Days and Nights in the Forest

Aranyer Din Ratri

Four friends embark on a countryside holiday that will transform them in this glorious gem from Satyajit Ray.

  • Director

    Satyajit Ray

  • With

    Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore

  • India 1970. 116min

  • Digital (restoration)

  • Certificate

    PG

  • English subtitles

  • A Janus release

Satyajit Ray’s underseen masterpiece returns to the big screen in a beautiful 4K restoration, spearheaded by Wes Anderson, and Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation. Four Calcutta city boys – the confident Ashim, intellectual Sanjoy, heartbroken athlete Hari and group joker Shekhar – drive out to the Palamau Forests, hoping to cut loose with cheap alcohol and what they expect will be provincial girls. However, they soon find their biases challenged and their egos rocked by the women they encounter. In one of cinema’s greatest summer tales, Ray playfully undercuts the arrogance of young men, the caste system and various prejudices dividing traditional Indian society. His graceful, often profound, drama showcases his directorial dexterity through his nuanced portraits of human behaviour and the intricate inner worlds of his characters. Witty, reflective, romantic and hugely enjoyable, Days and Nights in the Forest is a magical, wondrous cinematic journey.

Kimberley Sheehan, Lead Programmer

See our Days and Nights in the Forest Member Salon.

See our Restored screening of The Razor’s Edge on Monday 20 April.