This past Friday we watched Pather Panchali a 1955 Indian film that left a profound mark on the art of film. Though I’m no film expert I really enjoy watching films that are highly coveted by film buffs and considered extremely influential to modern film. I was very impressed by the camera work in this film as we learned before watching it that the cameraman was an amateur and it was his first time filming something of this level. I found the themes in this film to be very powerful and clear, especially since they not forced or made overly obvious, they were simply strongly expressed. The strongest point of the film to me was the beautiful portrayal of the different characters, particularly in crafting their aspirations and failures in life. As we discussed, this film amazingly mirrored the social climate in India at that time, balancing the immense aspirations of average people with the failure and poverty that existed. This was arguably one of the best films I have seen in my life.