Critics’ reviews

The Music Room (1958)

9 reviews from 9 publications. Critics’ score 78: 6 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative.

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78
Positive
6
Mixed
3
Negative
0

Most critics respond warmly to The Music Room, with praise clustering around its musical performances and its sympathetic but unsentimental portrait of a declining aristocrat. The strongest notices see the music as essential to the tragedy, expressing the protagonist’s pride and distress rather than merely accompanying the story. The photography and haunting atmosphere also draw praise. Across the fuller reviews, a recurring strength is the balance between affection for the central figure and criticism of the feudal values he represents.

The recorded scores range from qualified approval to strong enthusiasm, with no negative verdicts. Radio Times offers the clearest reservation: it admires the lead performance but finds the film less cohesive than Ray’s strongest work, suggesting that full appreciation requires an ear for Indian classical music. Three reviews provide no verifiable account of their reasoning, which limits how precisely the less enthusiastic end of the consensus can be described.

The AV Club
27 July 2011 · A · Scott Tobias
95

Tobias praises the film as a masterpiece that brings music and story together with tragic force. He singles out the ecstatic, unsettling finale, where a dancer’s movements express the aristocrat’s turmoil.

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The Guardian
14 January 1999 · Derek Malcolm
90*

Malcolm argues that The Music Room is among Ray’s greatest films and a profound expression of his connection to Indian culture. He especially praises Subrata Mitra’s cinematography and Ray’s score, while noting the film’s affectionate but clear-eyed portrayal of a lonely, declining aristocrat.

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The New Yorker
90*

The critic finds the film a rapturous, aesthetically rich tragedy about art as a necessary luxury. They single out the climactic dance sequence as uncomplicated yet visionary.

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Slant Magazine
21 July 2011 · ★★★★ · Glenn Heath Jr.
80

The review regards Ray’s film as a haunting portrait of pride and feudal decline. It praises the beautiful musical performances and the way their presentation deepens the film’s themes.

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RogerEbert.com
75*

The URL identifies this as a Great Movies review of Satyajit Ray’s film. The page is blocked, so its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified.

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Time Out
15 March 2012
65*

The page identifies a review of Satyajit Ray’s 1958 film, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the accessible page.

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The New York Times
16 October 1963
64*

The available information identifies a review of Ray’s film but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no praise or complaint to single out.

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Radio Times
★★★ · David Parkinson
60

The review finds the film poignant, with much to admire in its lead performance and Ray’s balance of progress and decay. It says the film’s cohesion falls short of his best work and that appreciating it fully requires an ear for Indian classical music.

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Paste
17 August 2011 · Paste Staff
85*

The review regards the film as a pitch-perfect Shakespearean tragedy that balances criticism of its protagonist with sympathy. It especially praises the lovingly filmed, virtuosic musical performances and the film’s haunting atmosphere.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate