Starts off rather awkwardly, with leads that are hard to root for and a very inconsistent tone, but it gets much better as it goes on. The wider social commentary gives way to examination of the ennui of the young upper middle class and the characters gain enough depth to be interesting. The film is well shot throughout leaves on a strong note, even if it feels like it could have been a little more.

Another delicacy from Satyajit Ray. Ray's cinema had always developed and built upon the legacy of his poetic realist mentor Jean Renoir. Days and Nights is not only a magnificent fulfillment of the realism-cum-poetry ideal, but also distinctly echoes Renoir's A Day in the Country. The soft moral and political undertones infuse the film with a bit of tension without spoiling its brightly sunlit and breezy atmosphere.

#804

First Indian film I've ever seen. A bit slow for my taste, but definitely an interesting first look into Indian cinema.

661

# 988

This was a grower. Don't be disheartened by the first forty minutes or so. Well worth the watch.

817

Four young bourgeois men from Calcutta take a vacation in the country. Ray makes an interesting study of their clueless (and often boorish) behavior, and their interactions with the locals, and a pair of well-to-do young ladies. It's kind of like Antonioni, but with more heart. Perhaps a little too much heart... I feel that Ray lets these guys off the hook too easily. The film is technically superb, with apparent European influences. The weak point is the music, which Ray composed himself