Film restoration: Saving our cinema heritage

Concerned that the legacy of cinema was vanishing because of the instability of film stocks, Martin Scorsese, joined by other leading filmmakers, started a foundation to preserve motion pictures for future generations, including restoring classics in danger of disappearing forever. Correspondent Ben Tracy talked with Scorsese, and with film archivists, about the ongoing fight to restore and preserve a fragile and endangered art form.
#Martinscorsese #filmrestoration #filmpreservation #cinema
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[@azohundred1353]

Martin Scorsese, keeping the art of cinema alive throughout the decades with his film restoring/preserving and film directing. What a legend.

[@chrisfinch8637]

You can never go wrong with Scorsese, Spielberg, Dante, or Lucas.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

@@chrisfinch8637 don't forget Billy Wilder, Victor Fleming, William A Wellman Sr, William Wyler, Peter Weir, Sidney Lumet, Robert Altman, Clint Eastwood, Delbert Mann, James Cameron, Fred Zinnemann, Blake Edwards, David Lean, Stanley Kramer, Stanley Kubrick & George A Romero

[@nerijusvilcinskas7851]

@@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401 You are forgetting so many more, why only including English speaking directors?

[@MeMeDaVinci]

@@nerijusvilcinskas7851 Michel Curtiz, too. Academically, maybe because foreign directors are not well known. Think about it.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

@@MeMeDaVinci George Stevens too

[@mec8690]

We're fortunate he directed during both the film and digital age, and had the vision to see the potential for film restoration. He should receive an Oscar for his archival work.

[@Unsweetened8618]

Yes he should. People don't respect his contribution.

[@DwayneIsK1NG]

He will. That's a given

[@Michaela1942]

I had a tiny, tiny part in all this. I was working at Columbia Pictures in the 1980s and in 1981-2 I started a once a month screening of classic Columbia films for the employees and their friends. The top brass saw 2 things re: these screenings: 1) how popular they were with audiences, and 2) what bad shape they were in. I'm sure many other studios and industry people noted the same things as restoration and films on tape for home consumption really took off in the years after that time.

[@brucekuehn4031]

Was that at TBS (The Burbank Studios)? I was in the Camera Dept and later worked as a Camera Assistant. The incredible amount of work that goes into making a movie and then to have it vanish? From all of our brothers and sisters in the past to those that work for preservation and restoration today - Thank You!

[@rebekahcuriel-alessi2239]

🌟

[@jacobgaslin4195]

Director Frank Capra and former TCM host Robert Osbourne would be so proud of this project in preserving what’s basically history.

[@llynnie888]

This effort with Martin Scorsese along with Ted Turner's love for these films is really admirable. Many of TCM's films capture a whole other world from the 40s and 50s. It's such a privilege to have access to these films.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

The Film Foundation want to join The Criterion Collection & Kino Lober

[@DragonKazooie89]

We need this done to cartoons from cinemas as well! Animation is just as important!

[@holasoyjuansm]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHqymJSDo9yFqLM

[@pferreira1983]

I keep saying this definitely. A lot of cartoons only seem to exist on master tapes.

[@barrymoore4470]

@@pferreira1983 Cinema animation, especially in short films, has been consistently neglected in film criticism and histories.

[@pferreira1983]

@@barrymoore4470 But not just cinema animation, TV animation. Some of the most popular cartoons from the 1980's for example only exist right now on SD master tapes. More needs to be done. Worth pointing out some companies carry vaults and aren't aware what they own.

[@sandramorey2529]

Absolutely.

[@isaacmartinez6904]

Martin Scorsese really does care for cinema. And I am happy to see studios from Paramount to the Criterion Collection/Janus Films doing their work to restore cinema. I hope that we get to see amazing movie being restored to their glory.

[@GetHighWatchMovies]

He is truly a cinema hero, I just hope the next generation of filmmakers will continue the passion for this important work.

[@thegamecorneryt1511]

I wish I could restore these movies . My generation will probably only watch the mcu projects and StarWars but but my favorites are these classics with good actors and good story’s

[@slate49]

The current restoration of film has been incredible! True art! It’s a marvel how beautiful older productions look when restored. The whole process of restoration intrigues me tremendously. The way I show support/the art of saving these films is to purchase the 4k disc when they are released to the public. It’s not cheap to work on decades old films so we need to get out there and support the work by adding these gems to our home collection

[@BestFitSquareChannel]

“This is why we’re here, to enrich each other’s lives through art.” Indeed maestro, indeed. 🤸🏽‍♂️ 🥂 🤸🏽‍♂️ Thank you.

[@JonReevesLA]

It's unfortunate that this only includes half of the story, especially since Scorsese is involved with both halves. Yes, the Film Foundation is a good thing, but it's focused on commercial films. There is also the National Film Preservation Foundation, which focuses more on non-commercial, but still important, films. The Film Foundation works primarily with studios; the NFPF works primarily with archives, and has preserved over 2700 films.

[@susannpatton2893]

Thank you gentlemen for doing this. These old films need to be preserved and kept for future generations- no matter how great or mundane. Thank you thank you thank you

[@JerodBork]

They literally interviewed a woman in this piece. It's not just gentlemen who are preserving film

[@MeMeDaVinci]

Though I'm not a fan of Scorsese movies, I am a huge fan of him. His love of film, storytelling and movie-making is second to none. His passion is going to save cinematic gems for generations to come. I'm surprised that there was no direct mention of the fire at Universal Studios that destroyed thousands of movie reels and music reels with no copies to draw from...that news got swept aside. Best wishes to all that contribute to this effort!!! Thank you Marty! And, he acted, too!

[@MothGirl007]

I feel the same way, although I do really like "The Age Of Innocence" and "Hugo". He's a total hero for his film preservation efforts.

[@rjmcallister1888]

Fox and MGM also had major fires that destroyed major parts of their original stocks.

[@lostlatinlover]

If I may quote my now 35 year old son: "They made some pretty good movies in your day Dad!" My then 19 year old son, who had always loved movies, had just enrolled in college course of film appreciation and history. He had just seen "High Noon (1952)," "The man who shot Liberty Valance (1962)," and "Seven Samurai (1954).' To this day, he's my film critic of choice.

[@Ishai1]

Scorsese made restoration a big theme of his movie Hugo and it's a great recruiting tool for the cause. It's hard to watch Hugo and not come away thinking we should do more to restore old movies

[@JP-lu9ed]

Great movie.

[@RailPreserver2K]

I've read both the book and seen the movie the movie and love both greatly

[@jojopuppyfish]

2:07 The other reason many silent films are gone is because the studios threw them in the garbage. Luckily people who worked in the industry fished them out of the dumpsters

[@TheStockwell]

Carl Laemmle co-founded Universal Studios and ran it until 1934. When his college-aged son asked if he could cart away outdated, flammable silent films for a campus bonfire, Dad let him. No problem. 😳

[@glnnchrstphr9717]

So glad that future generations of people will be able to experience these classics. So important.

[@cocoaorange1]

I love watching restored silent films.

[@rhyancoleman6462]

I remember when Scorsese and Spielberg helped David Lean restore the original version of Lawrence of Arabia in 1989.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Almost 4 hours including cut version

[@Gangsta0wns456]

I have the 4K restoration of it, and it’s spectacular.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Film Restorations is so huge it's needs hard work, care, and love pored into it. That's why I loved Shout Factory or Criterion releases a lot.

[@chrisfinch8637]

You can’t go wrong with the original colors of movies every once in a while, but seeing your favorite movies restored into something much more clearer and broader, really speaks a lot about its quality. You see those space movies, in its original setting, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Black Hole, the next you’d see it in an HD/Blu-Ray quality, which has a lot more color and clear images.

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

Ben Hur (Original or Remake Version), Spartacus, Gandhi, Sargeant Hassan, Battle of Moscow, G30S, Mann, Death Of A Salesman & It's a Wonderful Life also become the restore successful complete

[@MeMeDaVinci]

The original colors of movies were vibrant. The chemistry of old color film fades over time. Temperature, moisture, dust, etc., can ruin film stock. If they don't preserve it, it fades to nothing, breaks apart. The entire process of film (the physical rolls), creation, development, processing is one reason why digital came to be. The chemicals were magic, so to speak, considering the end product, but highly toxic. The history of film is fascinating.

[@mililaniman]

I support preserving film for future generations. I never saw East Of Eden or The Misfits. I hope the films of Sidney Poitier will be preserved too.

[@alexanderclaylavin]

One of my favorite lines is in The Sopranos when a wiseguy yells to the famous director Martin Scorsese, "Hey Marty, I loved Kundun!"

[@romstar]

On Hollywood's biggest night, 🌃 the Oscars,this is an important story to tell about the preservation of deteriorating film 🎥 stock . It looks like they've done 👍 exceptional work in rescuing these old films from being eternally lost 🥺

[@davidcattin7006]

In 1996 I saw the restored "Vertigo" at the Uptown Theater in Washington, DC. Cineplex Odeon had just refurbished the space and reopened it with “Vertigo”. Kim Novak was seated just two rows in front of me. Tickets included a reception after the movie at the French Embassy. It was a wonderful night!

[@pamela8329]

Brilliant, very important work. Thanks for sharing!

[@boothicalproductions7088]

Love this. I’m currently trying to do this with just my mum and dads cine film from 1967. Precious memories to keep on living ❤

[@TTM9691]

I am so psyched to see that all those Mary Pickford movies were at the top of his list (I saw listed Poor Little Rich Girl, Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farms, The Pride Of The Clan and The Little American - all from 1917. And he also has Douglas Fairbanks' "A Modern Musketeer" listed from the same year. He's absolutely correct and I'm psyched (though not surprised!) he is aware of all those titles.

[@JuicyCrone]

What a dream it would be to work at the paramount archives!

[@Michaela1942]

As someone who was obsessed by film from a very early age and then spent a good part of her adult life in the Industry, I'm so ecstatic that this work is being done. All great film makers have learned from what has gone before them and if that history has been lost, we are all the losers for it.

[@JuanPValenciaH]

This is a beautiful labor. Happy to see people working on preserving things from the past that are worth it.

[@stevenvoorhees3107]

Marty Scorsese's THE patron saint of film. All film. Period.

[@vernelledouglas1801]

This was wonderful. There are so many antique motion pictures that I want to view; glad to know that I and generations to come can do so.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Marty is the best of the best. Want to buy a watch ⌚

[@joeblow9210]

Martin Scorsese is a genius, glad he's preserving the Colonel Blimp film and other classics. I saw first saw Blimp over 40 years ago after it came out of the vaults.

[@bbygrlpt2]

Im glad theyre doing this bc those movies are classics!! They make so much movies today and most you forget about them the next day but classics are timeless

[@stacytadlock7666]

Thank You for all you do both in making great films but more importantly for saving them as well! God Bless You!

[@inwalters]

I agree. I remember seeing "Excalibur" in the theater in 1981and the color popped off the screen. The greens in the forest shots were really green. When it came out on VHS, I remember being disappointed with the way it looked, like it had been bleached.

[@sandramorey2529]

Ivan Walters: Same experience as I had with 1968's Ukrainian classic, Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors by Parajanov, who spent 5 years in a Gulag for creating it. I saw it 18 times in 1968 and while I could not get into Ukraine at the time, I spent time in the Balkans. I recall the color was amazing in 1968, but when PBS ran it many years later, the color had faded dramatically. There is a scene where Polagna puts her apron which is bright red in a winter window and takes down a bright blue one backed by spring blossoms. Now the red is brown and the blue is very faded. Maybe Scorsese could work on that one.

[@testing9485]

I have a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois and worked at the University of Illinois Press. I wrote to Roger Ebert, whose hometown is mine. Urbana, Illinois. His Film Festival is in Champaign. I wrote to him late 80s or early 90s about creating an organization called Silver Screen Savers. I was coming up with products to sell to raise money to get the classics restored. Roger didn't respond. I guess I had to send the ideas to various directors to finally find Scorsese. Thank you so much for saving them.

[@EngineeredNonsense]

Super proud of this effort from some of the greatest directors to keep the history and art of cinema vibrant so it can be enjoyed as it was originally showed, decades later.

[@raquelbijman5096]

Wow!! Let’s not loose this beautiful art!

[@eargasm1072]

Thank you mr Marty Scorsese, for your legacy of timeless movies and quality entertainment, as well as being custodian of and preserving the pictorial and aural beauty and quality of film art, world culture, along with some other famous talented friends and filmmakers like Lucas, Spielberg & Co👍

[@anastasiabeaverhausen8220]

"East of Eden" is one of my favorite films. I vividly remember seeing it for the first time on TV when I was a teen in the late 60s and it was a gorgeous print I saw then. I'll never forget the red of Julie Harris' hair contrasted with that field of flowers.

[@rockoutkids]

Martin thanks for all you do. This is truly great.

[@brendacox4359]

Thank you Mr. Scorsese. I really appreciate all your hard work and from everyone else involved with the restoration of the films from present time to yesteryear.

[@marsspacex6065]

If we don’t remember our past we won’t know ourselves anymore thanks Martin.

[@animateangus]

I love seeing the work that goes into restoring, not only some of our favourite films, but obscure titles - some of which are being shown for the first time on Blu Ray. The Warner Archive restorations of DOCTOR X and MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM are real standouts for me.

[@miguelfmyers]

Bless this man. He will forever be remembered.

[@robertjosephkeil]

This is truly important work.

[@freedom_rock18]

Color of money, casino, goodfellas I can go on his style of direction is so beautiful and crated..he a legend amongst us

[@judytran3514]

Thank you for preserving history. Film is about the human experience.

[@Biscuit1973]

Now that’s what I call. Classic movie restoration because back on television when I was a young boy, they were air in these movies back on TV but the problem was the pictures in the movies weren’t clean to be seen until a breakthrough and technology allowed us to fully restore any old classic films, no matter if they are silent or audio but these movies are now better than ever when they were first shot many decades ago.

[@ShaneRob93]

It's great to see this get some mainstream attention, hopefully it will bring more people to it that didn't know about it before.

[@steveconn]

Casino and the Last Waltz are his gems. Good job championing restoration of these classic films. They've influenced him tremendously (Somebody Up There Likes Me on Raging Bull, etc.).

[@JakeRanney]

Kind of ironic that George Lucas was such an important figure in this movement, and yet his Star Wars trilogy is nearly impossible to watch in its original, unedited form.

[@angelh1743]

I always wondered who started the restoration process back in the 90's. I'm so glad they did.

[@Angelique24118]

my favorite movie is Clue, and it’s been in need of restoration for a while

[@CoinOpTV]

Nice video package - one of the reasons I still collect physical media to help support restoration and preservation of film!

[@DavidFilmore]

Depending on the disc, DVDs only last about 5-10 years.

[@woodenbeast9337]

Jane thank you for all the episodes. You are still as beautiful

[@fabiandimaspratama]

Thanks Mr. Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project. Your team brought Indonesia's "Lewat Djam Malam" (a.k.a. "After The Curfew" - 1954) and restored it, brought it into The Criterion Collection. It was the first and perhaps the only neo-noir film that Indonesia ever made. Mr. Scorsese saved the film, considering it captured perfectly how 1950s Indonesia's social life looked like & its moral message is still relevant until today. I also love Louis Malle's "Au Revoir Les Enfants", India's "Apu Trilogy", and Taiwan's "A Brighter Summer Day"

[@444chroma]

Thank you Mr Scorsese for allowing some of you private film to be used in the 4k scanning+ restoration of Invaders from Mars 👍

[@ATRTAP]

Film restorationists are doing great work. I couldn’t imagine our collected works of poetry painting and print just turning into dust because of the weakness of their physical mediums.

[@samiritbanik1504]

People say "he saved cinema, this saved cinema "and stuff, scorsese is the one who really saved cinema.

[@Unsweetened8618]

Yep

[@rjmcallister1888]

One personal note: the UCLA Archive restored one of my favorite animated classics, "Mr. Bug Goes to Town" (1941) a few years back. Paramount still holds the copyright and has not negotiated to get the restored version to Blu-Ray or 4K (there are some messed-up prints on VHS and DVD). Get it done, please.

[@edithlazenby5839]

Thank you!

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Amazing 😍🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@Sleepy_Spaghetti]

Seeing movies in theaters, seeing bands live in concert, going to an art gallery. That’s my church!

[@Leo-ws6cp]

love that endingggg

[@reggiebadunkadunk]

Keep it alive, young people. 15 and a lover of truly good cinema.

[@andrenewcomb3708]

Our Dad went to a hospital from asphyxiation from rescuing film archives during a fire in Paris, France at SHAPE Headquarters outside Paris. I was only 8 years old then. So I don't have any knowledge of what the content was in those vaults. This was in the early 1960's.

[@rajendrabiswas]

I love shooting still film time to time..film is a very beautiful archival power and also visually beautiful ...glad to see in 4k HD world films getting remastered and colour graded ..

[@michaelbustillo3528]

I wish there was less remakes, more restorations. I would glady pay to see these classics and more re-released in theaters

[@Unsweetened8618]

Thank You Martin Scorsese. 🎥👨🏻

[@Urm0mz]

The children need to remember this time. Scorcese is a a multigenerational figure and it's a time to be alive in his time ❤

[@tylerlyons4943]

Gosh Marty and the gang is really getting up there everybody. Legends need to be protected and preserved

[@XavierKatzone]

Hats off to Marty and "the gang"! 👏🏻👏🏻❤️

[@robertthompson3941]

Beauty!!!!!!

[@JohannesYtterstrom]

Important work this!

[@bryanabarca9860]

Thank you for your work, Mr. Scorsese. We will not let you down.

[@RyMovieGuy]

We’re not just preserving random stock. It’s our culture, it’s memories, education, etc. If we just gut our formative years, what else do we have?

[@elainekinney6186]

Thankfully that Martin Scorsese has helped save the cinemas of the past.

[@organicskating]

Wow he made a Paramount list! He needs to order Universal to work with him too as they have the Paramount pre 1950s library!

[@dbo4852]

He has and Universal is performing fantastic Preservation work in 4K from the earliest generation of film possible.

[@truefilm6991]

Marty is such a wonderful guy. He truly cares about the movies and isn't just in it for the money and fame.

[@allysonkho2017]

Thank God for his work in art preservatio

[@FilmRestorations]

Bravo!

[@blockygamer1]

I'm honestly more astonished that Scorsese even included silent films in his long important list of films to save! Those are literally the backbone of Hollywood's founding!

[@RetroFreak35]

Great story.

[@JohnnyNiteTrain]

Christopher Nolan’s films need to be preserved for all future cinephiles.

[@jahimjauh-hey5653]

I tell you what a good restoration can make all the difference in upping the enjoyment factor of a film. I use to have an old copy of 1932s Old Dark House and couldn't sit through it with how bad the picture quality was until the recent restoration and now it's one of my favorite horror films from that era.

[@tatehildyard5332]

Same case with Morocco. Had to watch it in a film class and the sound quality in particular on the dvd was so mushy that I could barely understand it.

[@Themanwhocameback2]

Yes. The Cohen restoration of "The Old Dark House" is fantastic. Literally, I never dreamed the film could look this good.

[@ryanellis4474]

What a great man Scorsese is! I love that man! I will pray for America. Please pray for me. God Bless you.

[@angelaholmes8888]

I absolutely love the film east of eden I own it on DVD 💖

[@AK12king]

Film restoration is vital to the future.

[@alfredowaltergutierrezmald834]

what a legend and a kind man!

[@nunyabizness6595]

Word: Cinema. Young person: is that on youtube?

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sha.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Sorry, thank you for sharing.

[@garyrutledge7639]

God bless Marty.

[@augustaugust7667]

Every person in America needs to see this clip this video to let us all know that film doesn't last ...there's got to be better ways for quality film..... And even for our family films.... And even for family pictures etc.....

[@markschildberg1667]

Bless you Marty

[@ryebread9299]

Such an icon. 😊

[@tomsouzas]

Wonderful work! Meanwhile, here in Brazil our Cinemateca (like a "Film Foundation") need to struggle year after year to not burn to the ground. Cultural preservation in Brazil it's always walking on a tightrope.

[@barrymoore4470]

Films from all the over the world deserve preservation. Scorsese fortunately is very sensitive to the international nature of cinema, and works to preserve and fund movies globally.

[@sandlercruise7102]

Thank god we've got digital now and no longer have to worry about image quality.