Tagore in one of his short stories had written (while describing a husband's desperate effort to hold on to his wife when there was no hope) that when one tries harder to grab on to a fistful of mercury it only flows out more through the gaps of the fingers.I think this same analogy describes this movie perfectly. The old Zamindar tries really really hard to hold on to the lost glory of his family through his music room (Jalsaghar) when there's no hope. He loses everything. He loses his mind. And finally in an act of madness loses his very life.I think, through this movie Ray has brought out something very essential to being a human being: Pride (mixed with false hope) and its power to drive a person insane.One of Ray's masterpieces: will definitely compel you to watch more of Ray's films.

Depicts the end days of a decadent zamindar (landlord) in Bengal, and his efforts to uphold his family prestige even when faced with economic adversity.After the box office failure of "Aparajito", Ray desperately needed a hit film and decided to make a film based on both a popular piece of literature and a film that would incorporate Indian music. It was the first film to extensively incorporate classical Indian music and dancing.For the life of me, I haven't found an Indian film -- classic or contemporary -- that I really liked. The "Apu trilogy" does nothing for me, and Bollywood is a disaster. But "Music Room" may be the first exception... and it is precisely because of the traditional music. The cinematography is really good, but that music!

When I first saw the Music Room in a big screen at the Ice-skating Ring Calcutta, I found it to be slow but intriguing. Since then whenever I watched this film, I felt I rediscovered it once again. When I found that the Criterion Collection has released the DVD version, I didn't think twice to buy it from Amazon though the price is more than sum total of all the Satyajit DVD/VCDs I have ever purchased. With a superb digital restoration, it is an audio-visual pleasure to watch the khayal recital in the backdrop of the looming disaster, the Kathak performance, tinkling sound of the chandelier, the night scene and so on. Analysis of the film by the French television channel and by Andrew Robinson is a delightful bonus. What a love and perfection that have gone in to restore this masterpiece from oblivion in this heritage apathetic country!

Satyajit Ray made "The Music Room" in 1958, a few years after "Pather Panchali" and before completing the rest of the Apu Trilogy and like them, it too is a masterpiece. It's about the sin of pride and how it destroys the supercilious old landlord Biswambhar Roy, (a magnificent performance from Chhabi Biswas), whose idea of 'keeping up with the Jones'' is to squander all he has on musical evenings that will outdo those of his nearest neighbour. It's also about the transformative affect of music, of which there is much and all of it wonderful. Although you might say it destroys him Biswambhar is also redeemed by opening up his music room for one last great concert.This is also one of the cinema's greatest studies of obsession and of loneliness. If "Pather Panchali" were not enough this confirmed Ray's stature as one of world cinema's greatest directors and it is a film that remains as powerful today as it did when it first appeared. Treasure it.