Days and Nights in the Forest

Beautifully shot and acted, it's probably Ray's masterpiece.

Ray's language of cinema is a kind of miraculous vernacular, all his own. It has mystery, eroticism and delight.

To explain why Days and Nights in the Forest (1970) is a masterpiece is a bit like explaining why flowers are beautiful: the film’s glories are so natural and self-evident that describing them feels redundant.

A major film by one of the great film artists.

It brings to mind Chekhov, Jean Renoir and Love's Labour's Lost and is quite exquisite. [28 Jul 2002, p.9]

Packed with cultural references and sly satire, this is also a hugely entertaining comic romp.

Whatever virtues Ray's defenders may claim for him, I find it difficult to get very far beyond the sylistic mess of this film. Ray's style ranges from half-baked artsiness to total artlessness without managing to find any real art in the transitions. [12 Apr 1973, p.91]