Product Details

• Actors: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty, Swapan Mukherjee, Dhiresh Majumdar
• Directors: Satyajit Ray
• Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 28, 2003
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000CABBM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,707 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The World of Apu" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

In this final installment, Apu is forced to abandon his education. His future looks bleak until he marries an abandoned bride, beginning a new life as a husband and a father. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Named 1960’s Best Foreign Film by the National Board of Review.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a criminal treatment of a classic film, October 30, 2003

By 

A. Roy "loveandfluids" (san francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World of Apu (DVD)

i'm questioning whether they did anything at all but take the existing vhs edition and simply transfer it to dvd. compared to the vhs edition, one can still find the same scratches and grainy picture quality, the same sub-par sound, and the same embarrassingly inaccurate subtitle translations.

regardless of anything and everything, however, one should walk the desert and cross the seven seas to see this movie. 'the world of apu' is a complex study of the artist, the role of economic conditions on the artist's life, and a commentary on india's traditional marriage system. and yet, with all these topical distinctions, the movie rarely fails to do anything but touch the heart - in light or in break - in the most primitive and simple way possible.

to put things into perspective, this movie encapsulates the most beloved director, actor, actress, and musician of the bengali speaking world in 1959. and in 2003, it is one of the most beloved movies of anyone and in anywhere in the world.

'the world of apu' is not only my personal favorite of the apu trilogy, but along with the stars, the moon, and the air that i breathe - it is one of my favorite things in the world.

criterion, are you out there?

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films of all time!, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The World of Apu [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It is incredibly difficult to review any film by Satyavit Ray because he is an artist without peer...director, screen writer, composer. Unlike so many Hollywood films, Ray's films seem real, not contrived and stike at the core of our feelings. The "World of Apu" is one of the Apu trilogy including also "Aparajito" and "Pather Panchali". Okay, these are black and white films with old soundtracks. But this should not deter you from seeing these classic films. "The World of Apu" is my favorite. It is an incredibly poignant tale of a young man's personal tragedy and how he rediscovers life. It will carry a special meaning for anyone who has ever lost a loved one and worked through grief to hope.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic film!, March 21, 2007

By 

D. Pawl "Dani" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World of Apu (DVD)

THE WORLD OF APU is the third in the "Apu Trilogy," by the late, great Indian filmmaker, Satyajit Ray.
This film follows the title character, Apu, as a young, un-employed writer (Soumitra Chatterjee), who is searching for work, all the while aspiring to write his first novel. Pulu (Swapan Mukherjee), Apu's best friend from secondary school, has a beautiful young cousin, Aparna (Shamila Tagore), who is engaged to be married. Pulu invites Apu to attend the wedding, only to discover the day of the ceremony that the groom is a madman. Apu is asked to marry the bride, since the wedding day is auspicious and if she doesn't get married at the decided day and time, she is destined to have a life filled with bad luck and unhappiness. Though Apu has never even been in a relationship with a woman, he agrees to marry Aparna to do (as he says) "the honorable thing."

This film takes a look at Apu, his life's struggles and hard deck of cards that life has cast his way. I don't want to ruin the plot details, so I won't elaborate. I will say that the performances are beautiful and the story is wonderfully told. It is at once heartbreaking and inspiring. Highly reccomended......