I think I am going to have to make a similar resolution with Ray. Just four films in and I've noticed that while I find his intimate narratives engaging, the way they crawl languidly through their character progressions lulls me into peacefulness. I missed a considerable chunk of The Music Room for that very reason. In my defence, Ray's third film (made before he completed his Apu trilogy) is a slow film with a very tight thematic concern. It dwells on the demise of Biswambhar Roy (Chhabi Biswas), a once wealthy land owner whose love of hosting ostentatious music salons (and a fair bit of estate mismanagement) has seen his fortunes squandered.
Caught up in his own righteous grandeur, Roy struggles to sustain his reputation in the face of the up and coming wealth of India's self-made businessmen. To play out that tussle, Ray introduces Mahim Ganguli (Gangapada Basu), a neighbour of Roy's, who at first fawns over the landowner, then crassly plays his equal, before finally challenging him in his own domain. It's an interesting take on the new money / old money dichotomy, played out against a backdrop of intoxicating music performances rather than the stiff drawing rooms of English country manors.
The Music Room demands a dedicated viewer and an eye for nuance. That wasn't me the other night. I did enjoy it though, mainly because of the grandiose mise-en-scène. Ray makes remarkable use of the space within Roy's estate. The expansive music room with its monumental portraits of Roy's lineage make for impressively overbearing symbols of both his pedigree and the slow hollowing out of his soul. Roy's final unraveling is truly something to behold.
There's a whole lot more in Ray's film that I'd like to unpack but I do have to see it again before I attempt to. This is one I think I'll return to when I have a few more of the director's films under my belt. I'll push on for now.
Next up, The Expedition...
This post contributes to Director Focus: Satyajit Ray.
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