Pather Panchali

Extremely rare original vintage Satyajit Ray movie poster of one of the greatest films ever made, Pather Panchali (1955) for sale.

This is an actual surviving publicity poster of Satyajit Ray’s stellar directorial debut, unanimously regarded as his finest film.

Pather Panchali is a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of West Bengal, India. The cult film is based on Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s 1929 Bengali novel of the same name and depicts the harsh childhood of the protagonist Apu.

Following its premiere in mid 1955 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Pather Panchali was later released in Calcutta the same year.

Printed and circulated during the Calcutta release of the film (somewhere in the mid 1950s), this is one of the rarest Satyajit Ray film posters for sale that one can buy.

Pather Panchali has made an indelible mark on the history of cinema with its soul-stirring realism. Such was the film’s appeal that a special screening was attended by the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the Prime Minister of India.

Pather Panchali is the first installment of Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy. Lead protagonist Apu’s life was continued in two subsequent film’s made by Ray, namely Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959).

Pather Panchali is considered one of the biggest landmarks (a turning point) in Indian cinema to the extent that critics labeled the film as “pure cinema” and refused to compare it against any other film. The film pioneered the parallel cinema movement in India and was one of the earliest films to generate major international attention, placing India on the world cinema map. The film won several national as well as international awards, most notable being National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 1955 and the Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.

Pather Panchali established Satyajit Ray as one of India’s finest filmmakers. The film is featured in several lists of the greatest films ever made, making this poster extremely collectible!

Before venturing into film making, Satyajit Ray worked as a graphic designer. It is widely believed that he designed the original posters of quite a few of his films himself, including the beautiful hand painted original Pather Panchali 1955 poster featured here for sale.