Director: Satyajit Ray
Screenplay: Satyajit Ray
Based on a Story by: Sunil Gangopadhyay
Starring: Sharmila Tagore, Kaberi Bose, Simi Garewal, Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Rabi Ghosh, Samit Bhanja, Pahadi Sanyal
Country: India
Running Time: 117 min
Year: 1970
It had long been difficult to get hold of a half-decent copy of Days and Nights in the Forest (a.k.a. Aranyer Din Ratri) by Satyajit Ray, the legendary Indian filmmaker, author, illustrator, composer, etc. However, after an original negative of the film was found, it was restored and screened at Cannes in 2025. Now, the Criterion Collection are giving us the chance to own this classic, which was reportedly one of Ray’s favourites of the films he made, on both UHD and Blu-ray.
I got hold of a copy and my thoughts follow.
To summarise the film, let me ‘borrow’ Criterion’s press blurb: “Seeking a weekend escape from the city, four friends from Kolkata embark on a driving trip to the countryside, where their urban entitlement and prejudices are gradually exposed. Among these young bachelors is the overconfident Ashim (Soumitra Chatterjee), who finds his self-assurance shaken by Aparna (the radiant Sharmila Tagore), an enigmatic young woman whose cool intellect conceals turbulent emotional depths.”
I’ve only seen a handful of Ray’s films so far, but they have yet to disappoint. Days and Nights in the Forest has a simple concept, but it’s rich in character and substance.
The four men are looking for a bohemian experience for a few days, but they drag along their loathsome metropolitan ways with them. They are entitled, naïve and almost childish, whereas the women they meet in the rural area are much more intelligent, experienced and perceptive. These women alter most of them through their interactions, though not always enough to ‘fix’ these flawed characters.
On top of examining the gender divide, the film also looks at the deep chasms between classes in India. As the story moves on, we see how these men from the city haven’t really ‘lived’, or at least they’ve not had to endure hardships beyond job dissatisfaction or relationship problems.
This is quite a simple summation of what the film explores and how it presents its themes, however. There’s so much more to it, and nothing is as black-and-white as it looks on paper. It’s a highly modern and progressive film that more than matches some of the best indie/arthouse dramas of present times.
What I also appreciated was that Ray doesn’t treat this as an academic exercise. Whilst not an ‘action-packed’ film, the characters don’t bluntly philosophise about the themes at play. The dissection of these comes naturally through the interplay between the cast members, and it’s actually a highly enjoyable film to watch.
There’s a fair amount of comedy, for one. There are no forced or overplayed ‘gags’, as such, other than a couple of embarrassing but wholly believable situations. Instead, the film contains plenty of playful banter between the characters. Much of the humour comes from the great Rabi Ghosh, who plays the ‘comic relief’, for want of a better description.
The whole cast is superb. The convincing performances, on top of the seemingly loose, ‘authentic’ nature of it all, reminded me of the work of John Cassavetes. Days and Nights in the Forest doesn’t get quite as bitter and uncomfortable as Cassavetes’ films, but there are moments that lean towards this.
There’s a subtle beauty to the cinematography, which doesn’t draw attention to itself, other than a festival sequence that brims with energy.
Overall, Days and Nights in the Forest is a deeply engrossing character piece that explores class and masculinity without labouring any points. It’s another masterclass in understated direction from the great Satyajit Ray.
Film: 
Days and Nights in the Forest is out on 28th September on 4K UHD & Blu-ray in the UK, released by The Criterion Collection. The film looks fantastic, with an incredibly detailed, clean picture and a rich tonal range. The audio seems like a strong representation of the source, which has its limitations.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
– New 4K digital restoration—undertaken by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project at L’Immagine Ritrovata in collaboration with Film Heritage Foundation, Janus Films, and the Criterion Collection—with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
– One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
– Introduction by filmmaker Wes Anderson
– Making-of program featuring archival and new interviews with director Satyajit Ray, actors Sharmila Tagore and Rabi Ghosh, and cinematographer Soumendu Roy
– Conversation about Ray and the film’s restoration featuring Anderson, Tagore, and Film Heritage Foundation founder-director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
– Trailer
– New English subtitle translation
– PLUS: An essay by film critic Devika Girish
Included on the disc is a 26-minute documentary about the making of Days and Nights in the Forest. Featuring new and archival interviews with several people involved in making the film, including Ray himself, it’s a wonderful piece.
There’s also an enjoyable discussion of the film between Sharmila Tagore, Film Heritage Foundation founder-director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Wes Anderson. This covers the restoration and the film’s production, with particularly valuable contributions from Tagore.
Wes Anderson also provides a short introduction to explain his involvement in the restoration, as well as to give a brief summary of what he loves about the film.
I didn’t receive a copy of the booklet, unfortunately.
So, Criterion have put together a solid package for another wonderful film by Satyajit Ray. Let’s hope there are many more to follow.
Disc/Package: 