Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye: The Biography of a Master Film-Maker
Akira Kurosawa once said that not seeing Ray's work was like living without the sun or the moon. Martin Scorsese, writing on Ray's birth centenary in 2021, called his films treasures that every serious cinephile simply must experience. High praise, but after reading this biography, you'll find it difficult to argue with either of them. Andrew Robinson's account is widely regarded as the authoritative life of Satyajit Ray, and it earns that status honestly. Built on extensive interviews conducted with Ray himself, alongside his actors and close collaborators, it also draws on a genuine depth of knowledge about Bengali culture, which gives the writing a texture that more superficial treatments tend to lack. Robinson takes each film in turn, offering close critical readings that trace a career of remarkable range, from the quiet devastation of Pather Panchali (1955) right through to Agantuk (1991), Ray's final feature. This third edition, marking Ray's centenary, brings fresh material to the table. There's an epilogue titled 'A Century of Ray', which reflects thoughtfully on the nature of his genius rather than simply celebrating it. A substantial conversation drawn from Robinson's own interviews with Ray adds an intimate, first-hand dimension. The bibliography of Ray's writings has also been brought fully up to date. For anyone who admires Ray's films, or who wants to understand why so many great directors speak about him in near-reverential terms, this is the place to start.
- Author: Andrew Robinson
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Genre: Film & Cinema
- ISBN: 978-1350258495
- Pages: 456 pages