Beauty juxtaposed with squalor. Utterly moving.

Can't Apu get a break?

Ray loves faces, and it shows in this final installment of the Apu Trilogy. The close-up is a regular occurrence in this film, and Ray uses it to especially good effect here, drawing out much about the characters from the simple act of gazing upon their faces. This works best in those sublime scenes tracing Apu's marriage. Apu faces something of an existential crisis in the film, and the warmth of the conclusion is an act of defiance in a world where it is so easy to be isolated.

The worst of the Apu trilogy, easily. Some parts were just too heavy handed and manipulative for its own good. I got it with the first 2 movies, Apu's life isn't exactly charmed. Ray was just beating a dead horse at some parts. Still, some scenes are very well done and I love the ending.

The last of the trilogy sees old Apu going through the mill a bit. While it occasionally seems a bit heavy-handed in this regard, it retains a lot of the humanity of the preceding two films, and successfully bookends an excellent trilogy.

This could've been a fantastic finale if Apu's life hadn't been cut short once again. I still enjoyed the film, especially the romance, which I thought was handled well, and once again the music, which I feel has become its own character after 3 films. It transports us to an unknown territory and joins us along Apu's turbulent journey through life. A worthy end to one of the best trilogies ever made.

Good Movie

Apu's life doesn't get any easier, but at least it all ends on a mostly uplifting note.

The culmination of experience, Apu's swansong through the subtle semblance of objectivity as we view the insular world of our maturing protagonist. The trains, rain's embrace, and cloth-cut eyes all provide familiar echoes to his past in the technical front-runner of the trilogy. Sadly, the critical bias of the camera on Apu may alienate the viewer, and there's a sense of pandering to a wider audience with heightened melodrama. Nevertheless, a more than worthy finale.

# 178

More of the same from the Apu trilogy - that is, gorgeous photography, a sublime Shankar score, and wonderful acting and direction. It's arguably a little emotionally manipulative, but in a film of such beauty, it's hard to complain. If a trilogy is to be judged on the basis of consistent excellence from all three entries, the Apu trilogy may be the best I've ever seen.

165

Ironically this is the only Apu trilogy I have been able to see, but it has profoundly effected me since. A truly transcendant tale of despair and redemption rarely matched in cinema.

#187

180

Ray had matured since the prior parts of the Apu trilogy, as this final part is better directed and written, richer and more intriguing, at least up to a certain point, about two thirds of the way through. A bad decision is made with the plot, which just seems overboard considering our protagonist's biography, and from then on the movie really is a bit manipulative. Still, it's a very good movie.

More polished, mature and unpretentious than Ray's other efforts, embarking a deep, emotion-driven tale of one man who stares down grief in every turn.

The best of the trilogy, though only by a small margin. Ray's direction was good before but it feels a bit more polished and gives the film a little more life than its predecessors. While the story of a young man finding his way in life is not especially complex, the character is and it provides some interesting things to think about. I felt the first two were a little too subdued and there are some points near the end where this goes a bit too far the other way, but the ending is pitch perfect.

Very manipulative (hasn't Apu had enough grief by now?), but the romance (brief as it is) is so touching. Also wonderful photography throughout, with a nice mixture of rural and urban scenes.

probably my least favorite of the trilogy, but still damn good