The Coward

Amitabha, a Calcutta screenwriter driving through the countryside to gather material, breaks down. Bimal Gupta, a tea planter, invites him to stay the night. Inside the house Amitabha meets Gupta's wife: Karuna, the woman he loved years ago and could not bring himself to marry. Across one night the two of them circle that old decision. Satyajit Ray's film runs seventy-four minutes and is almost entirely a chamber piece for three. Ray presents cowardice not as a dramatic betrayal but as doing nothing at the moment of decision. Bimal, the unwitting third party, talks continuously, and rather than filling the silence he makes it heavier. The film is adapted from a story by Premendra Mitra and was released as a single programme alongside Mahapurush, the comedy Ray made at the same time. It was Madhabi Mukherjee's third and last film with Ray. Who it's for: Viewers who like Ray, chamber drama, and regret told in few words. Who it's not for: The plot is small and there is no external action. It will seem modest to anyone expecting Ray at larger scale.