that, Devi gets the impeccable Criterion treatment – which Satyajit Ray deserves more than most directors, since he was the closest thing to Chekhov world cinema had seen, until the flowering of Abbas Kiarostami decades later.A well-told story about our frightening capacity for delusion, it’s one of Ray’s weaker films from this period, but still an enriching view.(Hopefully, Criterion will make up for their offenses here by releasing Aranyer Din Ratri [Days and Nights in the Forest] in 2023!)

This film continues to permeate my mind, eleven years afer the first time I had the honor to see it, in its full glory, in the movie theater. This very important story is a character study of the role of the young wife in the culture of Satyajit Ray's Bengali-speaking society. (I wish I could say what region of India this film was specific to. There is such a diversity of cultures in India, it would be unfair to generalize this role, in saying that this is the image that the entire nation has of Indian wives, and their responsiblity to their husband, as well as to the hearth.)Doyamoyee (Sharmila Tagore) is the beautiful, seventeen year old bride of Umaprasad (Soumitra Chatterjee). When Umaprasad must go away for an extended period of time, Doyamoyee is left to stay with his family--that includes his father, Kalikinkar (Chhabi Biswas). A prophetic vision comes to Kalikinkar, while he is dreaming. He sees Doyamoyee as the healing goddess, Kali. Once that imagery lingers in his mind, he is convinced that she has been annointed as the second coming of the goddess, and has the power to heal the sick in their community. That said, she is made to sit on an alter, day in and day out, and perform healing rituals for the afflicted. Umaprasad arrives home, to discover, this, and is more than skeptical.This is a cautionary tale at how far visions will drive people, to realize--quite literally, in this case--their dreams. Ray poses this important point, through beautiful storytelling (through his use of cinematography, direction and wonderful acting). They really need to re-release in the theaters. Satyajit Ray is one of the most important directors of all time, in my opinion. The newer generation needs to see his films, to fully appreciate his artistic genius, as a storyteller and filmmaker. This is a great introduction......Also reccomended: "Two Daughters" and "The Stranger."