Set #3 of the match between Satyajit Ray and Andrzej Wajda brings us to the end of their trilogies and to the end of the 1950s. Wajda steps onto the court first, bringing along Ashes and Diamonds (1958), which chronicles a day in the life of a handful of resistance fighters on the last day of WWII. Ray jumps into 1959 with The World of Apu, which takes Apu into adulthood, still alone but well-educated and living a simple life.

The last two films of each trilogy bring them closer together in story time. The Apu trilogy covers a greater span of time following the life of Apu and began in the early part of the century. The adult Apu, therefore, experiences life closer to the time of WWII, which is the short time period of Wajda’s trilogy, and closer to Indian independence. Although Ray never gets into politics in the Apu trilogy, it serves as a metaphor for the changes that India experienced when it finally gained independence in 1947. Poland, on the other hand, lost its independence, which is the theme of Wajda’s trilogy.

Wajda serves first, delivering a fast pop that lands in the wrong area. The successful assassination of a communist official carried out by a small band of resistance rebels turns out to be the wrong person, although the rebels don’t know it yet. While they are celebrating in town at a hotel bar, in walks the man they were supposed to kill. As they regroup, Maciek, the younger of the rebels, can’t keep his eyes off the bartender while his older commander reports to the major in charge of the operation to decide what should happen next. Excellent pacing and acting for the opening.

Ray returns a lazy lob, letting Apu lounge for a bit before his life gets complicated. Apu’s friend talks him into going to a wedding and he agrees. (I think this scene may have been the inspiration for Wedding Crashers.) The opening of The World of Apu does have a more upbeat, modern feel to it but this can’t last. There are two certainties in the life of Apu: trains and death. But, wait a minute, Apu and his friend take a boat to get to the wedding. This could be a new beginning for Apu. The point, however, goes to Wajda, who, despite his inability to stage a good shootout, mixes death and humor in an intriguing beginning, with large credit to the acting of Zbigniew Cybulski as Maciek.

Ray comes back with a spin. Apu, while lounging when he was supposed to be getting ready for the wedding ceremony, is drafted into a minor role in the wedding. The groom! Seems the original one had a mental breakdown and the mother of the bride refused him access to her daughter. Apu, not really having any other options, agrees to the arrangement on the condition that his friend get him a job. Everything works out well, except Apu’s new wife, Aparna, doesn’t seem so happy having to follow him to Calcutta. We get a few moments to replay the relationship between Apu and his mother but now in the guise of Apu and his wife. She cleans and cooks while Apu lounges, but she prefers the silent treatment instead of the vocal despair that Apu’s mother used.

Wajda returns with a spinning shot of his own. Maciek, who wore his independent spirit on his sleeve, tells the bartender to stop by his room that night, knowing that she is scheduled to work all night. Just as he drops a piece of his gun while cleaning it, she knocks on his door, leading to some great sequences where Maciek, his mind on his duty to assassinate a man, transitions from a rebel to a man in love. As he escorts the bartender down stairs after their interlude, the first person he runs into is the man he is supposed to kill, sending Maciek back into conflict. The point goes to Wajda again for his portrayal of a human in conflict with himself (not to mention a humorous sub-plot involving one of the other members of the group).

Wajda’s next serve intensifies the focus on Maciek’s conflicting emotions. As he tries to balance his duty with his new-found love, he tries to talk his commander into letting him out of the assignment. As the night nears morning and the end-of-the-war party comes to a close, Maciek paces and waits. He finally decides to finish his duty. He goes back to the hotel but the bartender will not speak to him once she learns that he cannot stay. As everything falls apart for the group of rebels, the remnants of the party are all that remains of the hopes of a free Poland.

Ray finishes with a tough decision for Apu. Not having seen his own son in the five years since his birth, Apu’s friend pleads with Apu to go see him. Apu, conflicted by his feeling of blame toward his son for his wife’s death, relents. Apu’s offer of a toy train is tossed aside by the youngster, who has a bit of a wild streak in him. Apu decides to leave his son behind, his duty having been carried out. But he runs into his son on the path out of the village, and his son asks if he will take him to see his father in Calcutta. Apu agrees. The uplifting but open-ending finish brings a happy closure to the hard life of Apu. The point goes to Ray for a quick and uplifting ending, but the set goes to Wajda for a more intense and well-paced film.

Next up: Set #4, Nayak and Everything for Sale (both films about actors, coincidentally)