Devi (1960 film)
| Devi | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover | |
| Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
| Written by | Satyajit Ray |
| Starring |
Soumitra Chatterjee Sharmila Tagore |
| Music by | Ustad Ali Akbar Khan |
| Cinematography | Subrata Mitra |
| Edited by | Dulal Dutta |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Bengali |
Devi (Bengali:দেবী; English:The Goddess) is a 1960 Bengali drama film by director Satyajit Ray, starring Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee. It is based on a short story by Provatkumar Mukhopadhyay. The title means "Goddess".
Plot synopsis
In 19th century rural Bengal, Dayamoyee (Sharmila Tagore) and her husband Umaprasad (Soumitra Chatterjee) live with Umaprasad's family. His father, Kalikinkar Choudhuri, is a devoted follower of the goddess Kali. Since Umaprasad is away at school, Dayamoyee takes care of her father-in-law.
One evening, Kalikinkar has a dream that Dayamoyee is an avatar of Kali and must be worshipped as such. Soon other people also come to believe that she is an incarnation of the goddess. After hearing the news, Umaprasad returns home but is unable to remedy the situation as Dayamoyee herself begins to believe that she is an avatar, a belief which soon turns to tragedy.
Cast
- Sharmila Tagore - Dayamoyee
- Chhabi Biswas - Kalikinkar Choudhuri
- Soumitra Chatterjee - Umaprasad
- Purnendu Mukherjee - Taraprasad
- Karuna Banerjee - Harasundari
- Arpan Chowdhury - Khoka, child
- Anil Chatterjee - Bhudeb
- Kali Sarkar - Professor Sarkar
- Mohammed Israil - Nibaran
- Khagesh Chakravarti - Kaviraj
- Nagendranath Kabyabyakarantirtha - Priest
- Santa Devi - Sarala
Preservation
The Academy Film Archive preserved Devi in 1996.[1]
Critical reception & legacy
The film received critical acclaim upon its release.[2] On Rotten Tomatoes, Devi holds a score of 100% based on 10 reviews for an average rating of 7.6/10.[3] Directors William Wyler and Elia Kazan have described the film as "poetry on celluloid".[4][5]
Awards
- 1962: Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) - Nominated[7]
Other credits
- Art direction: Bansi Chandragupta
- Sound designer: Durgadas Mitra
References
- ↑ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ "8th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Devi". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
External links