Il codardo

After watching two rather lengthy, rambling Ray films, "Big City" and "Charulata", it was nice to see this concise, 70 minute parable about the folly of turning one's back on love because one is scared to commit. Felt like a combination of DeMaupassant, with the twist of the knife at the end, and Maugham, with the tawdry, tea plantation setting. Add a dash of James M Cain (the lonely, alcoholic husband) and you've got a most satisfying movie. Give it an A.

This melancholy little chamber piece from the director of 'Pather Panchali' also ends beside a railway line; once again holding out the possibility of a new departure.

It has much of the mood of the epilogues of 'Une Partie du Champagne' and 'Les Paraplues de Cherbourg', but this time comprises the entire movie, with the sadly recalled happier times just brief flashbacks.

The most fascinating quality about Kapurush is its brevity – the brevity of the film runtime (74 mins), its terseness in dialogues and the concision in expressions delivered by the protagonists of this film. It is a remarkable craft.

It's hard to imagine for any film maker of international repute to deal with a subject like Kapurush and tackle in-depth human emotions and consciousness, so succinctly and precisely, in just about 74 minutes. Some filmmakers would take alteast the normal 120-140 minutes length to be able to deal with a subject like Kapurush in order to give a wholesome cinematic form. Satyajit Ray took just 74 times to tell a story revolving around 3 main characters, depicting their psyche and intense mental turmoil – all unspoken but using subtle eye movements and small body gestures. The film is the finest example of optimal usage of speech, gesture, expression and length. The film highlights Ray's prowess in the economy of speech and cinematic resources. Kapurush inevitably epitomizes Ray's mastery and control over every aspects of film-making.

The ending of the film is undoubtedly the most exciting part - as with many of Ray's films, it leaves the audience to draw several conclusions, and as a result makes you think. And that's what makes Ray's films so unique – they are all subtle, calm and composed films – but after you have seen them, they bore a deep imprint on your mind and makes you think. Kapurush is one of them.

Unfortunately, Kapurush is a highly underrated film, perhaps because Ray is impeccable and had consistently produced masterpieces. As a result of this, a film like Kapurush got overshadowed. For any other world-class film-maker of today, it would have been a jewel in his or her oeuvre. Well, as I always say – Satyajit Ray is the God of Cinemas....period.

In my second experience watching the cult director Satyajit Ray's Kapurush, aside the gorgeous full restored cinematography, fine landscape I light upon an unusual and boring storyline, where a screenwriter meets his girlfriend already married, almost contrived dealing with million people at large India territory, what a possibility to meet his former lover? Let's forget this small fortuity for dramatic purpose, so came up a slow pace narrative meanwhile enters a loudmouth husband, well can it getting worse I thought, possible not whatsoever with so praised director as Ray.

The second act of this short picture expose a fleeting scene when faltering guy asking sleeping pill to beauty housewife, it goes unnoticed by the audience, at final hour there the guy pleading for his old fiancée give up of her unhappy marriage aiming for a give a second chance for both, if she accepts he waiting for her at train station at night, she really arrives there on schedule, however.....

Apart the slow narrative, quite often annoying Satyajit Ray has an ace in the hole, also enhance it thru some flashbacks, another point slight touched here by wealthy husband about the infamous caste system, where no high class ought talk with lowest ones, fine picture.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

(1965) The Coward/ Kapurush (In Bengali with English subtitles) DRAMA

Adapted from the short story ""Janaiko Kapurusher Kahini" by Premendra Mitra music, co-written and directed by Satyajit Ray that tells about an inspiring screenwriter, Soumitra Chattopadhyay as Amitabha Roy (also known as the Coward) by chance meeting an ex-former flame, Karuna (Madhabi Mukhopadhyay), and he continues to pursue for her affections despite her already married.

It is not just a movie about a young man vying affections for a former flame, for it is also about class, culture and class. This is the sixth of fourteen films actor Soumitra Chatterjee collaborated with writer/ director Satyajit Ray.