Parash Pathar (The Philosopher’s Stone) Series: First Light : Satyajit Ray from the Apu Trilogy to the Calcutta Trilogy [2009] Director: Satyajit Ray, Country: India, Release: 1958, Runtime: 111
Made during a break in the shooting of The Music Room, The Philosopher’s Stone is a black comedy about aging bank clerk Paresh Dutta, who finds a magical talisman that can turn ordinary metal into gold. Soon the cornerstone of Calcutta’s social scene, Dutta treats partygoers to magical demonstrations of his newfound power, until his notoriety—and the police—catch up to him.
Ray has great fun skewering the pretensions and hypocrisies of the Bengali bourgeoisie, who are dead set against an outsider climbing into their charmed circle.
This film was preserved by the Satyajit Ray Preservation Project at the Academy Film Archive. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.
