Satyajit Ray - The Adversary

Satyajit Ray is an Indian film-maker classified as one of the masters of world cinema and is known for his humanistic approach. In his films which are both cinematic and literary, he explores themes of India’s social institutions and power struggles both locally and nationally. He focuses on the essence of what makes us human: emotions, struggle, relationships, conflict, joy and sorrow. Satyajit Ray wrote all his own films, composed the music and designed the sets and costumes.

In The Adversary, a young man, newly graduated from college is unable to find meaningful employment. He lives in a crowded apartment with his widowed mother, a revolutionary brother and a younger, well-employed sister. Family frictions and his continuing unsuccessful quest for a job place an unbearable strain on him causing him to hallucinate. The pressure, magnified by the tense and impersonal setting of Calcutta, builds to a devastating conclusion. Hindu Neorealism?

My main preoccupation as a filmmaker... has been to find out ways of investing a story with organic cohesion, and filling it with detailed and truthful observation of human behaviour and relationships in a given milieu and a given set of events, avoiding stereotypes and stock situations Satyajit Ray

“Ray's magic, the simple poetry of his images and their emotional impact, will always stay with me... His work is in the company of that of living contemporaries like Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini” Martin Scorsese

“Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon” Akira Kurosawa

“'One of the great filmmakers of the century" Fred Zinnemann

“Ray's mastery, his sure touch, encompassed every possible technical function... His work becomes an inspiration for all time” Richard Attenborough

“Extraordinary filmmaker with a long and illustrious career who has had a profound influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world” George Lucas

“In recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world.” Citation for Lifetime Achievement Oscar Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1992



SPECIFICATIONS

DVD9 PAL Multi Region
B&W 4:3
Running Time 110 min
Rated PG
Subtitles: English
Language: English & Bengali
Licensed through The Satyajit Ray Foundation