The conclusion of the Apu trilogy begins with the adult Apu deciding to become a writer. Quite by chance, he finds himself married when his friend, a prospective bridegroom, suffers a nervous breakdown just before the ceremony and he is called in to save face all around. "If Ray had made nothing but Apur Sansar he would go down in film history as one of the great directors. In essence the film is a love story so fresh and spontaneous that one feels Ray created it entirely out of his own spirit, as if it were the world's first love story. The lyric Shakespeare of Romeo and Juliet comes to mind--in the scene in which the lovers see each other for the first time--only Ray has done all that visually. The morning after the wedding night Apu rises to discover that his bride has secretly tied him to her. A more exquisite symbol for a love both passionate and humorous is inconceivable. This originality, always returning to the wellspring of human feeling, is apparent throughout the film."--Cinema Guild