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Distant Thunder (1973)

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From Time Out Film Guide

Middle period Ray in that its political theme is powerfully evident, yet remains filtered through a prime concern with the characters. The setting is Bengal in 1942, with millions threatened by man-made famine (food is diverted for military use; prices rise; profiteers profit). Against this background, Ray delicately sketches the coming of age of a young Brahmin (an endearingly funny and tender performance by Soumitra Chatterjee); from a caste traditionally acting as priest, teacher and doctor, supported by his village as a mark of respect, the Brahmin first has to learn - mainly through the agency of his strong-minded and sensitive wife (Babita) - not only just what he is supposed to be preaching, teaching and prescribing, but how to earn the respect he is accorded. The crux for these two good people comes when, faced by their own hunger as well as the starving beggars by now omnipresent, an untouchable dies outside their house. The Brahmin's decision (tacitly approved by his wife) to break taboo by touching the body (to bury it, safe from the jackals) rings out in Indian terms as a call to revolution. Distant thunder, indeed; a superb film.

Author: TM

Time Out Film Guide

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usman khawaja said...

Posted on Jun 19 2008 11:44 ray describes a manmade famine in the context of war and hoarding but it also shows the ability of people to exploit and help each other in the extremes of desperation .
The term nihilistic does not apply here as these famished villagers are still humane and the desire to preserve a humane environment exceeds the negativity of greed and lust,for his characters portray the good the bad and the indifferent ,while some are ready to sell their soul,others choose to sell themselves,while nature carries on within the lush green of the rural forest land ,the butterflies flutter and the birds hum while human bodies drop from exhaustion and malnutrition ,that human will can survive the most crucial existence is demonstrated when the women go to search for maggots in the pond and the wild beetroot in the jungle ,
the villagers observe the warplanes in the sky while the dragonflies hover over the pond and the sounds of the crickets crackle in the silence of the nightfall with the sobbing of the hungry children.
the rape of a woman is contrasted with the willing prostitution of another character,
yet ray preserves his characters and their dignity in the midst of this chaos which is shown in a calm manner except for a single token riot where a rice depot is looted ,
it does not blame anyone for this holocaust that killed 3 million people but rather observes the acceptance of the populace of their fate,we as observors can only relate to their perseverance and courage as most of us are not familiar with starvation ,so it will be impossible to imagine the subsistence of these unfortunate millions,yet the village and it's social milieu is shown in a striking balance as the rich and the high caste are more capable of surviving any natural catastrophe,even in the context of history itself which divides humanity into classes as a result of civilized evolution ,this inequality is the root cause of the famine itself or is the famine caused by the social injustice is a relevant question but the answer is not really as easy as the discussion of the causes of the famine itself .The movie needs to be seen with K.A.ABBAS'S DHARTI KE LAL,which together will give a more balanced view of the event ,one is a calm poetic version while the other is an angry,frustrating view of the suffering ,whether it was nature or humanity itself which caused the havoc is immaterial as they both show the persistence of human will to survive the most dire circumstances ,making survival the ultimate goal of human spirituality in it's purest form.
usman khawaja

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