[jyotirmoy]

The famous Ray clan of Upendrakisore & Sukumar held a high position at the Brahmo Samaj ( a revolutionary off shoot of Hindu religion based on the teachings of Upanishadas… where the Tagore family played the founder’s role. Satyajit’s mother Suprobha was a favourite of Tagore.
So it is no wonder that the question of sending Satyajit to Tagore’s university came up. Young Satyajit was caught in a dilemma. On one hand he was very much averse to the westernized educational institutions of Kolkata as was Tagore but there was a common view doing the rounds in Kolkata that the graduates from Shantiniketan were effeminate if male with long hair, sentimental and spoke Bengali in a peculiar sing-song way. In fact in my school days I had heard my senior uncles and grand fathers (please don’t jump at it, in our joint family we had quite a few) say “Oi toder Robi babu”
By this time Satyajit had been practicing with vigour his pronunciation of Bengali & English language. ( If you have seen the telecast of Ray’s discussions with Mr.  Brando it would substantiate what I am saying)
When he reached , he discovered that  none of his art teachers spoke like that.
Then  there was this great person Abanindranath Thakur, a distant nephew of Tagore a former student of Nandalal Basu  a great painter.
This Abanidranath Thakur was a painter and a great storyteller.
Andrew Robinson writes… “ Fifty years later Tagore and Ray are indissolubly bound….”
A modest Ray wrote…”  As a poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, song composer, philosopher and educationist Tagore is obviously more versatile than Shakespeare. But why compare? With indifferent translations Tagore will never be understood in the west as he is in Bengal. He has no equal, not even in the West- and I know Schubert and Hugo Wolf; as a poet , he shows incredible facility, range & development; some of his short stories are among the best ever written……..”

Some one very dear to me said that we often anoint people as God I gently say..” Amer matha noto kore dao he tomer charan dhuler tor e “

[Somerset]

Thanks for this insight into the great artist. I tried to find a link to the Ray-Brando discussion (I'd love to see it someday), and came across this at the University of California:

"In 1967 Ray wrote the script to a science fiction film he wanted to make called The Alien. Peter Sellers was interested in the lead role, and Marlon Brando in the second lead. With those two stars on board, Columbia Pictures contracted to do the picture, but things did not go well from the start. Ray was alarmed to discover that producer Mike Wilson had copyrighted the script Ray had written in both their names.

When Ray went to Columbia's London offices for further negotiations, he found Wilson hosting lavish parties in his hotel suite for rock stars and assorted glitterati. Brando soon dropped out of the project and if Ray found Wilson's tactics disturbing, Columbia executives exacerbated the situation by suggesting that Wilson had appropriated his script fee. An attempt was made to bring in James Coburn to replace Brando, but by then Ray had had enough of the Hollywood machine and maneuverings.

He returned to Calcutta and abandoned The Alien project. Columbia tried to persuade him to take on the project again in the '70s and early '80s, but nothing came of it.

In 1982, when Steven Spielberg's blockbuster E.T. was released, the plot bore a striking similarity to Ray's script for The Alien, and was produced by the same company that had contracted with Ray in 1967. The similarity was considered by some, including Ray, to be more than mere coincidence. He told the Indian press that E.T. "Would not have been possible without my script of The Alien being available throughout America in mimeographed copies." "

This incident seems vaguely familiar. I was surprised that Ray would even consider a Hollywood movie, and I guess he must have regretted it.

[jyotirmoy]

Actually Sir David & Dr. Clarke very angry & upset suggested legal action but Ray refrained.

[cyberhippie]

I've still only watched Pather Panchali of the Ray movies I bought recently under Jyoti Da's expert guidance. Factory work sends my brain into hibernation I think. Great stuff though.
I also have a confession to make Jyoti..................... After a bottle of Spanish (or was it two) I put on the film you gave me from  Ritwik Ghatak, wonderfuly shot movie.

Only thing is, when I stuck the second part in the DVD player I found out I just watched the second disc, so the film was back to front..   

Suffice to say I will watch it in sequence just as soon as the workload slows to a more human pace.

I've also got a few films for you now Jyoti.
We talked about them some time back but I only had them on video tape so good copies would have been hard to get together. Mrs Cyber bought them for me on DVD at the weekend so...
Have you seen them yet?

Director Claude Berri

Jean de Florette

Or the follow up

Manon Du Sources

[jyotirmoy]

Bhai cyber I purposely gave you that Ritwik da's film Subornorekha... I just wanted to hit you on the face & I see dear Somerset bhai here who has watched this film... I gave you this film as you are through seeing my country geographically and you have the intention to know what pains & delights us.....

[jyotirmoy]

cyber bhai I have noted down the films that you have recommended, a visit to shop no.34 tomorrow to pick them up if available.

[jyotirmoy]

Soner kella (The Golden Fort)

In Soner Kella  detective Felu da’s car broke down due to an act of sabotage by villain Monder Bose. The desperate team comprising Feluda, his assistant Topse and writer of detective fiction Lal Mohun Babu had to hire camels and rush to the nearest railway station to catch the train to Jaisalmer. To shoot the train sequence it was necessary to find a stretch of track which must run through wilderness and a metalled road next to it. The camera would be mounted on a car which would run along with the train.
The entire stretch of the route from Jaisalmer & Jodhpur was examined and only one such stretch could be found around eighty kilometers  from Jaisalmer towards Jodhpur. I can not recollect the name of that place now.
There used to be a train in the morning that went from Jaisalmer to Pokhran and it was decided to use this train for the shooting. But for some reason, may be a sudden rise in the cost of coal this train service was discontinued before the shoot.
Ray himself went and met senior railway officers and explained how important this sequence was for the film. The officers agreed to loan a train to Ray for his shoot but Ray would have to pay for the coal which Ray accepted.
The plan was that the train would arrive at Pokharan at 11 AM next day for the shoot.  The film crew & Ray had been staying in Jaisalmer,  courtesy Maharaja of Jaisamler.  Ray and the crew travelled to Pokhran by car from Jaisalmer.
At 11 AM there was no sign of the train although the camels were there fully decked up. When Ray was about to pack up around 2:30 PM the train was sighted. This was during winter so the sunlight would start fading soon. The engine driver was explained what was to be done and at what speed he should drive the train. The first take would be the train chugging along spewing a thick coloumn of black smoke against the sky.
The train chugged on, camera started rolling and reached the desired spot. The stoker was so engrossed in watching the shooting that he forgot to put fresh coal before the stretch so only a thin wisp of smoke came out of the chimney. The train had to be stopped made to go back and start again. Just to be sure a crew member travelled in the engine. This time the stoker did his job well and the shot was taken. Soon after this the sunlight became yellow orange so it was pack up time.  
Next day the train arrived in time and shooting commenced. In this shot the trio Feluda, Topse and Lal Mohon babu on camel back would spot a train and rush to the track waiving handkerchiefs shouting “roko,roko”….. Halt halt but the train would chug away leaving them. The driver heard Soumitra shouting  “roko,roko”  and stopped the train. A few hundred feet of colour stock got wasted.

[WonderWomanUSA]

cyberhippie, on Jul 24 2008, 10:41 AM, said:

I've also got a few films for you now Jyoti.
We talked about them some time back but I only had them on video tape so good copies would have been hard to get together. Mrs Cyber bought them for me on DVD at the weekend so...
Have you seen them yet?

Director Claude Berri

Jean de Florette

Or the follow up

Manon Du Sources

Ah, those are lovely films. I loved Manon du Sources

[dzibead]

In a modern DVD, this whole business with the train would be included in the "extras" on a second disc, as part of a bit on "The Making of Sonar Kella"!

I'm feeling overwhelmed with all of Jyoti Da's film recommendations!  I'll never be able to cathc up!

[jyotirmoy]

Lots of time left dear dzibead for you, not so much for me though.... so trying to offload as much weight as possible  

[jyotirmoy]

Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne


Ray and his crew had once again camped in Jaisalmer for shooting the war scene which would be the climax of this film. Jahar Roy who played the part of the evil minister of the kingdom of Halla had a film commitment and was to come later and join them. Jahar Roy reached Jodhpur and traveled in a cab to reach Jaisalmer. There was an accident on the way although Roy escaped with very minor injuries.
Jahar Roy was the finest comedian and a great stage actor that Bengal had seen. When asked about the accident he said:

“Bhai every thing was going on fine. I sat comfortably and the portly sardarjee taxi driver had got the steering wheel well entrenched  in the folds of his enormous paunch leaving his both hands free. With the left hand he twirled the huge moustache he had and with the right hand he drummed on the door to the beats of the music that was playing on the tape. I was amazed at his expertise of controlling the wheel with his tummy muscles as the car sped on the highway. Then came this blasted rabbit out of a bush. To save it sardarjee applied his hands to the wheel and next thing I saw was me rolling along with two holdalls. But I had only one holdall. Then I looked again it was the sardarjee driver.”

The entire crew broke in to laughter and Jahar Roy went to the make up room.
Getting one thousand camels and equal number of locals to play the soldiers dressed in costumes designed by Ray is another story which I intend to write later, now its high time that I start making lunch.