Far less widely seen than his Apu trilogy, Satyajit Ray’s trio of films set in 1970s Calcutta are some of his darkest and most adventurous creations. They provide a vivid record of a city in historic turmoil.
The consummate master’s woodcuts, paper-pulp prints, engravings, wax sculptures cast in bronze are like old scars over which you pass your eyes, like a caressing hand. Then you feel the blistered skin, torn flesh, splintered bone, and old traumas come back to life.