Recent Film Restorations

[beamish14]

I’m guessing Malpertuis is the longer Dutch-language version?

Body Double is a nice surprise

[Stefan Andersson]

[quote=beamish14 post_id=815308 time=1718035077 user_id=28635]
I’m guessing Malpertuis is the longer Dutch-language version?

Hi beamish14!

Yes, it is the Dutch-language version at 125 minutes. From the downloadable catalogue:
"After the film’s initial release in English and its presentation at Cannes in 1972, director Harry Kümel was not satisfied and re-edited a longer Dutch version. For the restoration, three elements were used. Originally, the Dutch version was created using an internegative derived from the English version. We opted to scan the negatives of both the Dutch and English versions. In reel 2, approximately 30 seconds were missing from the negative. Fortunately, we were able to utilise a distribution print, untouched for more than 30 years and preserved as archival material."

[tolbs1010]

Surprised and pleased to see Schlöndorff's Voyager get a 4K restoration. May be Sam Shepard's best screen performance.

[beamish14]

Surprised and pleased to see Schlöndorff's Voyager get a 4K restoration. May be Sam Shepard's best screen performance.

Yes, I’m a big fan of this one. I saw it theatrically in North America a few years ago, and the rights seem to be held by a relatively small distributor that I cannot recall the name of

[Matt]

Very interesting to see Disney performing restorations of old Fox films (Man Trouble, Demetrius and the Gladiators). Perhaps they’re not content to just let these rot in their vaults after all.

[ryannichols7]

hang on, The Wind got restored? that's fairly huge news buried in there. hopefully we see Criterion or Warner Archive release it

really hope to see a 4K of Tokyo Drifter after we impressively got a great one for Branded to Kill. I prefer the former film by some distance

EDIT: The Wind being from MoMA and now being public domain (I believe?) leaves the door open to Masters of Cinema getting their hands on it, no? they just worked with MoMA for The Cat and the Canary. I'd much rather see them release it than any other potential label

[Peacock]

Some great titles on that list, fingers crossed MoC get The Wind.

One understandably much less lauded but which caught my eye was The Devil in Miss Jones; I wondered when we would see more Damiano in HD, hopefully this will be next.

[Stefan Andersson]

A detailed discussion of soundtracks for The Wind:
https://nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35725

Showing July 31 at MoMA with original 1928 music and effects track:
https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9759

The Ritrovato screening has Carl Davis´ score, adapted by Timothy Brock:
https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/e ... /the-wind/

[nicolas]

Very interesting to see Disney performing restorations of old Fox films (Man Trouble, Demetrius and the Gladiators). Perhaps they’re not content to just let these rot in their vaults after all.

They’ve also restored Hitchcock’s Spellbound and apparently Pretty Woman but whether these will see the light of day is the question. Arrow also got in contact with Disney and their archival team in order to retrieve a portion of one of the audio mixes of Conan the Destroyer for their UHD. It must be strange and disappointing to work on these restorations and have them vanish again with the smallest possible exposure.

[beamish14]

Very interesting to see Disney performing restorations of old Fox films (Man Trouble, Demetrius and the Gladiators). Perhaps they’re not content to just let these rot in their vaults after all.

They need some kind of ROI with the money pit that has become

[beamish14]

Very interesting to see Disney performing restorations of old Fox films (Man Trouble, Demetrius and the Gladiators). Perhaps they’re not content to just let these rot in their vaults after all.

They’ve also restored Hitchcock’s Spellbound and apparently Pretty Woman but whether these will see the light of day is the question. Arrow also got in contact with Disney and their archival team in order to retrieve a portion of one of the audio mixes of Conan the Destroyer for their UHD. It must be strange and disappointing to work on these restorations and have them vanish again with the smallest possible exposure.

Pretty Woman is interesting given its Touchstone banner release and R-rating, although some of their adult-oriented titles are gradually trickling into Hulu

[senseabove]

Very interesting to see Disney performing restorations of old Fox films (Man Trouble, Demetrius and the Gladiators). Perhaps they’re not content to just let these rot in their vaults after all.

They also seem to have done a restoration of The Model and the Marriage Broker that played at TCM Fest.

[ryannichols7]

A detailed discussion of soundtracks for The Wind:
https://nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35725

Showing July 31 at MoMA with original 1928 music and effects track:
https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9759

The Ritrovato screening has Carl Davis´ score, adapted by Timothy Brock:
https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/e ... /the-wind/

somehow I missed all of this, massive thanks. the original 1928 track would be a first time hear for me, that's awesome news. if MOC pull that out it'll probably automatically be release of the year for me. hopefully The Crowd can see similar love..I got the impression Warner wasn't too interested in continuing silents after they noted The Big Parade wasn't a big seller, and we know Criterion has always been scattershot when it comes to them, although the Tod Browning release was excellent.

I'd comment on more of the titles but stuff like North by Northwest, The Searchers, and Paris, Texas will obviously get their due. I'm just hoping the first two get new commentary tracks from whoever gets to release them, but I'm not holding my breath. in all, it's an amazing list and next year I really need to plan my trip to Bologna

[hearthesilence]

Re: the Nitrateville discussion, "charleskaley" sounds like a real ass, but here was Robert Harris's response to the claim that the Vitaphone soundtrack for The Wind is essential:

The Wind may have been released as a sound film when it finally hit theaters at the end of 1928, but it was conceived and shot as a full silent production, with a shoot beginning in March of 1927.

From contemporary reports, the track cobbled together by M-G-M was not met with appreciation. Nonetheless, the track is of historical significance as an awkward attempt by the studio bridge to the sound gap.

While the track is interesting, I’ll go with the Carl Davis score, which properly represents the film as intended in 1927 by the filmmakers, and not with a recorded track forced upon the scene due to the emergence of Vitaphone discs.

They've screened the Vitaphone version at least a couple of times around NYC in the 2010s - I posted about one at MoMA and again for a later screening at MoMI, which was the one I caught. I don't even remember the soundtrack that well, but this was what I wrote at the time:

They screened this Vitaphone restoration at MoMI today (and the print was indeed courtesy of MoMA). A sound print was created with all the music and sounds from the discs recorded on to the print soundtrack. They don’t hurt the film (which looked superb in this restoration - I can’t recall Gish ever looking lovelier) but they don’t enhance anything either. The dog noises and especially the weak tin cup noises (when the cup is thrown around) were the most egregious offenses but that’s it.

[andyli]

It's a bit surprising that additional films from Parajanov are also restored in 4K along with Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. If there's no rights issue, perhaps it's time for a Parajanov box ("Shadows of Forgotten Parajanov") ?

[Stefan Andersson]

Pre-Code weekend with some restorations, like The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932):
https://silver.afi.com/Browsing/EventsA ... 0000000123

[Stefan Andersson]

Eye Filmmuseum flooded:
https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36092

[Stefan Andersson]

Go Fish restored from 16mm A/B rolls and 35 mm mag sound:
https://filmmakermagazine.com/124978-go ... storation/

[A Tempted Christ]

An Assayas retrospective kicked off today at La Cinémathèque française and both Paris s'éveille and Une nouvelle vie are listed as having DCPs.

[dwk]

Imagica on restoring Tokyo Drifter

[Stefan Andersson]

Ongoing blogging about 2024 Ritrovato, with various bits of specific restoration information, such as 95 % of Judex is taken from the OCN, and the last reel of Ucicky´s Café Electric is lost:

https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/

[Stefan Andersson]

Some upcoming restorations + financial aid granted by the CNC, as of March 27, 2024:
Mahabharata, Peter Brook
Le voyage en douce, Deville
Emak bakia, Mystères du chateau de Dé, Retour a la raison, L´Étoile de mer, Man Ray
L´Etalon, Mocky
Les visiteurs du soir, Carné
La Corruption, Bolognini
Tendres chasseurs, Guerra
Les nuits fauves, Collard

Source:
https://www.cnc.fr/professionnels/aides ... ine_190901
(click on Résultat des commissions, screen left)

[Stefan Andersson]

300 50-sec. Lumière shorts are being restored in 4K by Ritrovata, as part of the 130th anniversary of cinema in 2025:
https://www.boxofficepro.fr/lumiere-laventure-continue/

The 300 films, plus 100 more restored in 2015, will be uploaded on an internet site, freely available (no download).

[domino harvey]

A great way for all of us to boost our rookie numbers on Letterboxd

[Grand Wazoo]

I still get a kick out of people who sincerely review Lumière and other one-shot films from 1896 on Letterboxd. Workers Leaving The Factory - Meh, could have been better.