Spirit of Asia - ep 4 - The Story of Rama (February 3rd 1980)

"The Story of Rama" is the fourth episode of The Spirit of Asia, a series of eight films in which David Attenborough explores India and South-East Asia. It was broadcast on February 3rd 1980, on BBC Two in England.
The image quality is quite poor, but I think it's certainly better than having no recording at all.
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The Story of Rama
Among the cultural riches bestowed by India on the lands of South-East Asia, one particular work of art stands out ahead of all others. ' Ramayana ', an ancient story of heroism and villainy, was able to take so firm a hold on the imagination of the people, that it has maintained a universal popularity for 2,000 years.
In India, the epic tale has survived in its entirety, and every year during the festival of Dussehra it is played out, scene by scene, from start to finish. In the holy city of Benares it uses the world's largest theatre - the fortress home of the Maharajah-and a series of stages distributed across the landscape. Giant effigies of the Demon King and his family are made from bamboo and paper. To mark the climax of the story, they are set alight, and disappear amid the sparks of firecrackers and a great cloud of smoke.
Film cameraman NIGEL WALTERS
Film recordist IAN SANSAM
Research LAURIEN BERKELEY, SUE HAYCOCK
Film editor TONY HEAVEN
Produced by MICHAEL MACINTYRE