DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST

India | 1970 | DCP | 116 min. | Bengali with English subtitles
Director: Satyajit Ray
Cast: Sharmila Tagore, Kaberi Bose, Simi Garewal
In need of a break from the rat race, four bachelor friends take a vacation together at a forest guesthouse. Their idyll is soon complicated as they become acquainted with some of the area’s alluring women. This lesser-known masterpiece from Satyajit Ray has long served as a major source of inspiration for Wes Anderson, who participated in this new 4K restoration. “To explain why Days and Nights in the Forest is a masterpiece is a bit like explaining why flowers are beautiful: the film’s glories are so natural and self-evident that describing them feels redundant. What makes Days and Nights such a magical experience is that its universal truths about sex, power, and romantic longing seem to materialize out of thin air” (Chicago Reader). The feature will be preceded by a filmed introduction by filmmaker Wes Anderson. Presented with the support of UW-Madison’s Center for South Asia. (MK)