HBO Max Officially Says Goodbye to One of Cinema’s Greatest Directorial Debuts

Do you know what unites Orson Welles, David Lynch, Sidney Lumet, and Jordan Peele? Each of them made their directorial debuts with movies that are now considered all-time classics. More recently, this list can easily be expanded to include Ari Aster, Celine Song, Charlotte Wells, and Emerald Fennell. However, one filmmaker is often overlooked in discussions on this topic, or, on other occasions, is treated like a token candidate from an exotic foreign land. The filmmaker in question made his directorial debut in 1955, and his work has been hugely influential on the careers of directors such as Wes Anderson. His first movie was also the first installment of a trilogy, and it is currently streaming in the United States on HBO Max.

However, those who haven't yet seen it may want to hurry, as it will soon be removed from the platform. The film is largely credited for introducing global audiences to arthouse Indian cinema, a far cry from the more colorful Bollywood movies that traveled across the world. It was directed by the great Satyajit Ray, a pioneer of the "parallel cinema" movement in India who worked predominantly in the Bengali language. He won an honorary Oscar before his death in 1992, and was hugely influenced by the Italian neorealist movement. His 1955 classic borrowed elements from Italian neorealism but filtered them through a uniquely lyrical lens.

Here's How Long You Have Left to Watch the Classic on HBO Max