Recenly I saw the classic, remarkable, Apu trilogy, a 1950s film in three parts by the India filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The film is about a boy growing up in a small village, his efforts to get an education and make a living, and along the way, the development of the India economy. It is fascinating both for the images of rural and urban India in the 1950s, and for the universality and timelessness of its story. The score for all three parts is by Ravi Shankar.

The film was an international hit when it first came out in the 1950s. According to a recent New York Times review the first part ran for 8 months at a New York cinema. The second part won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1957. The version I saw was a pristine, restoration. But the story of the restoration is also astonishing. During the process a fire almost destroyed the original negatives. This short documentary reveals the challenges.