Reviewed by Michael Leader
Stars Sharmila Tagore, Chhabi Biswas, Soumitra Chatterjee | Written by Satyajit Ray, Prabhat Kumar Mukherjee
UK certification PG | UK RRP £12.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 93 minutes | Directed by Satyajit Ray
Bengali auteur Satyajit Ray followed up his ambitious, landmark Apu Trilogy in 1960 with Devi (Goddess), a relatively low-key, hemmed-in affair that exhibits a sharper edge to the filmmaker's art. Adapted from a story by Prabhat Kumar Mukherjee, which was in turn inspired by the work of Nobel Prize-awardee Rabindranath Tagore, Devi focuses on familiar themes of both Tagore and Ray's work, such as the collision between the modern and traditional worlds. However, here, the over-riding tone is darker and more caustic, as Devi more concretely plays out the conflict between religious fanaticism and rational thought.
Devi is set in the mid-19th century, in rural Bengal, and stars the two central actors from 1959's Apur Sansa (The World of Apu), Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore, here cast as a young couple, Umaprasad and Doyamoyee. They live with Umaprasad's rich landowner father, Kalikinkar Roy (Chhabi Biswas), whose worship of the god Kali is at odds with his son's pursuit of an English language education in Calcutta. Nevertheless, the family enjoy a quaint existence, as Doya attends to both her father in law and nephew as a surrogate mother. This equilibrium is threatened when, after a feverish dream, the patriarch starts to believe that Doya is Kali incarnate.
Side-stepping the supernatural themes at the narrative's core, the film focuses on the shifting family relationships, with Doya as a moving, psychological centrepiece. Ray uses his measured, graceful approach to examine both the generation gap between Uma and Roy, as well as the pressures upon Doya as a woman. Throughout, Doya is consistently, and persistently called 'Ma' (also a reverent name given to Kali), either as she tends to her nephew, or when faced with prayers from the locals. Sharmila Tagore, no older than 14 at the time of filming, gives an affecting, subtle performance that perfectly evokes the character's uncertainty, innocence, and eventual mental collapse.
This is a touching, stirring film; a minor classic that is slightly marred by a lazy DVD release. It is great to see this film made available, after being out of print for a long period, but there has been little effort invested to present Devi in anything close to an ideal state. The black and white source print is in less-than-stellar shape, and the mono soundtrack pops and crackles throughout. Nothing to truly ruin the experience, as Ray's themes still ring true, but the muddy darkness of the DVD - presented in 4:3 - goes a good way to obscuring the film's inspired cinematography. There are no extras, either, making this is a disappointing edition of a film that deserves better.
EXTRAS None