Director: Satyajit Ray
Script: Satyajit Ray after Tarashankar Banerjee's novel Jalsaghar
Cinematographer: Subrata Mitra
Editor: Dulal Dutta
Music: Ustad Vilayat Khan
Cast: Chhabi Biswas, Padmadevi, Pinaki Sengupta, Gangapada Basu
Production: Satyajit Ray
Distribution:
Films Sans Frontières
70, bd de Sébastopol
75003 Paris
France
Tel.: 0033 1.42.77.21.84
Fax: 0033 1.42.77.42.66
Mail: [email protected]
www.films-sans-frontières.fr
Year: 1958
35 mm, B & W, 100 mn,
OV Bengali With French Subtitles
The « Zamindars », powerful land owners of Bengal, used to have a music room in their large residence where they organised big festivals. Biswambhar Roy is a zamindar on the brink of financial ruin with a passion for «jalsa » (musical competition), living by a river in the countryside, in the early 20th century. He is sitting on his terrace. In the background, one can hear music coming from Mahim Ganguli’s home, his rich neighbour whose son is celebrated for his first sacred thread. He remembers his own son’s ceremony in his house, four years before. He recalls the splendour of his concerts where the most brilliant musicians and singers were invited. He lost his wife, then his son and spent what little fortune he had left.
