The Cloud-Capped Star Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Cloud-Capped Star Blu-ray Movie Review

A stunning work of cinematic art

The Cloud-Capped Star (Meghe Dhaka Tara) is a beautiful ode to the power of the human spirit. The film is the first of a trilogy (which was followed up by E-Flat in 1961 and Subamarekha in 1962). Based upon the original story written by Shaktipada Rajguru, there is a rich humanist beauty displayed with the worldview of writer-director-producer Ritwik Ghatak (Madhumati, E-Flat) which reminds one of the stunning cinema of other Indian filmmakers like the brilliant Satyajit Ray (The Apu Trilogy).

Nita (Supriya Choudhury) is a beautiful, graceful, and hard-working young woman living in Calcutta who constantly puts her family before herself at each turn. Though she has her own personal dreams and ambitions, Nita never allows herself to blossom to her full extent. She instead does whatever is necessary to help support the rest of her family out any way she can.

That includes her day-dreaming older brother Shankar (Anil Chatterjee), who is unemployed and hopes that he can one day make it as a musician (and he loves bringing up how much star musicians make for each of their performances). He plays his music day-in and day-out while roaming the beautiful streets of Calcutta. As the story unfolds, the inner-lives of the family and their relationships to one another are explored with the filmmaking emphasizing the power of family and the roles each of the characters can take in each other's lives. The heart of the film reflects the day-in and day-out beauty of Calcutta within the realm of a slice-of-life series of events.

Beauty from within.

Grounding the filmmaking is Supriya Choudhury and her passionate performance. From quiet moments of melancholic beauty to scenes of sublime tranquility, Choudhury carries the filmmaking triumphantly with her talents at the forefront of the film and its deep humanity. The performance feels honest and it makes the experience of The Cloud-Capped Star a far more rewarding one.

Jyotirindra Moitra (Kancher Swarga, Rabindranath Tagore) composed the music score. There is a real majesty to the type of music found in Bengali film productions. Instrumentation is superb and there is distinctive flavor in each piece of the score. Fitting the score like a glove is the singing featured in the film. Many scenes feature Anil Chatterjee singing his heart out as he daydreams about becoming a successful singer. As the vocals accompany the euphoric score, there is a sense of serenity which provides a warmth to the filmmaking that is unmissable.

There is beautiful imagery to be found within the filmmaking of Ritwik Ghatak (Madhumati, E-Flat). Ghatak composes each shot with an obvious attention to detail. There are many startlingly beautiful close-up shots that are elegantly framed. With the black-and-white cinematography by Dinen Gupta (The River, The Beloved) making a significant impression, viewers are fully transported to beautiful Calcutta and its many unique wonders. The humanist nature of the screenplay by Ghatak and co-screenwriter Samiran Dutta accompanies these majestic visuals with a heart which makes the filmmaking sing as triumphantly as Shankar. Great cinema (such as this moving gem) not only helps to reflect to audiences the beauty of cinema but also the beauty of humankind.

The Cloud-Capped Star Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection, The Cloud-Capped Star features a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original 1.37:1 full frame aspect ratio. The release features a brand new 2K restoration. The restoration effort was undertaken through a partnership between the Film Foundation World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna. The release looks altogether lovely with an impressive degree of detail in the film print. The image is remarkably detailed, crisp, and satisfying.

This is an almost perfect remastered presentation which is almost entirely free from dust, debris, warps, burns, specks, and other possible detriments. A healthy and serene layer of natural film grain is present on the image. The black-and-white photography is impressive throughout. If there are any drawbacks to the presentation, it's the minor softness between scene changes (which is an unfortunate source-related limitation). These are blink or you miss it moments and do not drastically alter one's enjoyment of the presentation.

There are also a few moments where these scene-changes also result in minor damage, where thin lines can be seen on the image for a matter of seconds. Otherwise, the presentation is spectacular and makes the film look as pristine as if it was just filmed. A tremendous restoration.

The Cloud-Capped Star Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The original Bengali audio is presented with the original mono audio track. This is a lossless 24 bit uncompressed PCM track. As noted within the Criterion Collection leaflet, the mono soundtrack on Criterion's release was "remastered from the Library of Congress print and a digital source from the British Film Institute" to compile the audio elements.

Unfortunately, despite the 24 bit high-resolution encoding, the audio source must have not fared well as despite the restoration efforts undertaken as this release has a decidedly disappointing audio-track. There is a thin layer of audible hiss which is present throughout the entire presentation. There are some sequences in which the hiss is less obtrusive but on the whole this is a merely average-sounding track at best as it lacks the finesse one would hope to experience. Dialogue comes through clearly but is often slightly muffled sounding (though it can still be clearly understood). These are source-related issues.

The audio track lacks the kind of high fidelity source necessary to make a more impressive high resolution soundstage shine to its fullest. This is simply an acceptable if also underwhelming presentation of the audio track given the age and quality of the elements which were used for the restoration. The release has also received a new English subtitle translation. The subtitles on this release are excellent and are free from any spelling or grammatical errors.

The Cloud-Capped Star Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Kumar Shahani (HD, 28:40) are students-turned-filmmakers who learned from the master filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak while attending the Film and Television Institute of India. Delving into their views on The Cloud-Capped Star and its cultural significance, the two gentlemen fondly reminisce about the film as well as their memories of working alongside Ghatak. This interview simultaneously charms and delights as Ghatak is paid tribute for his contributions to cinema.

Stills Gallery (00:37) is a click-through gallery which includes archival photographs related to the production and filmmakers involved. The gallery includes detailed notations regarding the individuals spotlighted in these photographs with information relevant to the material. These notations are have white-text on black backgrounds and include instructions on how to navigate the material. The included photos are courtesy of Nabarupa Bhattacharjee.

The release also includes a leaflet featuring an essay on the film written by film critic Ira Bhaskar, production notes, and details on the restoration.

The Cloud-Capped Star Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is a tranquil beauty within the humanist and organic filmmaking of The Cloud-Capped Star. The performances feel authentic and transparent. The music is a beautiful component of the story and enhances the film at every turn. It's the quiet moments in films like these that remind us of the undeniable power of filmmaking and its complexities.

The Criterion Collection release includes a stunning 2K restoration and a short but enjoyable selection of supplemental materials that viewers will find enriching. Here's hoping E-Flat (1961) and Subamarekha (1962), the next two features in the trilogy, are not far behind. Highly recommended.