The Apu Trilogy – Criterion Collection – Blu-ray

Collection of three films in Satyajit Ray's celebrated trilogy. 'Pather Panchali' (1955) tells the story of a family living in the grip of poverty in a small Bengali village, focusing on the experiences of young boy Apu (Subir Bandopadhyay). 'Aparajito' (1956) sees Apu (Smaran Ghosal) move with his family to the busy city of Benares where they hope to build a new life after suffering a devastating family tragedy. But when Apu's father dies, the young man decides to head out on his own and attend college in Calcutta, leading to a growing estrangement between him and his widowed mother. Finally, in 'The World of Apu' (1959), the adult Apu (Soumitra Chatterjee) hopes to become a writer, but his lack of finances forces him to abandon his university studies. He meets old friend Pulu (Swapan Mukherjee) and together they travel to the wedding of Pulu's cousin, Aparna (Sharmila Tagore). When the wedding is cancelled, Apu agrees to marry Aparna to save her from ridicule. They return to his Calcutta apartment to start a new life and Apu comes to love his wife, but his happiness is soon shattered by a tragic turn of events.