Charulata

Ray outdid himself here. He has managed to create a more fleshed-out, detailed drama than his usual, but which still feels airy and spacious the way he likes it. He paints a truly powerful picture but with the gentlest of strokes, really grabs you but with utmost subtlety, patience and delicacy. The acting, cinematography and music are all excellent. A masterful film.

What a wonderful film from top to bottom. The acting is wonderful, the camerawork is subdued but masterful and the mix of drama with a somewhat light air works wonderfully. The romance, the focus on personal growth and the political subtext both tie in well to make for a very interesting meditation on freedom and duty.

Shipman (1986), p. 167: “The source is a story by Tagore and the result is one of the most delicate tales of passion in the history of film.” A very beautiful, subtle, elegant and rhythmic movie, which tells Tagore’s possibly autobiographical story with great economy, building to a simply remarkable ending. The movement of the camera and the editing are both striking throughout. In some ways I prefer this to something like PATHER PANCHALI. Ray also wrote the music.

That scene on the swing. Come on now.

"A singularly accomplished song to love, idealism, heartbreak and disillusionment." - Jay Antani

A great romantic melodrama with an intriguingly ambiguous ending. I felt that some of the political undertones were lost on me, but the themes of loyalty and marital strife are powerful, and handled with Ray's usual delicacy and elegance. Beautifully shot with some really wonderful camera glides, and truly captivating performances.

Damn

A delicate and appropriately measured tale of lingering infidelity -- a bit plain to begin with, but gets more involving as it progresses, and is often very smartly shot.

The only other film I've seen by Satyajit Ray is 'Pather Panchali', and between these two movies alone, his versatility is obvious, as he just as accessibly as in his portrayal of Apu's life shows himself able to relate, with feeling and empathy, the problems and temptations of the titular lonely upper-class housewife. The camera work is superb, the performances nuanced, and the in some ways simple story is told in an engaging way.

Having familiarized myself with Ray through his poverty films, it's a bit of a shock to find him directing a domestic melodrama about rich people - but he's no less up to the task, and Charulata is every bit as elegantly handled as any of the films of the Apu trilogy. I feel like I would appreciate this more with another viewing - aside from some of the political aspects leaving me in the dark, it admittedly felt tedious in spots. But it's impossible not to appreciate Ray's enormous skill.

Many great adjectives have been used to describe this movie. Delicate, elegant, nuanced, graceful, subtle. Charulata is definitely all of these. This type of film - where facial expressions and precise camera shots speak louder than any narration or dialog ever could - is something we don't see enough of. I can tell without a doubt that this will be a film I will grow to appreciate more and more each time I see it.

Despite a few really corny scenes this was a great film. Subtle in the best way possible with a lot of sexual tension and betrayal. Again with Ray I found the subtitles to be irrelevant, such a humanist movie that you knew what they were saying just by the actions.

Exquisite presentation of a young woman who couldn't find a place for her sexual desire, which had got entwined with her noetic passion because of her interaction with her lover. Note that in 1870s India, things like a girl of 9 marrying a man of 19 seemed to be common, which might be crucial for understanding the wife's loneliness. Seems like even the most educated men then, who had become able to recognise women's intelligence, were still utterly unable to think of them as desiring beings.

Charulata is remarkably subtle and gracious, the camera work is smooth as silk, the acting might be even better than usual for Ray, and the end is deliciously ambiguous. It's not quite one of my favorites by Ray, however, but to be honest I'm not exactly sure why.

good movie

The filming, acting, and character development and subtleties are second to none. However, it's the story itself that doesn't quite gel with me, so even if the technical craft is peerless, for me (and only me), the movie doesn't get top honors.

Very good Indian movie with a great performance by Mukherjee as the title character. It's part melodrama, part analysis of art, love, and loneliness and many other things, with impressive technical mastery. The swing set scene and the final shot, which is innovative and super effective, come to mind.

Em honra do centenário de Satyajit Ray filme #2. Num primeiro momento tudo me lembrou a Luísa de O Primo Basílio, mas este aqui é bem distante da acidez crítica pela burguesia do Eça de Queiroz, embora o esqueleto da narrativa seja o mesmo, aqui as personagens são tratadas com muito respeito e as mesmas são imbuídas de honra e afeto, ao contrário do realismo gritante do livro português, ao seus modos, ambos são obras-primas ao retratar a mulher burguesa do século XIX. BlurayRip MKO.

A complex drama, delivered with brilliant, charismatic performances. Assured direction, with a couple of beautiful moments.

The cinematography is pretty and generally serves the story well, but I don't see the subtlety that every other review seems to be praising: the acting, the lines, the story development, it all seems stilted and unnatural to me. The scene close to the end where she dramatically breaks down (and gets dramatically overheard doing so) would be just as much at home in a mass-market Bollywood movie.

This was a beautiful, beautiful movie filled with great music, amazing acting, wonderful cinematography and delicate direction. The political subtext was less interesting than the dramatic turmoil but it didn't hinder the film too much. The biggest downside to my enjoyment however was the fact that by the end of the film I was starting to dislike Charu.

88.50

Subtle enough to keep interesting a simple story. Fill with so many and so fine details it forces you to engage in it development, almost as a spying voyeur. Great ending.

Great direction and screenplay; the story evolves in a way that each moment and character has its value; great characters: the pragmatical politically involved businessman, the lonely wife, the lazy artist. The scene where Bhupati Dutta tells Amal about how his assistant stole money from him, and the wife's betrayal is implied through images is magestic.

Extraordinary. I can't think of any words that begin to do justice to its beauty.

A sensitive portrait of a lonely housewife starved of affection, Charulata is an exceptionally well crafted movie by Ray who knows exactly where to place the camera and when to move it at all times, like a sixth sense. Madhabi Mukherjee is exquisite as Charu, building her performance through a collection of subtle gestures and glances yielding a powerful cumulative effect that leaves a lasting impression. Charulata belongs to her, but it's a magnificent turn trapped in a vaguely engaging film.

Viewed May 27, 2017.

On repression and longing - marital, professional, and cultural - painted with delicate strokes where other filmmakers might deploy histrionics. It is subtle, complex, and ambiguously resolved. Even when his characters are privileged, Ray's films remain about essential human experiences.

a change of pace for ray, or at least my experience with him so far, in moving from the very poor world of apu to the very rich one of charu. this film is almost as much about the writing process as it is a 'lonely wife' or a 'broken home'. it's subtle and complex. nevertheless, and for whatever reason, this didn't quite have the emotional impact for me as did pather panchali.

An elegant and sensuous melodrama about creativity, marriage, yearning and loyalty. The photography is remarkable, whether Ray's camera is gliding gracefully throughout the house or lingering on his actors' faces. The performances are excellent, especially Madhabi Mukherjee, who really brings the proud yet vulnerable Charulata to vivid life. This is another textured and gorgeous film from a master.

watched: 2013, 2022

É lindo o filme, especial pela capacidade do diretor de mudar os rumos do filme sem palavra, só pelos olhares e gestos do personagens. Apesar da situação "abandonada" de Charu, é fantástico que seu marido não seja retratado como um vilão, mas sim como um homem apaixonado incapaz de fornecer o que sua mulher precisa. É um quadro preciso e tocante da posição feminina na sociedade hindu do século XIX. Charu representa a tensão da transição da mulher passiva para a ativa.

Subtle and understated portrait of loneliness within a marriage. So slow paced it almost feels ponderous.

Tagore's sister-in-law actually took her own life...

Ray treats the characters with a tender, humanist touch allowing them to grow and develop before us, lending them our sympathy and always treating them with a sense of dignity.

Solid direction of this story has the feel of a 19th Century novel. I really like the way Ray relied on the actor's faces to reveal the inner thoughts of the characters. It didn't always work for me, but I really liked the approach. (probable score: 75)

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Just not my thing. Incredibly bored from start to finish... maybe I was in the wrong mood.

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