David Totheroh
2008-06-13 16:57:55 UTC
Bruce Calvert posted this over on ams. Note that A Countess from Hong
Kong is one of the prints specifically listed as having been
destroyed.
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/06/local_media_...
Loading Image...
Effect of Universal Studios fire felt in local indie movie theaters
by Julie E. Washington/Plain Dealer reporter Thursday June 12, 2008,
7:27 AM
AP
The fire this month that ravaged Universal Studios in California is
affecting art houses throughout the United States.
The recent Universal Studios Hollywood fire turned the Cleveland
Institute
of Art Cinematheque's plans for a special anniversary treat to ash.
The fire
destroyed nearly 100 percent of the 35mm archive prints available to
art
houses like the Cinematheque, as well as museums, film series and
festivals.
Among the casualties was the silent film "Napoleon," a French epic
that
premiered in Paris in 1927. Cinematheque director John Ewing wanted a
screening to mark the theater's 22nd anniversary in August.
MGM screened a severely edited version in the United States in the
1920s.
Restoration work in 1980 and 2000 restored the film's length to nearly
six
hours.
Ewing plans to locate another print, substitute another historic film,
or
skip a celebratory screening. "Napoleon" had not been announced on
Cinematheque's schedule.
Ewing, who also is associate director of film for the Cleveland Museum
of
Art, must replace three additional films because of the fire and were
planned for the museum's Panorama Film Series.
They are the British film "Privilege" (1967), Charlie Chaplin's comedy
"A
Countess from Hong Kong" (1967) and "The Scarlet Empress" (1934),
which
stars Marlene Dietrich as Catherine the Great.
These screenings are planned for July, August and November. Ewing
hopes to
locate prints or show DVD versions.
Check the museum and www.cia.edu/cinematheque for updates.
When Ewing first heard about the fire, he assumed it had damaged only
movie
sets. The next day he received an email from Universal stating that
the
archive was lost, and that the studio couldn't send prints it was
scheduled
to ship.
"Really, my heart sank. It was a dark day," Ewing said.
Media reports estimate the fire may have destroyed hundreds of classic
35-mm
prints from the 1920s to the '40s. The original negatives were stored
in
another location, and Universal plans to make new prints, a process
that can
cost up to $6,000 each.
Ewing thinks the studio won't bother to make prints of obscure films
that
aren't in demand. The films could be remastered on DVD, but that would
be a
loss for purists who want to see films in the original format.
Ewing estimates there are as many as 50 art houses like the
Cinematheque in
the United States. All find it difficult to continue on in the face
of
rising shipping costs and fewer new prints made of old movies.
"This is another blow," he said.
--
Bruce Calvert
--
Visit the Silent Film Still Archive
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com
Kong is one of the prints specifically listed as having been
destroyed.
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/06/local_media_...
Loading Image...
Effect of Universal Studios fire felt in local indie movie theaters
by Julie E. Washington/Plain Dealer reporter Thursday June 12, 2008,
7:27 AM
AP
The fire this month that ravaged Universal Studios in California is
affecting art houses throughout the United States.
The recent Universal Studios Hollywood fire turned the Cleveland
Institute
of Art Cinematheque's plans for a special anniversary treat to ash.
The fire
destroyed nearly 100 percent of the 35mm archive prints available to
art
houses like the Cinematheque, as well as museums, film series and
festivals.
Among the casualties was the silent film "Napoleon," a French epic
that
premiered in Paris in 1927. Cinematheque director John Ewing wanted a
screening to mark the theater's 22nd anniversary in August.
MGM screened a severely edited version in the United States in the
1920s.
Restoration work in 1980 and 2000 restored the film's length to nearly
six
hours.
Ewing plans to locate another print, substitute another historic film,
or
skip a celebratory screening. "Napoleon" had not been announced on
Cinematheque's schedule.
Ewing, who also is associate director of film for the Cleveland Museum
of
Art, must replace three additional films because of the fire and were
planned for the museum's Panorama Film Series.
They are the British film "Privilege" (1967), Charlie Chaplin's comedy
"A
Countess from Hong Kong" (1967) and "The Scarlet Empress" (1934),
which
stars Marlene Dietrich as Catherine the Great.
These screenings are planned for July, August and November. Ewing
hopes to
locate prints or show DVD versions.
Check the museum and www.cia.edu/cinematheque for updates.
When Ewing first heard about the fire, he assumed it had damaged only
movie
sets. The next day he received an email from Universal stating that
the
archive was lost, and that the studio couldn't send prints it was
scheduled
to ship.
"Really, my heart sank. It was a dark day," Ewing said.
Media reports estimate the fire may have destroyed hundreds of classic
35-mm
prints from the 1920s to the '40s. The original negatives were stored
in
another location, and Universal plans to make new prints, a process
that can
cost up to $6,000 each.
Ewing thinks the studio won't bother to make prints of obscure films
that
aren't in demand. The films could be remastered on DVD, but that would
be a
loss for purists who want to see films in the original format.
Ewing estimates there are as many as 50 art houses like the
Cinematheque in
the United States. All find it difficult to continue on in the face
of
rising shipping costs and fewer new prints made of old movies.
"This is another blow," he said.
--
Bruce Calvert
--
Visit the Silent Film Still Archive
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com