Pather Panchali
Directed by Satyajit Ray, 1955
In this scene between the young Apu and his beloved older sister Durga, all sound fades completely away.
As the atmospheric sound fades away, Ray moves from medium shots into close ups. These choices serve to emphasize this special, secret moment shared in the private world between brother and sister.
Director Satyajit Ray uses the sound of complete silence in a unique way in his 1955 film Pather Panchali.
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Note also the sound Ray uses to bring us out of this sequence, which is the sound of the sweets man's bells. This sound, like silence, is another audio motif Ray uses throughout the film to emphasize the pure, special relationship between Apu and Durga.
At the end of the film after Apu throws Durga's stolen beaded bracelet into the lake—a somber moment which buries Durga's forever and symbolically lays her to rest for good—the sound fades away once more as Ray gives us one final look at the abandoned ruins of Apu’s family home. The silence here serves to emphasize the heartbreaking ending to this story, and the loss Apu is experiencing—both of his sister, and of his former life.
It is interesting that director Satyajit Ray is able to use the same effect—the complete lack of sound—in two different contexts in order to evoke two separate, almost exact opposite, ideas. The first use of silence helps to express the magic of a shared moment and the larger beauty of Apu’s love for his sister, while the second instance emphasizes tragedy and loss. The silence in this first example serves to highlight the beauty of Apu’s relationship with Durga while the second example emphasizes the complete absence of Durga.