The Chess Players (Urdu, Subtitled in English)
Satyajit Ray's First Hindi Film
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DVD Details
- Rated: Not Rated
- Run Time: 1 hours, 55 minutes
- Video: Color
- Encoding: Region 1 (USA & Canada)
- Released: April 18, 2006
- Originally Released: 1977
- Label: Kino Video
Performers, Cast and Crew:
Starring | Richard Attenborough & Saeed Jaffrey | |
Performer: | Victor Banerjee & Sanjeev Kumar | |
Directed by | Satyajit Ray |
Entertainment Reviews:
4 stars out of 5 -- [A] sophisticated, wise and trenchant entertainment.
Uncut
Director Satyajit Ray takes on India's colonial past in a refined satire about an ambitious British general... -- Grade: B
Entertainment Weekly
Rating: 3/5 --
The slow pace can make it tedious to watch at times, but for Ray, allowances should be made.
Full Review
BBC.com
Rating: B --
The uneven but elegantly told gentle historical film about conflicting cultures has its few moments of brilliance.
Full Review
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Rating: 3/4 --
Its mannered goofiness echoes the pastoral comedy of Days and Nights In the Forest while the Raj-era dancing-girl trappings recall the decidedly grim The Music Room.
Full Review
Slant Magazine
"The Chess Players" is a little formal and static, but it's enriched by the comprehension of an exceptional film artist, who perceives clearly what this historical parable signifies for his country and his compatriots.
Full Review
Washington Post
Ray's movies are frequently something of an acquired taste, but it's a habit worth acquiring, as this specimen amply demonstrates.
Full Review
Film4
Product Description:
Based on a short-story by the renowned Hindi writer Premchand, and directed by Indian film master Satyajit Ray, THE CHESS PLAYERS tells the story of the independent Indian kingdom of Awadh--ruled by the art- and music-loving King Wajid Ali Shah--that becomes threatened with the colonial aspirations of the British Empire and the devious machinations of a British General (Sir Richard Attenborough, JURASSIC PARK) eager to annex the kingdom.
Meanwhile, two wealthy landowners, Mirza and Mir become obsessively involved in their endless chess games, seemingly oblivious to the chess-like moves being made all around them. Mirza and Mir come to represent the weakness and apathy of the Indian people (the film was made in 1977 during a major democratic crisis in modern India) as they ignore not only the political activity surrounding them, but also the sexual dissatisfaction of their wives, who both find new lovers. Using exquisite performances, and a perfectionist's eye for detail, Ray conjures a historical epic and tells a strange tale of a self-involved and emasculated people in danger of losing everything. As is frequently the case in the films of Satyajit Ray, there are no villains and there are no heroes, only meticulously imagined pawns in a grand historical and sociological game.
Meanwhile, two wealthy landowners, Mirza and Mir become obsessively involved in their endless chess games, seemingly oblivious to the chess-like moves being made all around them. Mirza and Mir come to represent the weakness and apathy of the Indian people (the film was made in 1977 during a major democratic crisis in modern India) as they ignore not only the political activity surrounding them, but also the sexual dissatisfaction of their wives, who both find new lovers. Using exquisite performances, and a perfectionist's eye for detail, Ray conjures a historical epic and tells a strange tale of a self-involved and emasculated people in danger of losing everything. As is frequently the case in the films of Satyajit Ray, there are no villains and there are no heroes, only meticulously imagined pawns in a grand historical and sociological game.
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Product Info
- UPC: 738329040826
- Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
- International Shipping: 1 item