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{{Short description|1955 film by Satyajit Ray}}
{{about|the film|the novel on which it is based|Pather Panchali (novel){{!}}''Pather Panchali'' (novel)}}
{{use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}
| image          = Pather panchali poster in color 1.jpg
| alt            = Poster
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Satyajit Ray]]
| screenplay     = Satyajit Ray
| based_on       = {{based on|{{Lang|bn-latn|[[Pather Panchali (novel)|Pather Panchali]]}}|[[Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay]]}}
| starring       = {{ubl|[[Subir Banerjee]]|[[Kanu Banerjee]]|[[Karuna Banerjee]]|[[Uma Dasgupta (Sen)|Uma Dasgupta]]|[[Chunibala Devi]]|[[Tulsi Chakraborty]]}}
| music          = [[Ravi Shankar]]
| cinematography = [[Subrata Mitra]]
| editing        = [[Dulal Dutta]]
| studio         = [[Government of West Bengal]]
| distributor    = [[Aurora Film Corporation]] {{small|(1955)}}<br />[[Merchant Ivory Productions]]<br />[[Sony Pictures Classics]] {{small|(1995)}}{{efn|name=distributors|Aurora Film Corporation was the distributor, according to credits shown in the film. MoMA and the distributor Edward Harrison were instrumental in the film's MoMA screening and later US release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?262710 | title=Apu-In-The-Word|last=Sengoopta | first=Chandak|work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] | date=16 November 2009|access-date=22 April 2014|page=2/5| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424010723/http://www.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?262710| archive-date= 24 April 2014}}</ref>{{harv|Bee|Hellczer|McFadden|2013|p=204}} A DVD review in ''dvdbeaver.com'' listed Artificial Eye Entertainment as the distributor of Region 2 and Columbia Tri-Star as the distributor of Region 1 format DVDs.<ref name="dvdbeaver" />
}}
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1955|8|26|India}}
| runtime        = 112–126 minutes{{efn|name=runtimevalues|Different sources identify different running times for the film. A Museum of Modern Art anthology states 112 minutes.{{harv|Bee|Hellczer|McFadden|2013|p=204}} An ''[[LA Weekly]]'' notice states 115 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/movies/pather-panchali-179696/|title=Pather Panchali|work=[[LA Weekly]]|access-date=2 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203033918/http://www.laweekly.com/movies/pather-panchali-179696/ |archive-date= 3 December 2013}}</ref> Stuart Jeffries of ''[[The Guardian]]'' states 125 minutes in a 2010 report.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jeffries|first=Stuart|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/20/pather-panchali-ray-arthouse | title= Pather Panchali: No 12 best arthouse film of all time | work=[[The Guardian]]|date=19 October 2010| access-date=2 December 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017070224/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/20/pather-panchali-ray-arthouse |archive-date= 17 October 2013}}</ref> Rovi Hal Erickson of ''The New York Times'' states 126 minutes in a review summary in NYT Critics' Pick.<ref name="erickson nyt" /> In 2005 Doug Pratt states 125 minutes but mentions that most references list the running time at about 10 minutes less than that. {{harv|Pratt|2005|p=908}} The [[British Board of Film Classification]] lists separate running times for film (110 minutes 55 seconds) and video (119 minutes 31 seconds) versions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/pather-panchali-1991| title=Pather Panchali (1957)| publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|access-date=21 April 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427164430/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/pather-panchali-1991| archive-date=27 April 2014}}</ref>
}}
| country        = India
| language       = Bengali
| budget         = {{INR|150,000|link=yes}}{{efn|name=budgetamount|Satyajit Ray wrote in ''My Years with Apu: A Memoir'' (1994) that the budget was {{Indian Rupee}}70,000, {{harv|Ray|1996|p=36}} and the loan from the government of West Bengal was {{Indian Rupee}} 70,000. {{harv|Ray|1996|p=60}} During an interview in 1970, in reply to the question "How much did the production of ''Pather Panchali'' cost in all, if you count in the value of the rupee today?", Ray said, "In those days it cost a little over {{Indian rupee}}150,000, whereas an average film now costs twice that much".{{harv|Isaksson|2007|p=40}}}} ($14,700–31,500){{efn|name=exchange|The exchange rate in 1955 was {{INR|4.76}} per 1 US dollar (US$).<ref>{{cite web|last=Antweiler|first=Werner|title=Foreign Currency Units per 1 U.S. Dollar, 1950–2018|url=http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf|publisher=University of British Columbia|year=2019|access-date=27 November 2019|archive-date=12 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512095429/http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
| gross          = {{estimation}} {{INR|1 Cr }}<ref name="gross"/> ({{US$|{{To USD|100|IND|year=1960}} million|long=no}})
}}

'''{{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}''' ({{IPA|bn|pɔtʰer pãtʃali|audio=LL-Q9610 (ben)-Titodutta-পথের পাঁচালী.wav}}, {{Translation|'''''Song Of The Little Road'''''}}) is a 1955 Indian [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] film written and directed by [[Satyajit Ray]] in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of [[Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay]]'s 1929 Bengali [[Pather Panchali (novel)|novel of the same name]]. The film stars [[Subir Banerjee]], [[Kanu Banerjee]], [[Karuna Banerjee]], [[Uma Dasgupta]], and [[Chunibala Devi]] in leading roles. As the first instalment of ''[[The Apu Trilogy]]'', the film depicts the childhood hardships of the protagonist Apu and his elder sister Durga amid the harsh realities of rural poverty. The film is widely acclaimed as a classic of Indian cinema and is regarded as [[List of films voted the best|one of the greatest and most influential films]] in the [[History of film|history of cinema.]]

The film was shot mainly [[location shooting|on location]], had a [[Low-budget film|limited budget]],{{efn|name=budgetamount|}} featured mostly amateur actors, and was made by an inexperienced crew. Lack of funds led to frequent interruptions in production, which took nearly three years, but the West Bengal government pulled Ray out of debt by buying the film for the equivalent of $60,000, which it turned into a profit of $700,000 by 1980.<ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Sumit MITRA |date=February 1, 2014 |title=Pather Panchali: Its history, the genius behind it, and Satyajit Ray's style of working|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19800331-pather-panchali-its-history-the-genius-behind-it-and-satyajit-rays-style-of-working-806531-2014-02-01|access-date=2021-07-23|magazine=India Today|language=en|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723101034/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/19800331-pather-panchali-its-history-the-genius-behind-it-and-satyajit-rays-style-of-working-806531-2014-02-01|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[sitar]] player [[Ravi Shankar]] composed the film's soundtrack and score using classical Indian [[raga]]s. [[Subrata Mitra]] was in charge of the cinematography while editing was handled by [[Dulal Dutta]]. Following its premiere on 3 May 1955 during an exhibition at New York's [[Museum of Modern Art]], ''Pather Panchali'' was released in Calcutta the same year to an enthusiastic reception. A special screening was attended by the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Prime Minister]] of India.

Critics have praised its realism, humanity, and soul-stirring qualities and Subir Banerjee's performance as ''Apu'' (which is widely regarded as one of the best child acting in movie),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ehrlich |first=David |date=2017-10-09 |title=The Best Child Performances in Movie History — IndieWire Critics Survey |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/best-child-performances-in-movie-history-1201885206/ |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref> while detractors called the film's slow pace a drawback. Scholars have commented on the film's [[wikt:lyrical|lyrical]] quality and [[Realism (arts)|realism]] (influenced by [[Italian neorealism]]), its portrayal of the poverty and small delights of daily life, and the use of what the author Darius Cooper has termed the "epiphany of wonder", among other themes.

The tale of Apu's life is continued in the two subsequent installments of Ray's trilogy: ''[[Aparajito]]'' (''The Unvanquished'', 1956) and ''[[Apur Sansar]]'' (''The World of Apu'', 1959). {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} is described as a turning point in Indian cinema, as it was among the films that pioneered the [[Parallel cinema]] movement, which espoused authenticity and social realism. The first film from independent India to attract major international critical attention, it won India's [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]] in 1955, the Best Human Document award at the [[1956 Cannes Film Festival]], and several other awards, establishing Ray as one of the country's most distinguished filmmakers. It is often featured in [[List of films considered the best|lists of the greatest films ever made]].

==Plot==
[[File:Pather Panchali (1955).webm | thumb|The film ''Pather Panchali'' (in Bengali, without subtitles)]]In the late-1910s in Nischindipur, rural [[Bengal]], Harihar Roy earns a meagre living as a ''[[pujari]]'' (priest) but dreams of a better career as a poet and playwright. His wife Sarbajaya cares for their children, Durga and Apu, and Harihar's elderly cousin, Indir Thakrun. Because of their limited resources, Sarbajaya resents having to share her home with the old Indir, who often steals food from their already bare kitchen. Durga is fond of Indir and often gives her fruit stolen from a wealthy neighbour's orchard. One day, the neighbour's wife accuses Durga of stealing a bead necklace (which Durga denies) and blames Sarbajaya for encouraging her tendency to steal.

As the elder sibling, Durga cares for Apu with motherly affection but spares no opportunity to tease him. Together, they share life's simple joys: sitting quietly under a tree, viewing pictures in a travelling vendor's [[Bioscope show|bioscope]], running after the candy man who passes through, and watching a ''[[Jatra (theatre)|jatra]]'' (folk theatre) performed by an acting troupe. Every evening, they are delighted by the sound of a distant train's whistle.

Sarbajaya grows increasingly resentful of Indir and becomes more openly hostile, which causes Indir to take temporary refuge in the home of another relative. One day, while Durga and Apu run to catch a glimpse of the train, Indir—who is feeling unwell—goes back home, and the children find she has died upon their return.

With prospects drying up in the village, Harihar travels to the city to seek a better job. He promises that he will return with money to repair their dilapidated house, but is gone longer than expected. During his absence, the family sinks deeper into poverty, and Sarbajaya grows increasingly desperate and anxious. One day during the [[monsoon]] season, Durga plays in the downpour, catches a cold and develops a high fever. Her condition worsens as a thunderstorm batters the crumbling house with rain and wind, and she dies the next morning.

Harihar returns home and starts to show Sarbajaya the merchandise he has brought from the city. A silent Sarbajaya breaks down at her husband's feet, and Harihar cries out in grief as he discovers that Durga has died. The family decide to leave their ancestral home for [[Benaras]]. As they pack, Apu finds the necklace Durga had earlier denied stealing; he throws it into a pond. Apu and his parents leave the village on an ox-cart, while a snake is seen slithering into their now barren house.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Kanu Banerjee]] as Harihar Roy
* [[Karuna Banerjee]] as Sarbajaya Roy
* [[Subir Banerjee]] as Apurba "Apu" Roy
* Runki Banerjee as Durga Roy (child)
* [[Uma Dasgupta (Sen)|Uma Dasgupta]] as Durga Roy (teenager)
* [[Chunibala Devi]] as Indir Thakrun, the old aunt
* [[Tulsi Chakraborty]] as Prasanna, the schoolteacher
* Haren Banerjee as Chinibas, the sweets seller
}}

==Production==
===Novel and title===
{{main|Pather Panchali (novel)}}
[[Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay]]'s novel {{Lang|bn-latn|[[Pather Panchali (novel)|Pather Panchali]]}} is a classic [[bildungsroman]] (a type of [[coming-of-age story]]) in the canon of [[Bengali literature]].{{sfn|Gokulsing|Dissanayake|2013|p=277}}{{sfn|Gugelberger|1996|p=173}} It first appeared as a [[serial (literature)|serial]] in a Calcutta periodical in 1928,{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=74}} and was published as a book the next year.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sekhar |first=Saumitra |year=2012 |chapter=Pather Panchali |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Pather_Panchali |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |access-date=8 May 2016 |archive-date=1 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401123952/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Pather_Panchali |url-status=live}}</ref> The novel depicts a poor family's struggle to survive in their rural ancestral home and the growing up of Apu, the son of the family. The later part of the novel, where Apu and his parents leave their village and settle in [[Benaras]], formed the basis of ''[[Aparajito]]'' (''The Unvanquished'', 1956), the second film of the [[Apu trilogy]].{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=75}}

[[Satyajit Ray]] (2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992), working as a graphic designer for [[Signet Press]], created the illustrations for an abridged edition of the book in 1944.{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=22}}{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=58}} At that time, Ray read the unabridged novel;{{sfn|Ray|2010|pp=22–23}} Signet's owner D. K. Gupta told Ray that the abridged version would make a great film.{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=23}} The idea appealed to Ray, and around 1946–47, when he considered making a film,{{sfn|Isaksson|2007|p=39}} he turned to {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} because of certain qualities that "made it a great book: its humanism, its lyricism, and its ring of truth".{{sfn|Ray|2005|p=33}} The author's widow permitted Ray to make a film based on the novel; the agreement was in principle only, and no financial arrangement was made.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=77}}

The [[Bengali language|Bengali]] word ''path'' literally means path, and ''pather'' means "of the path". ''Panchali'' is a type of narrative folk song that used to be performed in Bengal and was the forerunner of another type of folk performance, the ''[[Jatra (Bengal)|jatra]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mohanta |first=Sambaru Chandra |year=2012 |chapter=Panchali |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Panchali |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |access-date=8 May 2016 |archive-date=1 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401132447/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Panchali |url-status=live}}</ref> English translations of the Bengali title include ''Song of the Little Road'',{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=74}} ''The Lament of the Path'',<ref name="erickson nyt">{{cite news|last=Hal Erickson | first=Rovi| url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/37409/Pather-Panchali/overview | title=Pather Panchali (1955) | access-date=2 December 2013|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208171855/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/37409/Pather-Panchali/overview |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2013 | archive-date=8 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="timecritic">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,863985-1,00.html |title=Cinema: New Picture |date=20 October 1958 |access-date=18 May 2008 |last=Harrison |first=Edward |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207140257/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C863985-1%2C00.html |archive-date= 7 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{subscription required}}</ref> ''Song of the Road'',<ref name="crowther">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9806E5D6163DE73ABC4B51DFBF668383649EDE|title=Screen: Exotic Import; Pather Panchali' From India Opens Here |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |date=23 September 1958 |access-date=18 May 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208172257/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9806E5D6163DE73ABC4B51DFBF668383649EDE |archive-date=8 December 2013}}</ref> and ''Song of the Open Road''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/29774292.html?dids=29774292:29774292&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+28%2C+1998&author=JAN+HERMAN%3B+KEVIN+THOMAS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=THE+ORANGE+SCREEN%3B+A+Peek+at+the+Best%3B+'Pather+Panchali'+and+'October'+represent+pinnacles+of+film+achievement.&pqatl=google |title=The Orange Screen; A Peek at the Best; ''Pather Panchali'' and ''October'' represent pinnacles of film achievement |last=Herman |first=Jan |author2=Thomas, Kevin |date=28 May 1998 |access-date=26 May 2008 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208172512/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/421269823.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=May%2028%2C%201998&author=JAN%20HERMAN%3B%20KEVIN%20THOMAS&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&edition=&startpage=&desc=THE%20ORANGE%20SCREEN%3B%20A%20Peek%20at%20the%20Best%3B%20%27Pather%20Panchali%27%20and%20%27October%27%20represent%20pinnacles%20of%20film%20achievement. |archive-date= 8 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Script===
[[File:Pather Panchali storyboard example by Satyajit Ray.jpg|thumb|A page from the film's storyboard, created by Ray]]
{{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} did not have a script; it was made from Ray's drawings and notes.{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=44}} Ray completed the first draft of the notes during his sea voyage to and from London in 1950.{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=42}} Before [[principal photography]] began, he created a [[storyboard]] dealing with details and continuity.{{sfn|Ray|2010|pp=45–46}} Years later, he donated those drawings and notes to [[Cinémathèque Française]].{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=76}}

In ''[[Apur Panchali]]'' (the Bengali translation of ''[[My Years with Apu: A Memoir]]'', 1994), Ray wrote that he had omitted many of the novel's characters and that he had rearranged some of its sequences to make the narrative better as cinema.{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=45}} Changes include Indir's death, which occurs early in the novel at a village shrine in the presence of adults, while in the film Apu and Durga find her corpse in the open. The scene of Apu and Durga running to catch a glimpse of the train is not in the novel, in which neither child sees the train, although they try. Durga's fatal fever is attributed to a monsoon downpour in the film, but is unexplained in the novel. The ending of the film—the family's departure from the village—is not the end of the novel.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=75}}

Ray tried to extract a simple theme from the random sequences of significant and trivial episodes of the {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} novel, while preserving what [[W. Andrew Robinson]] describes as the "loitering impression" it creates.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=75}} According to Ray, "the script had to retain some of the rambling quality of the novel because that in itself contained a clue to the feel of authenticity: life in a poor Bengali village does ramble".{{sfn|Ray|2005|p=33}} For Robinson, Ray's adaptation focuses mainly on Apu and his family, while Bandopadhyay's original featured greater detail about village life in general.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|pp=75–76}}

===Casting===
Kanu Banerjee (who plays Harihar) was an established [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali film]] actor. Karuna Banerjee (Sarbajaya) was an amateur actress from the [[Indian People's Theatre Association]], and the wife of Ray's friend. Uma Dasgupta, who successfully auditioned for the part of Durga, also had prior theatre experience.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|pp=78–80}}

For the role of Apu, Ray advertised in newspapers for boys of ages five to seven. None of the candidates who auditioned fulfilled Ray's expectations, but his wife spotted a boy in their neighbourhood, and this boy, Subir Banerjee, was cast as Apu. The surname of three of the main actors and two supporting actors happened to be [[Banerjee]], but they were not related to each other. The hardest role to fill was the wizened old Indir. Ray eventually found Chunibala Devi, a retired stage actress living in one of Calcutta's [[red-light district]]s, as the ideal candidate. Several minor roles were played by the villagers of [[Garia|Boral]], where {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was filmed.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|pp=78–80}}

===Filming===
[[File:Patherpanchali 1.png|thumb|right|Apu and Durga running to catch a glimpse of a train, a famous scene of the film{{sfn|Cousins|2004|pp=237–238}}]]
Shooting started on 27 October 1952.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=78}} Boral, a village near [[Calcutta]], was selected in early 1953 as the main location for principal photography, and night scenes were shot in-studio.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=78}} The technical team included several first-timers, including Ray himself and cinematographer [[Subrata Mitra]], who had never operated a film camera. Art director [[Bansi Chandragupta]] had professional experience, having worked with [[Jean Renoir]] on ''[[The River (1951 film)|The River]]'' (1951). Both Mitra and Chandragupta went on to establish themselves as respected professionals.{{sfn|Ettedgui|1999|pp=48–59}}{{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalni|Chatterjee|2003|p=539}}

Mitra had met Ray on the set of ''The River'', where Mitra was allowed to observe the production, take photographs and make notes about lighting for personal reference. Having become friends, Mitra kept Ray informed about the production and showed his photographs. Ray was impressed enough by them to promise him an assistant's position on {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}, and when production neared, invited him to shoot the film. As the 21-year-old Mitra had no prior filmmaking experience, the choice was met with scepticism by those who knew of the production. Mitra himself later speculated that Ray was nervous about working with an established crew.{{sfn|Ettedgui|1999|p=50}}

Funding was a problem from the outset. No producer was willing to finance the film, as it lacked stars, songs and action scenes.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=77}}{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=51}} On learning of Ray's plan, one producer, Mr Bhattacharya of Kalpana Movies, contacted author [[Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay]]'s widow to request the filming rights and get the film made by [[Debaki Bose]], a well-established director. The widow declined as she had already permitted Ray to make the film.{{sfn|Ray|1996|pp=33–34}} The estimated budget for the production was {{Indian Rupee|link=Indian rupee}}70,000 (about US$14,613 in 1955).{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=51}}{{efn|name=exchange|}} One producer, Rana Dutta, gave money to continue shooting, but had to stop after some of his films flopped.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=82}}

Ray thus had to borrow money to shoot enough footage to persuade prospective producers to finance the whole film.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=77}} To raise funds, he continued to work as a graphic designer, pawned his life insurance policy and sold his collection of gramophone records. Production manager Anil Chowdhury convinced Ray's wife, Bijoya, to pawn her jewels.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=82}} Ray still ran out of money partway through filming, which had to be suspended for nearly a year. Thereafter shooting was done only in intermittent bursts.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=83}} Ray later admitted that the delays had made him tense and that three miracles saved the film: "One, Apu's voice did not break. Two, Durga did not grow up. Three, Indir Thakrun did not die".{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=84}}

[[Bidhan Chandra Roy]], the [[Chief Minister of West Bengal]], was requested by an influential friend of Ray's mother to help the production.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=83}} The Chief Minister obliged, and government officials saw the footage.{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=77}} The Home Publicity Department of the [[West Bengal government]] assessed the cost of backing the film and sanctioned a loan, given in instalments, allowing Ray to finish production.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=84}}{{efn|name=govtloan| Ray writes that the amount of loan was Rs 70,000. {{harv|Ray|2005|p=77}}}} The government misunderstood the nature of the film, believing it to be a documentary for rural uplift,{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=83}} and recorded the loan as being for "roads improvement", a reference to the film's title.<ref name="filmifunda">{{cite news | url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050420/asp/calcutta/story_4634530.asp | title=Filmi Funda ''Pather Panchali'' (1955) | newspaper=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] | location=India | date=20 April 2005 | access-date=8 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203012826/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050420/asp/calcutta/story_4634530.asp | archive-date=3 December 2013}}</ref>

[[Monroe Wheeler]], head of the department of exhibitions and publications at New York's [[Museum of Modern Art]] (MoMA),<ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DC143DF935A2575BC0A96E948260 | title=Monroe Wheeler, Board Member of Modern Museum, Is Dead at 89 | last=McGill | first=Douglas c. | date=16 August 1988 | access-date=13 June 2008 | newspaper=The New York Times | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208051113/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/16/obituaries/monroe-wheeler-board-member-of-modern-museum-is-dead-at-89.html | archive-date=8 December 2013}}</ref> who was in Calcutta in 1954, heard about the project and met Ray. He considered the incomplete footage to be of very high quality and encouraged Ray to finish the film so that it could be shown at a MoMA exhibition the following year.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=83}} Six months later, American director [[John Huston]] visited India for some early [[location scouting]] for ''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]'' (eventually made in 1975).{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=87}} Wheeler had asked Huston to check the progress of Ray's project.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=86}} Huston saw excerpts of the unfinished film and recognised "the work of a great film-maker".{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=87}} Because of Huston's positive feedback, MoMA helped Ray with additional money.<ref>[[Amitav Ghosh]] in his essay "Satyajit Ray" in {{Harvnb|Khair|2005|pp=3–4}}</ref>

Including the delays and hiatuses in production, it took three years to complete the shooting of {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}.{{sfn|Mehta|1998|p=222}}

==Influences==
[[File:Ladri di biciclette (film).jpg|thumb|A still from ''Bicycle Thieves'', the film which inspired Ray to become a filmmaker]]
The realist narrative style of {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was influenced by [[Italian neorealism]] and the works of French director [[Jean Renoir]].{{sfn|Ruberto|Wilson|2007|p=16}}{{sfn|Corrigan|White|2012|p=252}} In 1949 Renoir came to Calcutta to shoot his film ''[[The River (1951 film)|The River]]'' (1951).{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=67}} Ray, a founding member of the [[Calcutta Film Society]] (established in 1947), helped him scout for locations in the countryside.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=67}} When Ray told him about his longstanding wish to film {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}, Renoir encouraged him to proceed.{{sfn|Ray|1996|p=17}} In 1950 Ray was sent to London by his employer, the advertising agency D.J. Keymer, to work at their headquarters. During his six months in London, he watched about 100 films.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=71}} Among these, [[Vittorio De Sica]]'s neorealist film ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]'' (1948) had a profound impact on him. In a 1982 lecture, Ray said that he had come out of the theatre determined to become a filmmaker.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=71}} The film made him believe that it was possible to make realistic cinema that was [[location shooting|shot on location]] with an amateur cast.{{sfn|Ray|1996|p=25}}

The international success of [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s Japanese film ''[[Rashomon (film)|Rashomon]]'' (1950) and [[Bimal Roy]]'s 1953 Hindi film ''[[Do Bigha Zamin]]'' (which was shot partly on location and was about a peasant family) led Ray to believe that {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} would find an international audience.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=82}} Ray also had more indigenous influences, such as Bengali literature and the native [[Theatre of India|Indian theatrical tradition]], particularly the ''[[Rasa (aesthetics)|rasa]]'' theory of classical [[Sanskrit drama]]. Darius Cooper describes the complicated doctrine of ''rasa'' as "{{nowrap|center[ed]}} predominantly on feelings experienced not only by the characters but also conveyed in a certain artistic way to the spectator".{{sfn|Cooper|2000|pp=1–4}}

==Soundtrack==
[[File:Satyajit Ray with Ravi Sankar recording for Pather Panchali.jpg|thumb|[[Ravi Shankar]] at a meeting with Satyajit Ray for the sounds in the film (1955)]]
The soundtrack of the film was composed by the [[sitar]] player [[Ravi Shankar]], who was at an early stage of his career, having debuted in 1939.{{sfn|Lavezzoli|2006|p=53}} The background scores feature pieces based on several [[raga]]s of [[Indian classical music]], played mostly on the sitar. The soundtrack, described in a 1995 issue of ''The Village Voice'' as "at once plaintive and exhilarating",<ref>{{cite web | last=Hoberman | first=J | url=http://reocities.com/paris/metro/9384/films/pather_panchali/hoberman.htm | title=The Hunger Artist | work=[[The Village Voice]] | page=51 | date=11 April 1995 | access-date=7 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208173320/http://reocities.com/paris/metro/9384/films/pather_panchali/hoberman.htm | archive-date= 8 December 2013}}</ref> is featured in ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s 2007 list of 50 greatest film soundtracks.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/mar/18/features.musicmonthly14 | title=The 50 greatest film soundtracks | access-date=12 May 2008 | work=[[The Observer]] | date=18 March 2007 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208173444/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/mar/18/features.musicmonthly14 | archive-date=8 December 2013}}</ref> It has also been cited as an influence on [[The Beatles]], specifically [[George Harrison]].{{sfn|Leng|2006|pp=48–9}}

Shankar saw about half the film in a roughly edited version before composing the background score, but he was already familiar with the story.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=87}}{{sfn|Ray|2010|p=92}} According to Robinson, when Ray met Shankar the latter hummed a tune that was folk-based but had "a certain sophistication".{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=87}} This tune, usually played on a bamboo flute, became the main theme for the film. The majority of the score was composed within the duration of a single night, in a session that lasted for about eleven hours.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=87}} Shankar also composed two solo sitar pieces—one based on the raga ''[[Desh (raga)|Desh]]'' (traditionally associated with rain), and one sombre piece based on the raga ''[[Todi (raga)|Todi]]''.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|pp=87–88}} He created a piece based on the raga ''[[Patdeep]]'', played on the [[tar shehnai]], by Dakshina Mohan Tagore to accompany the scene in which Harihar learns of Durga's death.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=88}} The film's cinematographer, Subrata Mitra, performed on the sitar for parts of the soundtrack.{{sfn|Ettedgui|1999|p=49}}

==Release and reception==
[[File:Publicity still from Pather Panchali.jpg|thumb|A film still featured in the 1955 MoMA exhibition "The Family of Man"]]
Ray and his crew worked long hours on [[post-production]], managing to submit it just in time for Museum of Modern Art's ''Textiles and Ornamental Arts of India'' exhibition of May 1955.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2012/11/13/satyajit-rays-pather-panchali| title=Satyajit Ray's ''Pather Panchali'' | last=Silver | first=Charles | publisher=Museum of Modern Art| work= Inside Out| date=13 November 2012 | access-date=4 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021070133/http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2012/11/13/satyajit-rays-pather-panchali | archive-date= 21 October 2013}}</ref> The film, billed as ''The Story of Apu and Durga'', lacked subtitles. It was one of a series of six evening performances at MoMA, including the US debut of [[sarod]] player [[Ali Akbar Khan]] and the classical dancer [[Shanta Rao]]. {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}{{'}}s MoMA opening on 3 May was well received.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=88}} A film still of Apu having his hair brushed by his sister Durga and mother Sarbojaya was featured in ''[[The Family of Man]]'',<ref name="Throckmorton Gupta Gupta Collective 2015 p. 31">{{cite book | last1=Throckmorton | first1=J. | last2=Gupta | first2=A. | last3=Gupta | first3=L. | last4=Collective | first4=R.M. | last5=Krane | first5=S. | title=Postdate: Photography and Inherited History in India | publisher=University of California Press | year=2015 | isbn=978-0-520-28569-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WXolDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 | access-date=1 September 2022 | page=31 | archive-date=1 September 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901003013/https://books.google.com/books?id=WXolDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 | url-status=live}}</ref> a 1955 MoMA exhibition.

{{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} had its domestic premiere at the annual meeting of the Advertising Club of Calcutta; the response there was not positive, and Ray felt "extremely discouraged".{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=89}} Before its theatrical release in Calcutta, Ray designed large posters, including a neon sign showing Apu and Durga running, which was strategically placed in a busy location in the city. {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was released in [[Basusree Cinema, Kolkata|Basusree]], a Calcutta cinema on 26 August 1955 and received a poor initial response. The screenings started filling up within a week or two, buoyed by word of mouth. It opened again at another cinema, where it ran for seven weeks.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=89}} A delay in subtitling led to the postponement of the UK release until December 1957. It went on to achieve great success in the US in 1958, running for eight months at the Fifth Avenue Playhouse in New York.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=105}} It was a record run for the Fifth Avenue cinema.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mehta |first1=Rini Bhattacharya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgZTUn00crMC&pg=PA17 |title=Bollywood and Globalization: Indian Popular Cinema, Nation, and Diaspora |last2=Pandharipande |first2=Rajeshwari V. |date=January 2010 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-1-84331-889-7 |pages=17 |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508145410/https://books.google.com/books?id=cgZTUn00crMC&pg=PA17 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Bengali government earned a profit of $50,000 from its initial US release,{{sfn|Gooptu|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ugbGBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT274 274]}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=Assembly Proceedings; Official Report |journal=Assembly Proceedings; Official Report |date=1961 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s6weAQAAIAAJ |publisher=[[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]] |language=bn |quote=Pather Panchali has not only paid its way so far as production cost is concerned but it has given us some income not only in India but it has earned 50,000 dollars in America and other countries. |access-date=15 December 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182601/https://books.google.com/books?id=s6weAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live}}</ref> and decades later the film grossed $402,723 from its 2015 limited release.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pather Panchali (1958) – Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Pather-Panchali |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=20 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120033020/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Pather-Panchali |url-status=live}}</ref> The film reportedly grossed an estimated total of {{INR|100 million}} ({{US$|{{To USD|100|IND|year=1960}} million|long=no}}) at the worldwide box office, {{As of|2017|lc=y}}.<ref name="gross">{{cite book |last=Ray |first=Bibekananda |title=Conscience of The Race |date=2017 |publisher=[[Publications Division (India)|Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting]] |isbn=9788123026619 |page=424 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EKo-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT424 |access-date=15 December 2018 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019202257/https://books.google.com/books?id=EKo-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT424 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In India the film's reception was enthusiastic. ''[[The Times of India]]'' wrote: "It is absurd to compare it with any other Indian cinema... {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} is pure cinema".{{sfn|Seton|2003|p=87}} Chief Minister Roy arranged a special screening in Calcutta for Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], who came out of the theatre impressed.<ref name="ucscstart">{{cite web|url=http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/articles/getting_started.html |title=Films of Satyajit Ray: Getting Started |last=Basu |first=Dilip |work=Satyajit Ray Film and Study Collection |publisher=University of California – Santa Cruz |access-date=26 June 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203024456/http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/articles/getting_started.html | archive-date=3 December 2013}}</ref> Despite opposition from some within the governments of West Bengal and India because of its depiction of poverty, {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was sent to the [[1956 Cannes Film Festival]] with Nehru's personal approval.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=103}} It was screened towards the end of the festival, coinciding with a party given by the Japanese delegation, and only a small number of critics attended. Although some were initially unenthusiastic at the prospect of yet another Indian [[melodrama]], the film critic [[Arturo Lanocita]] found "the magic horse of poetry... invading the screen".{{sfn|Seton|2003|p=9}} {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was subsequently named Best Human Document at the festival.{{sfn|Seton|2003|p=9}}

[[Lindsay Anderson]] commented after the Cannes screening that {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} had "the quality of ultimate unforgettable experience".{{sfn|Seton|2003|p=88}} In subsequent years, critics have given positive reviews. A 1958 review in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' described {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} as "perhaps the finest piece of filmed folklore since [[Robert Flaherty]]'s ''[[Nanook of the North]]''".<ref name="timecritic"/> In her 1982 book ''[[5001 Nights at the Movies]]'', [[Pauline Kael]] wrote: "Beautiful, sometimes funny, and full of love, it brought a new vision of India to the screen".{{sfn|Kael|2011|p=569}} [[Basil Wright]] considered it "a new and incontrovertible work of art".{{sfn|Chapman|2003|p=323}}{{efn|name=wrightyear|The comment by Basil Wright appears in James Chapman's 2003 book ''Cinemas of the World: Film and Society from 1895 to the Present''. The year of the comment is not mentioned. {{harv|Chapman|2003|p=323}}}} [[James Berardinelli]] wrote in 1996 that the film "touches the souls and minds of viewers, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers".<ref name=berardinelli>{{cite web|url=http://www.reelviews.net/movies/p/pather.html |title=Review: Pather Panchali |access-date=31 July 2008 |first=James |last=Berardinelli |author-link=James Berardinelli |year=1996 |publisher=ReelViews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512062926/http://www.reelviews.net/movies/p/pather.html |archive-date=12 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2006 [[Philip French]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' called it "one of the greatest pictures ever made".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,710163,00.html |title=Pather Panchali |access-date=27 July 2006 |author-link=Philip French |first=Philip |last=French |date=5 May 2002 |work=The Observer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214030921/http://film.theguardian.com/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0%2C%2C710163%2C00.html |archive-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Twenty years after the release of {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}, Akira Kurosawa summarised the effect of the film as overwhelming and lauded its ability "to stir up deep passions".{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=91}}

The reaction was not uniformly positive. On seeing the film, [[François Truffaut]] is reported to have said: "I don't want to see a movie of peasants eating with their hands".<ref name="filmifunda"/> [[Bosley Crowther]], the most influential critic of ''[[The New York Times]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F6091FFC3E5D0C7B8CDDAA0894D9484D81&scp=1&sq=crowther+influential&st=nyt |title=Bosley Crowther, 27 Years a Critic of Films for Times, is Dead at 75 |last=McFadden |first=Robert D. |date=8 March 1981 |access-date=11 June 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131102235945/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/08/obituaries/bosley-crowther-27-years-a-critic-of-films-for-times-is-dead-at-75.html | archive-date=2 November 2013}}</ref> wrote in 1958, "any picture as loose in structure or as listless in tempo as this one is would barely pass as a 'rough cut' with the editors in Hollywood", even though he praised its gradually emerging poignancy and poetic quality.<ref name="crowther"/> ''[[The Harvard Crimson]]'' argued in 1959 that its fragmentary nature "contributes to the film's great weakness: its general diffuseness, its inability to command sustained attention. For {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}, remarkable as it may be, is something of a chore to sit through".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=165870|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050508201916/http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=165870|archive-date=8 May 2005 |title=Pather Panchali |last=Quint |first=Peter E. |date=2 November 1959 |access-date=25 May 2008 |work=[[The Harvard Crimson]]}}</ref> Early in the 1980s, Ray was criticised by [[Nargis Dutt]], an Indian parliamentarian and former actress, for "exporting poverty".{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=327}} Darius Cooper writes that while many critics celebrated the Apu trilogy "as a eulogy of [[Third World|third-world]] culture, others criticized it for what they took to be its romanticization of such a culture".{{sfn|Cooper|2000|p=2}} Stanley Kauffmann of [[The New Republic]] wrote that "its story is simple almost to the point of banality, it is rewarding if taken as a dramatized documentary".<ref>{{cite book |title=A world on Film|last1=Kauffmann|first1=Stanley |publisher=Delta Books |year=1966 |page=367}}</ref>

As of May 2021, the film has a 97% fresh rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on an aggregate of 69 reviews with an average score of 9.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A film that requires and rewards patience in equal measure, {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} finds director Satyajit Ray delivering a classic with his debut".<ref>{{Rotten Tomatoes|id=pather_panchali |title=Pather Panchali}}</ref> In 2018 the film earned the 15th spot when BBC released the top 100 foreign language films ever,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|title=The 100 greatest foreign-language films|date=30 October 2018|website=bbc.com|access-date=1 November 2018|archive-date=1 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101011949/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|url-status=live}}</ref> and filmmaker [[Christopher Nolan]] called it "one of the best films ever made".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dunkirk-christopher-nolan-pather-panchali-india-best-film-director-satyajit-ray-a8288096.html |title=Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan hails India's Pather Panchali as 'one of the best films ever made' |access-date=23 June 2020 |first=Jacob |last=Stolworthy |date=4 April 2018 |work=The Independent |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035333/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/dunkirk-christopher-nolan-pather-panchali-india-best-film-director-satyajit-ray-a8288096.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===1990s restoration===
In the 1990s, [[Merchant Ivory Productions]], with assistance from the [[Academy Film Archive]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Preserved Projects|url=http://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=&filmmaker=satyajit+ray&category=All&collection=All|website=Academy Film Archive|access-date=11 August 2016|archive-date=15 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815062125/http://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=&filmmaker=Satyajit+Ray&category=All&collection=All|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Sony Pictures Classics]], undertook a project to restore the prints. The restored prints, along with several other Ray films, were released in select US theatres.<ref name=berardinelli/> {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} is available in DVD in Region 2 ([[DVD region code]]) [[Phase Alternating Line|PAL]] and Region 1 [[NTSC]] formats. [[Curzon Film|Artificial Eye Entertainment]] is the distributor of Region 2 while [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment|Columbia Tri-Star]] is the distributor of Region 1 format.<ref name="dvdbeaver">{{cite web|last=Tooze|first=Gary |url=http://www.dvdbeaver.com/FILM/dvdcompare/patherpanchali.htm |title=Pather Panchali |publisher=dvdbeaver.com |access-date=12 October 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131211145015/http://www.dvdbeaver.com/FILM/dvdcompare/patherpanchali.htm |archive-date=11 December 2013}}</ref>{{efn|name=distributors|}}

===2015 restoration===
In 2013, the video distribution company [[The Criterion Collection]], in collaboration with the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]' Film [[Academy Film Archive|Archive]], began the restoration of the original negatives of the Apu trilogy, including {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}. These negatives had been severely damaged by a fire in London in 1993, and all film cans and fragments belonging to the Ray films were sent to the Motion Picture Academy for storage, where they lay unseen for two decades.<ref name="restoration">{{cite web|url=http://www.janusfilms.com/aputrilogy/restoration.html |title=The Restoration |publisher=[[Janus Films]] |access-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711002734/http://janusfilms.com/aputrilogy/restoration.html |archive-date=11 July 2015}}</ref> It was discovered upon re-examination that, although many parts of the films were indeed destroyed by fire or the effects of age, other parts were salvageable. The materials were shipped to a restoration laboratory in Bologna, Italy: [[L'Immagine Ritrovata]]. Over a thousand hours of labor by hand were expended in restoring and scanning the negatives and, in the end, about 40 percent of the {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} negative was restored.<ref name="restoration"/> For those parts of the negative that were missing or unusable, duplicate negatives and fine-grain masters from various commercial or archival sources were used.<ref name="restoration"/> The Criterion Collection's own lab then spent six months creating the digital version of all three films, at times choosing to preserve the distinctive look of the films even at the cost of retaining some imperfections.<ref name="restoration"/>

On 4 May 2015, the restored {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} premiered at the Museum of Modern Art, a little more than 60 years to the day after the film's world premiere at the same venue.<ref name="glory">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/05/satyajit-ray-pather-panchali-restoration-apu-trilogy |title=Back on the little road: Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali returns in all its glory |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 May 2015 |last=Hoffman |first=Jordan |access-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809060442/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/05/satyajit-ray-pather-panchali-restoration-apu-trilogy |archive-date= 9 August 2015}}</ref> Several days later, all three films opened at New York's [[Film Forum]], where they were originally scheduled to run for three weeks. Because of overwhelming public demand—with one writer commenting that "audiences can't seem to get enough"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1184400/5-films-to-see-this-week-54-the-apu-trilogy-and-more |title=5 Films to See This Week: "54", "The Apu Trilogy", and More |author=Hubert, Craig |work=Artinfo |publisher=[[Louise Blouin Media]] |date=22 June 2015 |access-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812151800/http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1184400/5-films-to-see-this-week-54-the-apu-trilogy-and-more |archive-date=12 August 2015}}</ref>—the films were held over at that theater until 30 June. The trilogy was then sent to be exhibited in many other cities throughout the U.S. and Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.janusfilms.com/aputrilogy/playdates.html |title=Play Dates |publisher=Janus Films |access-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717075740/http://www.janusfilms.com/aputrilogy/playdates.html |archive-date=17 July 2015}}</ref> The restoration work was widely acclaimed, with commentators calling the look of the restored films "gorgeous",<ref name="glory"/> "pristine"<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2015/05/satyajit_ray_s_apu_trilogy_restoration_and_re_release_of_pather_panchali.html |title=The Big River |author=Stevens, Dana |date=21 May 2015 |magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726102654/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2015/05/satyajit_ray_s_apu_trilogy_restoration_and_re_release_of_pather_panchali.html |archive-date=26 July 2015}}</ref> and "incredible".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/cinematic-poetry-the-restoration-of-the-apu-trilogy |title=Cinematic Poetry: The Restoration of "The Apu Trilogy |author1=Boone, Steven |author2=Tallerico, Brian |date=11 May 2015 |publisher=RogerEbert.com |access-date=1 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712205722/http://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/cinematic-poetry-the-restoration-of-the-apu-trilogy |archive-date=12 July 2015}}</ref>

==Themes==
Author Andrew Robinson, in the book ''The Apu Trilogy: Satyajit Ray and the Making of an Epic'' (2010), notes that it is challenging to narrate the plot of {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} and the "essence of the film lies in the ebb and flow of its human relationships and in its everyday details and cannot be reduced to a tale of events".{{sfn | Robinson | 2010 | loc=Chapter 5. ''Pather Panchali'': Crtique}} In his 1958 ''New York Times'' review, Crowther writes that {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} delicately illustrates how "poverty does not always nullify love" and how even very poor people can enjoy the little pleasures of their world.<ref name="crowther"/> Marie Seton describes how the film intersperses the depiction of poverty and the delights and pleasures of youth. She represents the bond between Durga and Indir, and their fate, as signifying a philosophical core: that both the young and the old die. Seton writes of the film's "lyrical" qualities, noting especially the imagery immediately before the onset of monsoon.{{sfn|Seton|2003|pp=81–84}} Robinson writes about a peculiar quality of "lyrical happiness" in the film, and states that {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} is "about unsophisticated people shot through with great sophistication, and without a trace of condescension or inflated sentiment".{{sfn|Robinson|1989|pp=95–96}}

Darius Cooper discusses the use of different ''rasa'' in the film,{{sfn|Cooper|2000|pages=24–40}} observing Apu's repeated "epiphany of wonder",{{sfn|Cooper|2000|pages=24–26}}{{efn|name=camatkara|Darius Cooper uses the term "epiphany of wonder" to denote the ''rasa'' of ''camatkara''. He quotes [[Abhinavabharati]] by [[Abhinavagupta]] to explain the ''camatkara rasa'': "...&nbsp;''camatkara'' is an uninterrupted (''acchina'') state of immersion (''avesha'') in an enjoyment characterized by the presence of a sensation of inner fullness (''trpti''). It might be said indeed that ''camatkara'' is the action proper to a tasting (''cam'') or enjoying subject, i.e., to a person immersed in the inner movement (''trpti'') of a magical (''adbhuta'') enjoyment". {{harv|Cooper|2000|pages=24–25}} Cooper says that through Apu the "universe is revealed. To Apu is given the dominant quality of ''camatkara'', and it is through this sense of wonder that Apu is made to discover and enjoy not only the world that constantly surrounds him but also that other world created by his ''pratibha'' or imagination".{{harv|Cooper|2000|page=25}}
}} brought about not only by what the boy sees around him, but also when he uses his imagination to create another world.{{sfn|Cooper|2000|page=25}} For Cooper, the immersive experience of the film corresponds to this epiphany of wonder. Stephen Teo uses the scene in which Apu and Durga discover railway tracks as an example of the gradual build-up of epiphany and the resulting immersive experience.{{sfn|Teo|2013|p=49}}

Sharmishtha Gooptu discusses the idea that the idyllic village life portrayed in {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} represents authentic Bengali village life, which disappeared during the upheavals of [[Partition of India|Partition]] in 1947. She suggests that the film seeks to connect an idealised, pre-partition past with the actual present of partitioned Bengal,{{sfn|Gooptu|2010|p=148}} and that it uses prototypes of rural Bengal to construct an image of the ideal village.{{sfn|Gooptu|2010|p=149}} In contrast to this idealism, Mitali Pati and Suranjan Ganguly point out how Ray used eye-level shots, natural lighting, long takes and other techniques to achieve realism.{{sfn|Pati|Ganguly|1996|page=417}} Mainak Biswas has written that {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} comes very close to the concept of Italian neorealism, as it has several passages with no dramatic development, even though the usual realities of life, such as the changing of seasons or the passing of a day, are concretely filmed.{{sfn|Biswas|2007|pp=87–88}}

==Accolades==
{{see also|List of awards and nominations received by Satyajit Ray}}
{{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} has won many national and international awards.<ref name=ucscray>{{cite web|url=http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/awards.html |title=Awards for Satyajit Ray |access-date=18 May 2008 |work= Ray Film and Study Collection |publisher=University of California – Santa Cruz | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131017020808/http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/awards.html | archive-date=17 October 2013}}</ref> At India's [[3rd National Film Awards]] in 1955, it was named [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film|Best Feature Film]] and [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali|Best Bengali Feature Film]].<ref name=nfa>{{cite web|url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/3rd_nff_1956.pdf|title=3rd National Film Awards|publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]]|access-date=5 December 2013|page=6 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105232134/http://dff.nic.in/2011/3rd_nff_1956.pdf |archive-date=5 November 2013}}</ref> The next year, it competed for the {{Lang|fr|[[Palme d'Or]]|italic=no}} at Cannes,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/1956/allAward.html |title=Awards 1956 : All Awards |work=Festival de Cannes |access-date=5 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131212020106/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/1956/allAward.html |archive-date= 12 December 2013}}</ref> where it won Best Human Document<ref name=ucscray/> and an OCIC Award&nbsp;– Special Mention.{{sfn|Lyden|2009|pp=61–62}} More awards from film festivals across the world followed: the Vatican Award (Rome),{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=366}} the Golden Carabao (Manila),<ref name=ucscray/> and the Diploma of Merit ([[Edinburgh International Film Festival|Edinburgh]]) in 1956;{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=366}} the Selznick Golden Laurel for Best Film ([[Berlin International Film Festival|Berlin]]), the Golden Gate for Best Director and Best Picture ([[San Francisco International Film Festival|San Francisco]]) in 1957;{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=366}} Best Film ([[Vancouver International Film Festival|Vancouver]]), and the Critics' Award for Best Film (Stratford) in 1958.{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=366}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/07/14/archives/indian-film-honored-pather-panchali-wins-prize-at-stratford-ont.html |title=Indian Film Honored; ''Pather Panchali'' Wins Prize at Stratford, Ont., Fete |page=16 |date=14 July 1958 |access-date=24 May 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211201703/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00613FD355A137B93C6A8178CD85F4C8585F9 | archive-date=11 December 2013}}</ref> It also won several awards for best foreign-language film: at the [[National Board of Review Awards 1958]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1958/ |title= 1958 Award Winners |access-date=24 November 2013|publisher=[[National Board of Review of Motion Pictures]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230651/http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1958/ | archive-date= 2 December 2013}}</ref> at the Afro Arts Theater, New York, 1959;{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=366}} the Kinema Jumpo Award in Japan, 1966;{{sfn|Robinson|1989|p=366}} and the [[Bodil Award for Best Non-European Film|Bodil Award]] in Denmark, 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bodilprisen.dk/1969 |title=Awards 1969, Bodil Awards |publisher=Filmmedarbejderforeningen|access-date=7 December 2013|language=da | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030141413/http://www.bodilprisen.dk/1969 | archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref> In 1958 it had been nominated for Best Film at the [[11th British Academy Film Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1958/film/film-and-british-film| title= Film And British Film in 1958|publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]|access-date=9 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209014039/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1958/film/film-and-british-film| archive-date=9 December 2013}}</ref>

''[[Sight & Sound]]'', the [[British Film Institute]]'s (BFI) magazine, has included {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} several times in its Critics' Polls of the greatest-ever films. In 1962, it ranked 11th;<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson | first=Eric |title=''Sight and Sound'' Poll 1962: Critics |url=http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/sight/1962.html |access-date=7 December 2013|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120222024831/http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~ejohnson/sight/1962.html |archive-date =22 February 2012}}</ref> in 1992, 6th;<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1992.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309164155/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1992.html |archive-date=9 March 2012 |title=The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll: 1992 |work=[[Sight & Sound]] |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=20 May 2008}}</ref> and in 2002, 22nd.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002: The rest of the critics' list |work=Sight & Sound |publisher=British Film Institute |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515211647/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html |archive-date=15 May 2012 |access-date=24 April 2009}}</ref> It also topped the British Film Institute's user poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/userpoll/india.html |title=User Poll: Indian Top 10 |date=2002 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530205427/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/userpoll/india.html|archive-date=30 May 2008}}</ref> The magazine ranked the film 42nd in its 2012 critics' poll of "Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time | title= The Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time | last=Christie | first=Ian|date=1 August 2012|access-date= 8 December 2013|work=Sight & Sound|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012020808/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time|archive-date=12 October 2013}}</ref> and 48th in its 2012 directors' poll.<ref>{{cite web|title=Directors' top 100|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/directors|website=[[Sight & Sound]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|year=2012|access-date=11 April 2018|language=en|archive-date=9 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209010504/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/directors|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the most recent 2022 edition of BFI's ''Greatest films of all time'' list the film ranked 35th in the critics poll<ref>{{cite web|title=The Greatest Films of All Time|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time|website=bfi.org}}</ref> and 22nd in the director's poll.<ref>{{cite web|title=Directors' 100 Greatest Films of All Time|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/directors-100-greatest-films-all-time|website=bfi.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali is the only Indian movie in the Sight and Sound's 100 greatest movies of all time list|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/satyajit-rays-pather-panchali-is-the-only-indian-movie-in-sight-and-sounds-100-greatest-movies-of-all-time-list/cid/1902267|website=www.telegraphindia.com|date=6 December 2022}}</ref> In 1998, in a similar critics' poll from Asian film magazine ''[[Cinemaya]]'', {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was ranked the second-greatest film of all time.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The "Sight & Sound" of Canons |first=Donato |last=Totaro |journal=Offscreen Journal |publisher=[[Canada Council]] for the Arts |date=31 January 2003 |url=https://offscreen.com/view/sight_sound?/new_offscreen/canon.html |access-date=19 April 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016212310/http://www.horschamp.qc.ca/new_offscreen/canon.html|archive-date= 16 October 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Village Voice]]'' ranked the film at number 12 (tied with ''[[The Godfather]]'') in its Top 250 "Best Films of the Century" list in 1999, based on a poll of critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/take/one/full_list.php3?category=10 |title=Take One: The First Annual Village Voice Film Critics' Poll |access-date=27 July 2006 |year=1999 |work=The Village Voice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826201343/http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/take/one/full_list.php3?category=10 |archive-date=26 August 2007}}</ref> In 2010, [[The Guardian]] ranked the film 12th in its list of 25 greatest [[Art Film|arthouse films]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Pather Panchali: No 12 best arthouse film of all time|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/20/pather-panchali-ray-arthouse|website=theguardian|date=20 October 2010|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-date=17 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017070224/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/20/pather-panchali-ray-arthouse|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was included in various other all-time lists, including [[Time Out (magazine)|''Time Out'']]{{'}}s "Centenary Top One Hundred Films" in 1995,<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 Films (Centenary) from Time Out Film Guide |publisher=[[Filmsite.org]] |url=http://www.filmsite.org/timeoutC.html |access-date=19 April 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021141741/http://www.filmsite.org/timeoutC.html |archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref> the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' "Hot 100 Films From the Past" in 1997,<ref>{{cite web|title=Hot 100 Films From the Past by ''San Francisco Chronicle'' Film Critics |publisher=Filmsite.org |url=http://www.filmsite.org/sfchron2.html |access-date=19 April 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131021141830/http://www.filmsite.org/sfchron2.html |archive-date=21 October 2013}}</ref> the ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' "100 Maverick Movies of the Last 100 Years" in 1999,<ref>{{cite web|title=100 Maverick Movies of the Last 100 Years by Rolling Stone Magazine |publisher=Filmsite.org|url=http://www.filmsite.org/rstone2.html |access-date=19 April 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131021142150/http://www.filmsite.org/rstone2.html | archive-date= 21 October 2013}}</ref> "''The New York Times'' Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made" in 2002,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html |title=The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made |newspaper=The New York Times |year=2002| access-date=7 December 2013 | archive-date=11 December 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131211043539/http://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html}}</ref> the BFI Top Fifty "Must See" Children's Films in 2005,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Top Fifty "Must See" Children's Films by the British Film Institute (BFI) |publisher=Filmsite.org|url=http://www.filmsite.org/100kidsfilms2.html |access-date=19 April 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131021142148/http://www.filmsite.org/100kidsfilms2.html |archive-date= 21 October 2013}}</ref> and BFI's "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Indian Films |publisher=British Film Institute |year=2002 |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313175723/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india/ |archive-date=13 March 2007 |access-date=15 March 2011}}</ref> It was included in [[NDTV]]'s list of "India's 20 greatest films",<ref>{{cite web | url=http://movies.ndtv.com/photos/india-s-20-greatest-films-1124/slide/3 | title=India's 20 greatest films | publisher=[[NDTV]] | access-date=3 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121152140/http://movies.ndtv.com/photos/india-s-20-greatest-films-1124/slide/3 | archive-date=21 January 2014}}</ref> and in 2013 in [[CNN-IBN]]'s list of "100 greatest Indian films of all time".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/13200-41.html | title=100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time | publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] | date=17 April 2013 | access-date=3 January 2014| url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104175929/http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/13200-41.html| archive-date= 4 January 2014}}</ref> Akira Kurosawa ranked {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} at No. 37 on his ''Top 100 favourite films of all time'' list.<ref>{{cite web|title=From Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese: Akira kurosawa once named his top 100 favourite films of all time|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/akira-kurosawa-100-favourite-films-list/|website=Far Out|date=12 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Akira Kurosawa's List of His Favourite Movies|url=https://www.openculture.com/2015/01/akira-kurosawas-list-of-his-100-favorite-movies.html|website=Open Culture}}</ref> The Apu trilogy as a whole was included in film critic [[Roger Ebert]]'s list of "100 Great Movies" in 2001<ref>{{cite web|title=The Apu Trilogy (1959) |author-link=Roger Ebert |first=Roger |last=Ebert |work=rogerebert.com |date=4 March 2001 |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20010304%2FREVIEWS08%2F103040301%2F1023 |access-date=19 April 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131021185612/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-apu-trilogy-1959 | archive-date = 21 October 2013}}</ref> and in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}}s [[Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies|All-Time 100 best movies]] list in 2005.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2005/02/12/all-time-100-movies/slide/the-apu-trilogy-1955-1956-1959/ |title=All-time 100 Movies|last=Schickel | first=Richard |access-date=14 December 2013 |magazine=Time |date=30 January 2010|url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020152934/http://entertainment.time.com/2005/02/12/all-time-100-movies/slide/the-apu-trilogy-1955-1956-1959/ | archive-date=20 October 2013}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Still from Aparajito.jpg|thumb|Adolescent Apu, as portrayed in the sequel ''Aparajito'']]
{{see also|The Apu Trilogy{{!}}''The Apu Trilogy''}}
{{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was followed by two films that continued the tale of Apu's life—''[[Aparajito]]'' (''The Unvanquished'') in 1956 and ''[[Apur Sansar]]'' (''The World of Apu'') in 1959. Together, the three films constitute the [[Apu trilogy]]. ''Aparajito'' portrays the adolescent Apu, his education in a rural school and a Calcutta college. Its central theme is the poignant relationship between a doting mother and her ambitious young son. ''Apur Sansar'' depicts Apu's adult life, his reaction to his wife's premature death, and his final bonding with his son whom he abandoned as an infant. The sequels also won many national and international awards. Ray did not initially plan to make a trilogy: he decided to make the third film only after being asked about the possibility of a trilogy at the 1957 [[Venice Film Festival]],{{sfn|Wood|1972|p=61}} where ''Aparajito'' won the [[Golden Lion]].{{sfn|Bergan|2006|p=497}} ''[[Apur Panchali]]'' (2014) is a Bengali film directed by [[Kaushik Ganguly]], which depicts the real-life story of Subir Bannerjee, the actor who portrayed Apu in {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/bengali/news-interviews/Parambrata-starts-shooting-for-Apur-Panchali/articleshow/19262757.cms?referral=PM |title=Parambrata starts shooting for ''Apur Panchali'' |last=Ganguly |first=Ruman |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=29 March 2013 |access-date=7 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227022537/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/bengali/news-interviews/Parambrata-starts-shooting-for-Apur-Panchali/articleshow/19262757.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=27 December 2014}}</ref> ''[[Aparajito (2022 film)|Aparajito]]'', a 2022 Bengali film directed by [[Anik Dutta]], tells the story of the making of {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}.<ref name="Mid-day 2022">{{cite web | title=Finest film on the making of a film | website=Mid-day | date=4 May 2022 | url=https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/finest-film-on-the-making-of-a-film-23225634 | last=Shekhar | first=Mayank | access-date=21 August 2022 | archive-date=6 June 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606022710/https://www.mid-day.com/news/opinion/article/finest-film-on-the-making-of-a-film-23225634 | url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Satyajit Ray 1994 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|left|Commemorative stamp published by India in 1994]]
{{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was the first film made in independent India to receive major critical attention internationally, placing India on the world cinema map.{{sfn|Chapman|2003|p=323}}{{sfn|Gulzar|Nihalni|Chatterjee|2003|p=612}} It was one of the first examples of [[Parallel Cinema]], a new tradition of Indian film-making in which authenticity and social realism were key themes,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99aug15/sunday/head9.htm |title=Sense & Cinema |last=Likhi |first=Abhilaksh |date=15 August 1999 |newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|access-date=18 May 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212051218/http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99aug15/sunday/head9.htm |archive-date= 12 December 2013}}</ref> breaking the rule of the Indian film establishment.{{sfn|Cousins|2004|pp=237–238}}{{sfn|Das Gupta|1980|pp=32–42}} Although {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} was described as a turning point in [[Cinema of India|Indian cinema]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2004/09/05/stories/2004090500210500.htm |title=Ray's eternal song |last=Bhaskaran |first=Gautaman |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=5 September 2004 |access-date=18 May 2008|url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728191416/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2004/09/05/stories/2004090500210500.htm |archive-date= 28 July 2013}}</ref> some commentators preferred the view that it refined a "realist textual principle" that was already there.{{sfn|Ruberto|Wilson|2007|p=16}} In 1963 ''Time'' noted that thanks to {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}, Satyajit Ray was one of the "hardy little band of inspired pioneers" of a new cinematic movement that was enjoying a good number of imitators worldwide.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,870556-1,00.html |title=A Religion of Film |date=20 September 1963 |access-date=18 May 2008 |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214043003/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C870556-1%2C00.html |archive-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The film has since been considered as a "global landmark" and "among the essential moviegoing experiences".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-10-30-new-dvd_x.htm |title=New on DVD |last=Clark |first=Mike |work=[[USA Today]] |date=30 October 2003 |access-date=18 May 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020203259/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-10-30-new-dvd_x.htm |archive-date= 20 October 2012}}</ref> On 2 May 2013, commemorating Ray's birthday, the Indian version of the search engine Google displayed [[Google logo|a doodle]] featuring the train sequence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gadgets.ndtv.com/others/news/google-doodles-pather-panchali-on-satyajit-rays-birthday-361724| title=Google doodles Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali on filmmaker's birth anniversary | last=Saxena | first= Anupam| date=2 May 2013|access-date=14 December 2013|publisher=NDTV| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214173931/http://gadgets.ndtv.com/others/news/google-doodles-pather-panchali-on-satyajit-rays-birthday-361724 | archive-date= 14 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/satyajit-rays-92nd-birthday/| title=Satyajit Ray's 92nd Birthday | access-date= 14 December 2013|url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214174127/https://www.google.com/doodles/satyajit-rays-92nd-birthday | archive-date= 14 December 2013}}</ref>

After {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}, Ray went on to make 36 more films, including feature films, documentaries and [[short film|shorts]]. He worked on [[screenplay|scripting]], casting, [[Film score|scoring]], [[cinematography]], [[art director|art direction]] and editing, as well as designing his own credit titles and publicity material. He developed a distinctive style of film-making{{sfn|Santas|2002|p=18}} based, as was the case with {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}}, on visual lyricism and strongly humanistic themes.{{sfn|Gokulsing|Dissanayake|2004|p=32}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/ray/ |title=Satyajit Ray |last=Goristas |first=Helen | date=May 2002|work=[[Senses of Cinema]] |access-date=19 May 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080511074653/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/02/ray.html |archive-date=11 May 2008}}</ref> Thus, Ray established himself as an internationally recognized [[Auteur theory|auteur]] of cinema.{{sfn|Santas|2002|p=18}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pather Panchali (1955)}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160211222331/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b2b59cc ''Pather Panchali''] at the [[British Film Institute]]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080619060805/http://satyajitray.ucsc.edu/films/pather.html {{Lang|bn-latn|Pather Panchali}} at Ray Film and Study Collection University of California – Santa Cruz]
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4535-constant-compass-uma-das-gupta-in-pather-panchali ''Constant Compass: Uma Das Gupta in Pather Panchali''] an essay by [[Durga Chew-Bose]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]

{{Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay}}
{{Satyajit Ray}}
{{NationalFilmAwardBestFeatureFilm}}
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Bengali}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}

{{featured article}}

[[Category:1950s coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:1955 films]]
[[Category:Bengali-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Best Feature Film National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Indian coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:Films about poverty in India]]
[[Category:Films based on Indian novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:Films set in India]]
[[Category:Indian epic films]]
[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:Films scored by Ravi Shankar]]
[[Category:Best Bengali Feature Film National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:1950s Bengali-language films]]
[[Category:1955 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1955 drama films]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay]]