Ghare baire (1984)

In the Bengali film Ghare baire ("The home and the world"), Satyajit Ray - a giant figure in Indian art cinema - explores the political situation in Victorian Bengal, at the time when Lord Curzon divided the province into predominantly Hindu and predominantly Muslim regions, presaging the ultimate partition of the subcontinent. A forward-thinking Maharajah (Victor Banerjee, best known to Western audiences from A Passage to India), encourages his wife to come out of purdah to meet his school friend, who has become a militant leader of the Swadeshi nationalist movement. All of the relationships are strained when she falls for his message – and for him – only to learn too late that he is little more than an egotistical hypocrite. This interesting film is perhaps best understood as allegory - the sheltered wife is Mother India, tumbling headlong into the modern era.

Comments

[Amit]

Only one Satyajit Ray movie reviewed so far? He was definitely one of the best directors ever, though the only "Bollywood" movie he made was "The Chess Players" which does have Shabana Azmi!

I'm just giving you a hard time :)

-Amit

[carla]

Yes, you have uncovered one of the woeful holes in my filmi experience - I've seen very little of Satyajit Ray. I wish this review weren't so short but I would have to watch the film again to expand it. *The Chess Players*, by the way, was in my last order and is on its way to me right now. So you may see it reviewed here soon. (-: