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Charulata,
DVD |
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Charulata
(1964)
Runtime: 117 min
Country: India
Language: Bengali
Color: B/W
Synopsis:
Charu lives a lonely and idle life in 1870s India. Although her husband devotes
more time to his newspaper than to their marriage, he sees her loneliness and
asks his brother-in-law, Amal, a would-be writer to keep her company. However,
after several months, Charu and Amal's feelings for each other move beyond
literary friendship.
Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi
Mukherjee, Shailen Mukherjee
| Format: |
Region 0 (or "region free") is
compatible with DVD players from any region.
We strongly advise USA and
CANADIAN customers to check their NTSC dvd player for PAL
compatibility. |
| Quality: |
Good video transfer to dvd |
| Price: |
£15.00 |
| Shipping: |
£1.00 (worldwide) |
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| As cinema appears to become ever more loud and brash, a
work as delicate, subtle and understated as this may easily pass unnoticed, or
mistaken as insipid. That is a great shame, since this is obviously a great
masterpiece. Set in India in the last century, Charulata is trapped in a dull,
stifling marriage. What starts off as innocent flirting with her brother-in-law
soon sets off emotions that none of them, decent though they all are, can
really control. There is no adultery as such - the betrayal is all in the mind
- but the trust implicit in marriage is broken, and the future can only be
faced with uncertainty. This is a film of great grace and elegance, and also of
considerable wit. But underneath the surface charm is a great seriousness. As
always, Ray depicts the development of the characters with great insight and
sensitivity, and coaxes fine performances from his cast. Western critics, in
discussing this film, often draw parallels with the works of Chekhov or of
Henry James, but Ray's inspiration was actually the great Bengali writer
Rabindranath Tagore, on whose short novel this film was based. As a piece of
film-making, it is absolute perfection - a real gem. |
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