Goddess DVD, 1960

aka Devi

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MovieMail's Review

After the captivating Apu Trilogy and other films describing contemporary Bengali life, Goddess (1960) finds renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray delving into Carl Theodor Dreyer territory, in which a religious mystery highlights human behavior. In the 19th century, an aging patriarch is convinced his doting daughter-in-law—Doya, happily married to a Christian convert studying English—is the goddess Kali in human form, thrusting her into a collision of ancient Hindu and modern Western cultures. Stunned by her deification, the young Doya slowly accepts her new role in spite of her husband’s passionate protests, and a public miracle seals the fate of everyone involved.

Empowered by its characterizations, the drama avoids abstract speculation and emphasizes the power and danger of blind faith in everyday life. Ray’s acclaimed visual lyricism is on ample display: an endless procession queues across a windswept beach; softly illuminated figures recline in intimate chambers; a crushing silent exchange communicates more than pages of dialogue.

In its gentle, tragic power, Goddess crystallizes the human cost of religious fervor.

Doug Cummings on 26th August 2009
View all 32 of Doug Cummings's reviews

Film Information

Director - Satyajit Ray

Produced - 1960

Main Language - Bengali with English subtitles

Countries & Regions - Asian Film, Indian Film

Cast - Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore

DVD Details

Certificate:	PG	Publisher:	Mr Bongo	Region:	2
Length:	93 mins	Cat No:	MRBDVD020
Format:	DVD B&W

Film Description

A classic film from the great Bengali director, Satyajit Ray.

Doyamoyee is left alone with her husband’s father-in-law, a devoted follower of the goddess Kali. One evening, the ageing widower she cares for has a dream that she is an avatar of Kali, and must be worshipped. Word spreads, and others come to believe that she is an incarnation of the deity. Hearing this alarming news, her husband, Umprasad, returns only to find Doyamoyee herself beginning to believe that she is an avatar; a belief which soon turns to tragedy.