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কী পেলাম এই বইতে?
ভণিতাহীন সততা। অকপট স্বীকারোক্তি। নির্ভেজাল ঋজু গদ্যভাষা। এবং সত্যজিতের সুস্পষ্ট মৌলিক সিনেমাদর্শন।
আমি নিজে সিনেমা শুধু দেখতেই পছন্দ করি। সিনেমার টেকনিক্যাল খুঁটিনাটি নিয়ে
চলচ্চিত্র বিষয়ক অন্য একটি ভুবনবিখ্যাত বই রায়মশাই আমাদের উপহার দিয়ে গিয়েছিলেন এর আগে : "বিষয় চলচ্চিত্র"। এই বইটি তার দোসর। সিনেমা-সংক্রান্ত তাঁর ইংরেজি লেখাপত্র, যেগুলো এযাবৎ ইতস্তত ছড়িয়ে ছিটিয়ে ছিল, সেসবের সংকলন এটি। এবং বলা বাহুল্য হলেও বলে ফেলি, খাঁটি সত্যজিতীয় হীরকদীপ্তির কিছু কমতি নেই এই বইটিতেও।কী পেলাম এই বইতে?
ভণিতাহীন সততা। অকপট স্বীকারোক্তি। নির্ভেজাল ঋজু গদ্যভাষা। এবং সত্যজিতের সুস্পষ্ট মৌলিক সিনেমাদর্শন।
আমি নিজে সিনেমা শুধু দেখতেই পছন্দ করি। সিনেমার টেকনিক্যাল খুঁটিনাটি নিয়ে আমার আগ্রহ কহতব্য নয়। তবু এই মানুষটির অতল মেধা, স্পষ্টবাচন, তাৎপর্যময় সিনেমাবিশ্লেষণ, আমার সামনে অযাচিতভাবে খুলে দেয় তাঁর উপলব্ধির উজ্জ্বল দিগন্ত :
"Over the years, I have moved from genre to genre and covered a wide range of subjects. If my output appears too diverse, it only reflects my varied occupations, and my anxiety not to fall into a rut. I can honestly say that with only one exception - Chiriakhana - I have never taken up a subject that didn't interest me deeply. I was conscious of breaking new grounds thematically with films like Devi, Jalsaghar, Mahanagar, Pratidwandi, Seemabaddha, Jana Aranya. I believe that the narrative methods in films like Charulata, Kanchenjungha, Aranyer Din Ratri, Shatranj ke Khilari are far from conventional."
সত্যবচন! (Pun intended)
...more
Had I not read this, I would never have known what a harsh critic this man was. HE was a student of cinema and an artist who wanted due respect for the art form. A must read for all Ray fans and genuine cinema lovers.
M
Deep Focus: Reflections on Cinema by Satyajit Ray is a collection of the maestro's writings on the art and craft of film making from his writings in various publications over the years. There are three parts in the slim volume: The Film maker's craft that looks into the elements and process of film making; Pen Portraits which are his impressions of some of the best names in film making and Celebrating Cinema that captures the ambience, struggles and dynamics at film festivals across the world.My major complaint with the book is that it could have paid better attention to the editing to avoid repetition. Considering that the writings have been put together from individual writings by the author over time, it is only natural that they would have written about twice or more in his writings since they were for different publications at different times. But to have those anecdotes repeated looks careless. Having said that, I will recommend this book for non fiction readers and those who love the medium of films.
detailed review on my blog: https://bookandconversations.wordpres...
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A versatile Bengali Film Maker, Lyricist, Magazine Editor, Author, Illustrator and music composer.
Pather Panchali to Apu Trilogy, Aparajito and Charulata. Were among his best works...
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This book, "Deep Focus" brings together some of his most cerebral writings on film. It is not only a collection of his articles but also provide an insight into mind of the genius. I love the way this book is written. Illustrations and sketches drawn by Satyajit Ray SATYAJIT RAY {Also called Manik Da among his fans}
A versatile Bengali Film Maker, Lyricist, Magazine Editor, Author, Illustrator and music composer.
Pather Panchali to Apu Trilogy, Aparajito and Charulata. Were among his best works...
.
This book, "Deep Focus" brings together some of his most cerebral writings on film. It is not only a collection of his articles but also provide an insight into mind of the genius. I love the way this book is written. Illustrations and sketches drawn by Satyajit Ray have been printed, Movie Posters are also included and a whole new chapter for the 'Filmography' is given.
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I recommend it to those who love cinemas mainly Indian Cinemas and have this urge to know more about Behind The Scenes in creation of Bangla films which were made by Manik Da.
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Individual Rating- 4/5 ...more
What I liked about the book - the vision of the cinematic genius. Despite coming from a family of literary giants, he chose and carved an eternal throne for himself by capturing the essence of life that we think we know
Who will I recommend the book to - a cinephile
What did the book teach me - you've got to trust your audience
#OBAAT One Book At A Time
What made me buy the book - the fame of the author, and the fact that I haven't witnessed his work - ever. I'm guilty.What I liked about the book - the vision of the cinematic genius. Despite coming from a family of literary giants, he chose and carved an eternal throne for himself by capturing the essence of life that we think we know
Who will I recommend the book to - a cinephile
What did the book teach me - you've got to trust your audience
#OBAAT One Book At A Time
...more
Total Twenty The story of this book can be gleamed from our bookshelves. While the copy of "Our Films Their Films" remain well-thumbed, this book would either be absent, or neglected. That's a real tragedy! These half-forgotten but stunning essays encompass Ray's vision before they got clouded by fame and its fall-out. In these pages, Ray's lucid prose shines and sparkles with agonising clarity, laying every nuance of the craft bare, and yet challenging us to understand the art behind all of it.
Total Twenty Two essays are present here— most of them very short, some a little more expository. Plus, thsre are black and white photographs, several sketches made by Ray himself, and his filmography.
The only reason behind me dropping a star is the lack of editorial inputs. Such a book strongly needed some parallel strands to bring Ray's vision in focus. Perhaps some thoughts from Mrinal Sen, as expressed in the infamous debate over 'Akashkusum' in terms of contemporaneous of a film could have been incorporated. Some observations regarding the opinion expressed by Rajbans Khanna, with whom Ray had a vitriolic exchange over 'Satranj Ki Khiladi' would have been very helpful.
Otherwise, definitely recommended. ...more
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background:
Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works:
Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature—Feluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions:
Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
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