Just a quick, exhilerating announcement this morning. According to DVDFile, Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray‘s masterful Apu Trilogy is coming to North American DVD on October 28:
From the [Columbia] vaults come a handful of classic catalog titles: Pather Panchali, Aparajito, The World of Apu,…. All are presented in 4:3 full screen only. The only extras are trailers and filmographies, and retail is $29.95.
This is wonderful news for those of us who have been waiting for some Ray films on Region 1 DVD for the last few years. (A Region 2 box set already exists.) I had the priviledge of seeing a restored 35mm print of Pather Panchali (1955) at LACMA last year, and if the print used for the DVD is anywhere near the quality of the film I saw, we’re in for a treat.
Check out the excellent Ray site, SatyajitRay.org for more information about this exceptional filmmaker.