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Modern Cinema: Satyajit Ray

Intimate Universes

Oct 4–21, 2018

“Somehow I feel that an ordinary person — the man in the street if you like — is a more challenging subject for exploration than people in the heroic mold. It is the half shades, the hardly audible notes that I want to capture and explore.” — Satyajit Ray

Widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the twentieth-century by critics and cinephiles alike, Satyajit Ray was a multi-talented master storyteller. In addition to being a novelist, calligrapher, graphic designer, and film critic, Ray frequently served as screenwriter and producer, and sometimes composer on his films. Deeply felt, Ray’s delicate human dramas often express contemporary issues of Indian life. In 1950, after watching Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 Italian masterpiece Bicycle Thieves, Ray exited the theater determined to make movies. His debut feature, Pather Panchali (1955), was adapted from a popular work of Bengali literature, shot with mostly non-professional actors, and became the first part of his world-renowned Apu trilogy. A number of his earlier films, including The Goddess (Devi) (1960) and Charulata (1964), represent powerful and in-depth portraits of Indian women, while in his later years, Ray turned to detective stories and historical epics. This series brings together fifteen of his best-loved films, beautifully restored by the Academy Film Archive, alongside work that inspired or was inspired by him.

Modern Cinema, co-presented by SFMOMA and SFFILM, is a film series exploring the dynamic interactions between cinema’s past and present.

Films and schedules may be subject to change.

Modern Cinema’s Founding Supporters are Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein. Support is provided by Nion McEvoy and the Susan Wildberg Morgenstein Fund.

See all past events
Film
Pather Panchali
Thursday, October 4, 2018, 6 p.m.
Pather Panchali
Film
The Coward (Kapurush)
Thursday, October 4, 2018, 8:45 p.m.
Kapurush
Film
Aparajito
Friday, October 5, 2018, 6 p.m.
Aparajito
Film
Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)
Friday, October 5, 2018, 8:30 p.m.
Apur Sansar The World of Apu
Film
Bicycle Thieves (The Bicycle Thief)
Saturday, October 6, 2018, 1 p.m.
Bicycle Thieves (The Bicycle Thief)
Film
The Middleman
Saturday, October 6, 2018, 3:30 p.m.
Middleman
Film
Ikiru
Saturday, October 6, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
Ikiru
Film
The Elephant God
Sunday, October 7, 2018, 1 p.m.
The Elephant God
Film
The River
Sunday, October 7, 2018, 4 p.m.
The River
Film
Charulata (The Lonely Wife)
Sunday, October 7, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
A woman on a swing with a man sitting in the distance
Film
The Apu Trilogy
Friday, October 12, 2018, 11 a.m.
Three black and white film stills spliced together
Film
Company Limited
Friday, October 12, 2018, 6:45 p.m.
A woman and a man standing in a room
Film
The Darjeeling Limited
Friday, October 12, 2018, 9 p.m.
Three men sitting in a train carriage
Film
Taxi Driver
Saturday, October 13, 2018, 8 p.m.
A man in a yellow taxi
Film
The Wind Will Carry Us
Saturday, October 13, 2018, 1:30 p.m.
The Wind Will Carry Us
Film
The Expedition (Abhijan)
Saturday, October 13, 2018, 4:30 p.m.
Black and white still of a man and woman
Film
The Big City (Mahanagar)
Sunday, October 14, 2018, 12:30 p.m.
A man and two women look at a newspaper
Film
Shakespeare Wallah
Sunday, October 14, 2018, 3:30 p.m.
Shakespeare Wallah
Film
Nayak: The Hero
Sunday, October 14, 2018, 6 p.m.
Nayak: The Hero
Film
The Music Room (Jalsaghar)
Friday, October 19, 2018, 6 p.m.
TheMusicRoom
Film
Bad Hair
Friday, October 19, 2018, 8:30 p.m.
Bad Hair
Film
Heat and Dust
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 2 p.m.
Heat and Dust
Film
The Chess Players
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 5 p.m.
People in a Room
Film
Three Colors: Blue
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 8 p.m.
Three Colors: Blue
Film
Teen Kanya (Three Daughters)
Sunday, October 21, 2018, 12:30 p.m.
Teen Kanya (Three Daughters)
Film
Salaam Bombay!
Sunday, October 21, 2018, 4:15 p.m.
A group of people running in fear
Film
The Goddess (Devi)
Sunday, October 21, 2018, 7 p.m.
The Goddess