An Act of Faith: Saving The Apu Trilogy 

It's a shame that nobody here in India has given a shit about preserving his work

You can screenshot any shot from Ray's movie and frame it on your wall.

I can't tell you how grateful I feel to have seen this clip on RU-vid. I lived in Berkeley from 1961 to 1969, when it had two or three movie theaters that showed many classics of world cinema; there was another such then in Menlo Park near Palo Alto and Stanford. I believe Apu had been released the same year I'd graduated from high school, 1959. In Berkeley and Menlo Park I sat through all three films at one time on 4 occasions by the time I was 23 (1965); by then I could anticipate almost every line of dialogue. I was already a big fan of Ravi Shankar. I found the story--even with English subtitles--the cinematography, the music, the direction, and the acting so absorbing that I felt each time that I had entered the world of Apu and his family. I am rarely given to pompous pronouncements, but I recall saying to myself, as I left the theater after my 4th viewing, "This is Art with a capital A!" I have never seen the trilogy since. I bought it twice on VHS --the first version was in bad focus, with unreadable subtitles--and now I must get the new Criterion release on DVD (I had not heard about the burning of the negatives--though I recall when Ray won an Oscar, not long before he died). The only works of art that have moved me more are in the realm of music (think, especially, Bach, Beethoven, Bartok, and Britten--my four Bs). I think one reason I haven't seen the trilogy since I was 23 is the investment of time and attention required, and a hesitation to approach a work I consider sacred: the same reasons I rarely play a recording of Bach's "St. Matthew Passion." Though there are many great films I've never seen, of the ones I have only a couple seem to me to come near to the trilogy: Resnais's "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" (clearly 2nd place; the greatest antiwar film, I think, that I've seen), and, probably in 3rd, Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc." Maybe it is time to watch the trilogy again. I know beyond a doubt that it will have stood the test of time, of my maturity and (I hope) increased wisdom, and of a much wider experience of cinema.

Feeling ashamed as an Indian. The academy did what we should have done. Big thank you to the academy. A big salute to your faith.

As a cinephile, this moves me to tears.

As a Bengali witnessing the slow sad demise of our glorious culture I would like to express my whole hearted gratitude to the hardworking folks at academy originals for bringing this masterpiece a new lease of life. All of you are my heroes.

I want to thank Academy and people for doing this and showing so much love and care for Ray's work. Feel honored as a fellow Indian.

I am strongly missing a heart button in RU-vid.

that cinematography is pretty insane

Thank You, as a film lover from India because our govt. doesn't give two shits about preserving anything,unless they are religious.

love from Bangladesh! Satyajit Ray is the legend!

he made films on 20 th century. it is 21st. but , still , i think only few indians can digest his creations. mr . ray is just not the cup of tea for bollywood masala movie lovers. thank you.

I just saw Pather Panchali, and now I'm so grateful to all of these film historians, technicians, executives and artists from all over the world (except apparently India!) who labored to ensure that Ray's legacy would not be lost. Amazing to think how easily it could all have disappeared!

As an Indian and as a film enthusiast, I sincerely say Thank You. It's very rare to see Indian films be restored with such care, especially at 4K resolution scans. Thank you for helping preserve an incredible piece of art.

Amazing! Thank you!

Words cannot describe how I feel about this project. Satyajit Ray was an exceptional creator - not just of films. Thank you for doing this.

Where are my fellow bengalis who will beat their chest, take pride in the "culture and heritage we have ". Kajer kaj ta shei firingi rai kore dilo

Thank you Academy Film Archive. Thank you Criterion Collection. Thank you L'Immagine Ritrovata. And thanks to each and every individual who worked tirelessly to bring this masterpiece again back to life.

being from Bengal and growing up watching his movies and reading his detective novels never knew what he really was when I was younger, now getting goosebumps when seeing that Academy is making so great efforts to preserve his films

Even though they've been on my watch-list for a very long, I've have never seen The Apu Trilogy, but this video just warms my heart. I've loved movies ever since I was in grade school and I have dreams of one day making my own. And Iit's amazing to see how much these people care about cinema and preserving great films.

"Satyajit Ray" a true ray of light which will always be travelling across the stream of human memory.These r the genuinely commited people.

Wow. Great project! If you look at pre 1970's film, Indian, European, whatever, I'm always struck by the respect they grant to the individual human actors. The pace is slower...like a heartbeat. It seems that people were honored in manner that we don't see today.

It's a shame our own people lost the importance of these restorations. But i am glad that the world still remembers and that will do for now. People will still remember Satyajit Ray. The last bright star of the Ray family.

Thank you Academy ! Ray himself has expressed how he has learnt a lot from Hollywood movies. Now with this restoration effort Academy ensured that it not only helped Ray in the early years of his filmmaking but also helped to preserve his legacy for the next generation.

6:45 stole my heart

Thank you to all the selfless people....your works means a lot to this generation and may be the upcoming generations

U just put a smile on my face... SATYAJIT RAY - A legend and made films ahead of its time, a visionary, a poet, a musician, an Orator, a painter, a Caligraphist, a Narrator, a Writer, a cinematographer, a Director, lastly a Filmmaker... In one word word "genius" Thanks Academy for restoring his work, his work is a gem in film world...

Regardless Bangladesh or india, he was an asset for Bengal. I have watched this trilogy in 4k. Thak just a word to express my gratitude.

I am literally crying right now... thnk you Academy and every single person who worked for this project.... the world owe you.. as a cinephile i am in-depth to you...

Huge respect to Oscar for preserving the movies of our legendary director Satyajit Ray. It's very shameful for us that nobody did this in india 😞

Heartiest congratulations to the entire team for this amazing effort.Having seen these films while studying at the Film Institute Of India at Pune and later working as the chief assistant to Ray's DOP Subrata Mitra,I am extremely delighted for this great effort.A BIG THANKS to all the great people for restoring these masterpieces of Great Mr.Ray.

I literally got tears in my eyes seeing what Academy is doing for arts. As an indian and an artist I have no words enough to thank you guys. You're the heroes.

And here we're busy preserving student of the year, really this didn't deserve us he was the greatest film maker ever in the whole world if he was born 50 years later he would have shown us such science fictions which would have made even inception look like kid

It's incredible and almost surreal to witness the dedication of these people and their love for cinema. It's a blessing to have people like these around in the world; the majority of people of the country these films are from does not seem to care, too absorbed in their mainstream crap

True art has no boundaries. Satyajit Ray was and will remain to be one of the finest film makers of all times. On behalf of all his fans, I can say that there are not enough words to thank AO for taking up this extremely challenging work of restoration of his master pieces.

Huge respect for preserving those gems. I still have the 4k version of Apu's Trilogy and Aparajita. When I first saw the 4k version i was speechless due to the extremely beautiful quality of the film.

Watching this brought a tear to my eye. Thank you to every single person responsible in some way or the other in the restoration of the greatest trilogy in Indian cinema. Thank you from the bottom of my heart... not for the end product... (which is in itself a MASSIVE achievement)... but for the effort put in to achieve the end product! My eternal salutations to you!

Please Restore “Hirok Rajar Deshe” one of the most amazing masterpieces from Satyajit Ray.

THANK YOU....you didn't just saved a film,you saved the TRUE INDIAN CULTURE & CINEMA !!!

Gives me chills of how oblivious we are about his work and yet he is celebrated so highly elsewhere.

My roots are kurdish. I was born in Germany and living here. I started to get in the film business and since I met Satyajit Ray, he has been the North Star for me that guides me

I was losing hope of completing my degree in digital signal processing. This gave me the idea of the immense power of the technology. Gonna complete it.

As an Indian and Bengali It mourns my heart that our own people never gave the respect and attention the film deserved, we do have a so called Indian film industry called Bollywood that is mostly making masala films. Ray was definitely right about the Indian audience, it's Unsophisticated.

I always cry watching his works or watching his interviews. He is my God and I'm so overwhelmed in emotion to see what you are doing. As a Bengali, as his devotee I can't thank you enough. But I'll be indebted forever.

Basically we are careless in preserving the past heritage. Many films were lost due to non interest by the Government. The Academy needs special appreciation for restoring our past heritage of Satyajit Ray. This documentary showing restoration from the scrap is really great. The whole team untiring efforts are to be appreciated. One agency in India don't want to mention the name, in the name of restoration and colorization of a great regional movie got full lorry load of all prints of full movie cut the movie vital scenes. Removed nearly 30 minutes. A movie lover restored that film in full from cds and DVDS also the full original soundtrack recorded in the projection room in the theater in 3 moths. He circulated privately among close friends free.

This is absolutely amazing! My heart is filled with such warmth and appreciation for every single person in the process of restoring Ray's films. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Being a Ray admirer, I can't find words to thank these heroes, who have done such a great job. Eternally grateful to all of them.

This whole effort is driven by the love and respect to Arts.....unknown to Indian government

As an Indian, I cannot thank you enough for all your hard work and effort to save his legacy.

Thank you so so much for delivering Ray’s masterpiece to the world. Much 💕 love, from Sussex, England.

I watched these films about 2 months ago and i highly recommend others to watch it. Thanks for saving such "Masterpiece(The Apu Trilogy)"...

As a Bengali and a movie lover, I am grateful to you all for doing this work, to preserve Ray's films. Trust me, nobody in India would give a shit about this painstaking process.

Absolutely remarkable work! I love restoration in many mediums, but seeing the care and determination in bringing Satyajit Ray’s trilogy back from oblivion… it can’t be ignored, whether you love cinema or not!

you have no idea how much I personally appreciated this. watching the apu trilogy was a major highlight of my life.

What you did is incredible and beyond praises! An act of faith, indeed.

Kudos to the Academy & Criterion for this restoration process. What boggles my mind is why an Indian company never thought of doing it first. I know the funds are limited compared to the West but surely the Indian film industry could have collectively came together to honor the work of one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of world cinema.

Thank you so much. You've all set an example of what institutions in general are meant for- to serve people and give them what they need, instead of whatever maximizes profits. I have such deep respect for everyone who took the responsibility of this task :)

Thank you so much for all your efforts. I saw the trilogy in the early 1960's & loved it. I will happily see it again when it comes to Berkeley. First time I saw it it had no English subtitles. I hope it will have subtitles next time.

I have seen his several movies including Pather Panchali and Apoorva

People abroad are putting so much into restoring ray's work where as most of the indians never watched his works. This shows there love towards pure cinema and the reason behind the quality of cinema they make.

just one sentiment... "😢Thank you"

As an Indian, a Bengali, and a cinephile, I don't know how to thank you! My eyes are literally moist while I'm watching this! Thanks to the Academy, Criterion and all the wonderful people who have taken this noble endeavor! Preservation and restoration of Art are as sacred as the making of it.

Thanks and Sincere Gratitude from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.....You have brought my Master Satyajit Ray back to life. ❤❤❤. Sanjay, Actor and Writer (Pacific Media Solutions, Port Moresby)

Thank you Academy..Thank you to all the hardworking restorers.

Criterion Collection is such a blessing to mankind! Have ordered & watched all three of these masterpieces in 4K, without knowing the immense work put together by this group of people for its restoration. Grateful and indebted. ধন্যবাদ |

THANK YOU. Your contributions will be celebrated for years to come.

Thank you very much for restoring these beautiful works of Ray. Your hard work and dedication is really appreciated.

All great accomplishments are after all a leap of faith... So proud and thankful to The Academy and The Criterion Collection for taking this painstaking journey. I had the privilege of watching the Restored Apu Trilogy at Mumbai International Film Festival this year and it surely was one of the most enthralling experiences ever!

As just an aspiring Director from India, this is one of the best vids of Ray I've seen lately. Both his movies, and his Feluda (Crime Fiction) stories are great. 💙

Thank you so much academy for saving Ray's work.

Thanks for reviving this movie. I saw it recently and can't explain how amazing it was. A must watch for everyone.

Satyajit Ray= the man who just loved his job of film direction.....

Thank you "Academy" guys from the depth of my heart! I feel lucky that I ended up seeing this video! You guys are truly magicians! I had tears while I was watching this. Hats off guys...

I got goosebumps while watching this video. The process through which these gems were restored was So tiring but still it was done in such a fantastic manner. I don't have words to express my gratitude to all those who helped to restore Ray's works. Without this our generation would never be able to witness these. Thank you so much!!

The video actually made me tear up. I love Pather Panchali and the sequels and it was heart wrenching when that fire happened. For the films to be available in ideal screening condition is just wonderful. Thank you Criteria Collection and film preservers everywhere.

Love to people who done this restoration, Thank you all

Thank you so much from a city where Ray was born. You guys nailed it.

WoW congrats to the whole team for their 'act of faith'...All facets of life should constantly be considered with as much care and devotion! Bless

I want to sincerely thank The Academy, The Criterion Collection and L'Immagine Ritrovata for their important work in restoring The Apu Trilogy. I love cinema so much and it is efforts like this that give me an incredible sense of happiness. This made me cry so many tears of joy, this is a gift for humanity. May the legacy of Satyajit Ray live on forever.

Thank you to all the people responsible for these restorations. We are the lucky beneficiaries of your efforts. You should be proud that you were part of keeping these great movies alive.

Thank you so much .I have no words to say what these films mean to me .Thank you for restoring them thank you.

This, brought tears in my eyes. The sheer hard work will forever be appreciated by those who really have devoted their lives to movies. Thanks academy, thanks criterion for preserving them so cautiously.

Kudos to the people behind the restoration work. It really made me wanna see these movies :D

But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st, So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

it is a shame that the Indian audience never gave the love he deserved.

Filmmaking is one of the newest art forms, just like restoring a painting in my opinion I think film is equally as important and I'm stoked to see people taking the time to do this! A massive thank you :)

Thanks for what u guys hv done. This is something the Indian media won't show us ever neither our govt hs given ny shit on saving these historical masterpieces. U guys hv helped the indian/world cinema by preserving these historical films of Shree Satyajeet Ray🙏

Amazing how the academy values talent from all over the world. The countries these gems are from often fail to do that. Keep it up.

I cannot convey my gratitude towards the academy with words. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ita just so heartwarming, watching their efforts to preserve a Legend's legacy.. in awe!

Just AWESOME! A big thank to the entire team from the bottom of my heart.

Thankyou!!! For preserving, reviving and validating his work's immortality.

A remarkable resurrection of an essential set of films. I got the bluray set a few months ago and I can't express enough how grateful as a viewer to be able to see these films in this quality. Just amazing.

Thank you Academy for preserving the pride of India and for saving the legacy of Satyajit Ray.

This why the WEST is always better than the east. Their dedication towards their jobs is next to none. Being a die hard Satyajit fan this was giving me goosebumps. THANK YOU for saving these "ones in a lifetime " creations. Hats off to your tremendous hard work and dedication.

Hats off to you guys for the phenomenal work.. Ray will be remembered 👏

Speechless. Simply speechless. Hats off to the Academy, to Bologna, to Criterion, to the person and People involved in this restoration. Bow and respect. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Ashamed that there's not that respect in his own country A big thanks to the academy

Thankyou Academy.... Its a huge huge act of Humanity. I always thought India and Indian artists are underrated in the Hollywood world. But this much love for Satyajit Ray, makes me tear up. He was very poor when he made Pather Panchali. It took him 5 years. That movie was his life. By preserving that film, you have done a great thing for his soul.

Thank you so much for all the efforts of preserving this masterpiece.