Pather Panchali is a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray in the year 1955. It is a very unique film, especially for its time when most films were shot in a typical Bollywood style with intermittent dances numbers and highly dramatized stories. The story of Pather Panchali is shown through the eyes of Apu, a young child born to Harihar Ray and Sarbojaya. The movie focuses on the family’s struggle to get through life. We see the harsh reality of living a poor life but also the little fragments of happiness through the childlike actions of Apu and her sister, Durga.
The movie is part of what is known as Parallel Cinema. This film movement has many influences from the Italian Neorealist movement, and both happened around the same time, which is why it is referred to as Parallel Cinema. One of the best Italian Neorealist film, Bicycle Thieves, in particular is said to have been a heavy influence for Pather Panchali and the subsequent movies released as part of the Apu Trilogy. It is incredible that even in a time without the Internet, artists across the world were able to influence each other’s works.
The story of Bicycle Thives, as discussed before, was focused on showing the struggles of the lower class. It does so by focusing on one man’s struggle to provide for his family and in Pather Panchali, we see a story similar in theme where we focus on the struggles of a poor family living in an economically bleak part of history
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