Lost Forever: The Art of Film Preservation

This documentary short takes you inside the fascinating world of film preservation and restoration. From Gravitas Docufilms. Featuring George Willeman, Liz Stanley, Jan-Christopher Horak, Patrick Loughney, Leonard Maltin, Hugh Munro Neely, Robin Blaetz, Allen Daviau, Anne Morra, Michael Gates, Robert A. Harris, Michael Pogorzelski, Rick Prelinger, Sean McKee, Mick LaSalle, John Ptak, Robert Rosen, Ross Lipman, Diana Little, James Schamus, Roger Mayer and Jan Yarbrough. Thanks to the Library of Congress, Academy Film Archive, UCLA Film and Television Archive, IVC/Point.360, MoMA - Museum of Modern Art, and Visionary Arts & Scientific Technologies.

[@aortaplatinum]

It's horrible that so much history, so much art, is just rotting away somewhere, or completely gone. But, the fact that something can be done about it, that film CAN be recovered, archived, stored properly, and restored to look better than ever, is absolutely incredible. I... think I know what I want to do with my life now.

[@Mrshoujo]

There needs to be more videos showing film restoration. It's frequently as interesting as the movies they're about.

[@chrisackerman8459]

Mrshoujo Totally agree.

[@tys.8027]

@@chrisackerman8459 agreed as well. great documentary,

[@vilstef6988]

The documentary on the restoration of Metropolis was truly riveting! The before-after runs showing the process was amazing.

[@michaelszczys8316]

I remember back in 1970s a PBS station had an old movie show with old nitrate film shorts and they were stressing way back then about finding any old films as they were entering the age where they would start to self - destruct.

[@mariegribber7030]

@@vilstef6988 I was lucky enough to see metrolpolis at the cinema with a live pianist using the orginal score.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

I deeply mourn for the lost movies of the early days... that showed us a lot of the old world.

[@jamessheridan4306]

Living in New York City as a young man in the 1980s I was fortunate enough to see a few films in their original nitrate format and what the narrator says here is true; the image quality was truly dazzling.

[@Bigandrewm]

All these companies that trash their valuable original stock should lose any right to the copyrights also.

[@TheseAmazingShadows]

Great idea!

[@fastecp1]

Makes me sad when I think of all the movies that have been lost, they say around 80 percent of all the moves before 1930 are lost forever, I'm glad they are doing this

[@Tadfafty]

I've heard it was 90% currently lost, 75% presumed lost forever.

[@MrEightThreeOne]

I was going down the rabbit hole of film restoration and ended up running across this. This is honestly the best video on the subject matter I've ever seen. I've almost become an archivist all of my own, and I try my very hardest to save every piece of media I can. I have a huge amount of modern TV recordings scattered all over hard drives, I have a lot of digitized VHS stuff that I've gone to great lengths to preserve in the best possible quality I can (heck, I bought a *high-end VCR* just for the task), and a lot of that can indeed include movies, and I also back up every single computer game CD and floppy disk I own. While this isn't all related to film preservation, I think the point is that I think every piece of media deserves to be cared for and stored no matter what. I've always had trouble trying to explain to people why I'm driven to do that. But this video frankly captured the whole thing beautifully. Of course there's archives for a lot of things...I'm not sure if I would truly enjoy a job in archival and preservation, and I'm not entirely sure just what all I should do with all the things I have, but I hope it does amount to something down the road. Either way, this mini-film was very well put together. To hear about all the fires that broke out because of the nitrate film is absolutely heart-breaking to hear about, I had never known this until now. And to hear so much of film history is simply *gone*, not even "it exists as a horribly deteriorated copy" type, just completely and utterly *gone* forever is insane. And even some of the most popular historical movies have suffered from this; for example, Fantasia mostly survives, but supposedly a lot of the narration from Deems Taylor is completely deteriorated beyond any form of recovery, and modern releases have a redub in place. I really wish there were more videos like this and more emphasis on such. Some people wonder if I'm a film major in college whenever I bring this hobby of mine up, and amazingly, I'm not. I just have a drive to preserve things I feel are worth preserving...which really, is just about everything.

[@angelprezcarametro7253]

I congratulate you for your interest in preserving modern media, my idea is that although there are all types of ways to record and archive modern tv programmes, there are still items that are not always preserved, like commercials, news reports, intermediate segments between one programme and the next one, etc. these are obvious and every-day items, but not necessarily preserved. The same is quite valid for radio broadcasts.we hear radio all day long and we believe that it will be always there on the air (we take for granted that it will exist forever). But, what happens when a radio station closes? At least in my country (Chile) there have been quite successful, popular and 'omnipresent' radio stations that have closed and.... nobody has recording of their programmes!!! The only witness remaining of their existence is the "memory" and perhaps some rare recording posted on KZbin, and that's all. In my country for example, there have been really important radio announcers that have died and nobody has any recording of their voices!!!

[@emijrp]

You may enjoy these documentaries too. Archives and libraries: * Archive (2012) kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5TCXpmdrph4fbs * Digital Amnesia (2014) kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJW9qXxpo6uJgNU * Google and the World Brain (2013) archive.org/details/GoogleAndTheWorldBrain_201611 * La oscura era digital (2004) kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKu0qnuCmZ2dj9E * The End of Memory? (2015) kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHPVc4KDid-KetE * The House of History (1996) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHyXeJKEos-eeLM * The Man Who Wanted to Classify the World (2002) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmrNmKGLaLtsapY * Toute la mémoire du monde (1956) kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2G1h4aQlN53oNU Film restoration, film archives and VHS collectors: * Adjust Your Tracking (2013) kzbin.info/www/bejne/epTWoZpmoc13oqc * Celluloid Man (2012) * Metropolis Refundada (2010) * Rewind This! (2013) Music: * The World's Largest Record Collection (2008) vimeo.com/1546186 Photography: * Finding Vivian Maier (2013) * Francisco Boix, un fotógrafo en el infierno (2000) kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2GXlWlmoZVge7c

[@cliff9685]

Angel Prez Carametro I have a recorded miniseries from 1985 with original commercials and local news at 11 previews. It is quite a time capsule. Visual media is the only mean of time travel. I enjoy watching the everyday mundane old films that are posted on KZbin of different decades even back to the 1800s. These films are really the only window into the past. It’s all so important!

[@Pauldjreadman]

After watching these videos I feel like doing the same. Like the BBC discovered there is stuff all over the world.

[@nathannabong5533]

@@rubencentro4974 Halo is the right historic thing to preserve 🙌🏼

[@owengreene2653]

Imagine you and dozens of other people bust your asses for months or even years to get a film made, and once you have, it becomes your life’s greatest achievement, and you couldn’t be more proud. Then some guy throws out the final surviving print of your film because it took up too much space in a warehouse.

[@AlanBondFilms]

Thank God for these people and their care.

[@kirkafur3]

So sad for any work of art any human has ever produced to expire. All those moments will be lost, like tears in rain.

[@angelaeden9218]

I am sitting here silently crying, realizing there are works of art STILL waiting to be found.

[@laustcawz2089]

A Laurel & Hardy short was restored for the Registry this year ("The Battle Of The Century"), one of their few really great decisions.

[@VahanNisanian]

I love any in-depth documentary about film restoration and preservation. And this is one of them. I think movie-making always has been and always will be art. Same thing with Television production.

[@rayvega3163]

London After Midnight,The Miracle Man,Cleopatra,Saving from Titanic,The first men on the moon,you name it..

[@snakes3425]

Part of me holds out hope that a film like London After Midnight will one day turn up given older films have been found.

[@cha5]

If only there was a print of Orson Welles 'The Maginificent Ambersons' out there just waiting to be discovered in some warehouse, Film restoration and preservation is something that needs to be encouraged more than ever in the 21st century.

[@inwalters]

There is still hope - a very small one to be sure, but it does exist. When the film went into editing Welles was in Brazil. Apparently a full working print was sent to him in Brazil but has not been seen since. So it could still be out there somewhere.

[@hebneh]

Or a print of “London After Midnight”. Or “The Jitterbug” musical number from “The Wizard of Oz”. Or...or...or...

[@nobodysperfect06]

@@hebneh The Ding Dong The Witch is Dead reprise in Emerald City, is my favorite of the deleted scenes from The Wizard of Oz, I know already that only a few seconds of it survives in the reissue trailer of 1949, but I wish and dream that the entirety of the scene still survives somewhere, but unfortunately it's more than likely lost to history.

[@ThePoreproductions]

I think the need to not only preserve these films, but also release them on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download, etc. and future formats, so that they can be enjoyed by generations to come. And I bet that's what their original filmmakers would of wanted.

[@roxics]

+ThePoreproductions Agreed. If anything this documentary shows survival depends on multiple copies being in different places. AKA not keeping all your eggs in one basket. Get these films out in high quality digital formats (which at this point is UHD Blu-ray/HD Blu-ray) that most people can handle so that in case something goes missing other copies may be out there. Even if the life expectancy of those digital mediums isn't rated as high, you never know what may just survive.

[@msgeek703]

There is a problem with DVD, BD, UHD BD and so on, and that is copy protection and crypto. All of those formats have key encryption of some sort or another. There is also the matter of file formats being able to be read, and degradation of media. Remember when everyone said LaserDisc was going to be the salvation of movie preservation? Look up LD Rot here. The sandwich of materials used to make an LD were pretty sensitive to contamination, and had to be assembled in a clean room environment. Some were "cleaner" than others.

[@Bakamatsu-GojiFanArchive]

@@msgeek703 its very easy to crack copy protection. I do it all the time

[@msgeek703]

@@Bakamatsu-GojiFanArchive BluRay as well as DVD? I know that DVD can be cracked by everyone and their grandma, but BD... haven't heard of anyone accomplishing BD rips.

[@Bakamatsu-GojiFanArchive]

@@msgeek703 blu ray rips are done all the time and there's so many tutorials out there showing you how and what software you need

[@1805movie]

"Digital is part of the problem now. That it's not part of the solution. We're still preserving films on film because film is going to last so much longer and be useful for so much longer than any digital file will be." *-Mike Pogorzelski* "If it is stored properly; cold and dry. We know, through tests that have been done, it will last 500, 600, 700 years, maybe longer. Through nothing but passive storage; very cold; very dry; put it on the shelf, and we know we can go in a couple hundred years, and pull it out, and it will still look good." *-Jan-Christopher Horak* That's actually very encouraging.

[@LDSRaichu]

@@noahfogartyHard drives only have a life expectancy around 1-10 years

[@pHD77]

Digital is nothing but a series of 1s and 0s, so in a way it's a great way to store movies. It's just a matter of choosing a durable storage medium as well as making sure that we have the software to read and interpret the data. But keeping an analog version on film as well is a great idea to ensure that the material won't get lost in the mist of time, even if we lose the ability to extract the original digital file.

[@pmdk1953]

That sounds like a good solution. Digital files in themselves isn't enough. They can easily accidentally be deleted or rendered unusable.

[@msgeek703]

Digital glitches so easily...we will have a "born digital" cinematic holocaust that will make the "burn rate" of Nitrate and the Vinegar Syndrome of "safety" film look like we conserved our historic films well.

[@chris1275cc]

The thing with digital though is it's ease of copy and small size, because of this any movie that has been released to the public essentially archives itself providing new copies are created and kept in circulation. Even if the original scans and their backups become unusable by the studio, because digital (when done properly) does not degrade or lose detail between generations they can pick up a new copy form anywhere in the chain and continue to reproduce without any losses. Sure it's not as romantic as canisters of film locked in some Bond villain-esque underground vault, but that fact is while everyone sits around worrying about the physical strips of celluloid that contain Citizen Kane slowly rotting away digital copies are continually being made and backed up.

[@leonkenedy2988]

So much history of the early cinema is lost because of the fact that we cant even think of doing anything to save them. It break my heart to see that alot of these lost movies will not be seen by future and younger generations. :( But it was and always will warm my heart to see people who actually care about the films admit that mistakes were made early on about the preservation and is now attempting to correct it. A copy of London After Midnight is still out there and I like many others believe that looking for these films is the same looking for a long lost treasure. So if you're looking for an adventure, look no further than this.

[@mikevalenzuela3974]

"Get your fingers off the film" You can't talk about film preservation without mentioning Martin Scorsese.

[@moldyoldie7888]

Or Mr. David W. Packard, who has donated some half billion dollars to preservation efforts. Consider the Culpeper treasury facility he refurbished and gave to the Library of Congress and the Stoa in So Cal. Added April 2021: The LA Times published a story on March 5, 2016 about Mr. Packard's heroic efforts, and it's online. The title starts with "Reels of classic film were melting into goo...." All film buffs should read it.

[@blakekneippfilms]

watching this while hugging my Interstellar 70mm film cell.

[@wado1942]

+Dr. Olympus My prized film piece is one of probably three VistaVision prints ever made with 6-channel magnetic audio. I also have some VistaVision from a photo-chemical restoration of Virtigo. Side note, I think it's sad that even movies shot on 65mm go through 2K scans for post-production now. What a waste. Even Super-16 approaches 2K resolution. Just do the scan for the off-line edit and do a contact print for the conformation!

[@roxics]

+Dr. Olympus lol One day they'll come looking for all those individual frames to restore the full length feature.

[@Capeau]

@@wado1942 luckily, now 4 years later, 4K post has become the standard.

[@wado1942]

@@Capeau The most common camera being used in Hollywood right now is 3K, which usually gets scaled to 2K for editing but sometimes 4K. I don't think it's that big of a deal really because more pixels in your digital camera usually means smaller pixels, which means less sensitivity, dynamic range and more noise. Unless you sit super close to the screen, you can't really see the extra detail. Also, Digital Cinema Packages are 250mbps max, regardless of resolution. So with 4K, 97% of the information is thrown away whereas with 2K, 87%. It also takes 4x as long to render 4K over 2K and with most movies being 98% CG these days... I exaggerate but you get the idea.

[@SamLovesMovies25]

This is such a great documentary about the subject, but why is it only in 480p, PLEASE make it available in HD! Anyway, film preservation is very important to me. Sometimes when I watch a classic film I think, "Man, imagine if this wonderful film was lost and no one was ever able to see it again, that would be awful!", just imagine if The Wizard of Oz (one of the most beloved films of all time) had been dumped in the river like the documentary mentioned... It always really breaks my heart to see these vault fires or film prints that have decayed or crumbled into dust. Sometimes people think it is odd that I enjoy really old silent films and wonder why I would want to watch them, but to me every silent film that managed to survive is a priceless treasure (for that matter, I consider *every* film a priceless treasure, even if I don't care for a particular film, there is *someone* out there that loves it and it means a lot to them), a piece of film history. And to me, in any case, a great film is a great film regardless of when or where it was made.

[@DrVenture45]

This was a very moving documentary. I love all aspects of film making, so the idea that the labor, process and dedication of directors, casts and crew on film blatantly being tossed aside is absurd to me. Equally, I'm just as disappointed that film scores are recorded and forgotten; some of which, are never heard from again. It's...wrong. It's nice that there are those who recognize these forms of media for the arts that they truly are.

[@Akasacarafilm]

That B/W preservation reel is HILLARIOUS adn GENIUS !!!!!!!

[@ArtDocHound]

"It belongs in a museum!"

[@loubuninalice]

Fantastic documentary. Preservation and restoration is very important to keeping this art alive and ensuring it is enjoyed by everyone for many decades.

[@thomasm.longiii3752]

Well, even though making films back then was extremely hard and tough. I know many silent era films are lost forever but hopefully we may get lucky if many more are found. I understand not everything will be recovered. But I’m glad in these days they are trying there hardest to preserve them as much as they can.

[@boy18inva]

Fascinating documentary and so glad you posted this! Thank you!

[@reverietapes]

This changed my viewpoint on film preservation and restoration. Some of my favorite silent films could've been lost.

[@dinomate01]

I just found this wonderful documentary on KZbin and as a person who used to work in the cinemas as an assistant projectionist many years ago. I grew to develop a love & appreciation of the movies. Thank God that there are people who care about preserving these sometimes long forgotten films. Thank you so much for posting this as It brought a tear to my eyes seeing movies that were almost lost which are now either partially or completely restored. Ralph - Melbourne Australia

[@robertmac7833]

I find this subject absolutely enthralling!!

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

This is an excellent video on film preservation and restoration. It explains technical issues in very clear, easy to understand language. It also describes in some detail the history of film usage, what has happened to originals of years past and why preservation and restoration today is so important. There is a lot to learn from this material. I have run across many instances of rare film footage that contains historical content that is available almost no where else. Knowledge of these techniques is quite valuable. A fascinating film. Thanks for posting this. - Mark, at Computer History Archives Project (CHAP).

[@woltzwurld6760]

I’ve watched a number of these videos and while I see where these people are coming from, it’s really over blown. It sucks that some classics were lost, most movies were not meant to last.

[@CCharmanderK]

Fabulous documentary. It's very saddening to know that so many films have been lost to the ravages of time and even just good ol' human shortsightedness, but it's also very warming to know we are the custodians of the history not only of which we make ourselves, but of what has come before. Films are rediscovered every year and are found in the most bizarre of places (I'm sure nobody expected Metropolis to pop up in an Argentina musem, or for Passion of Joan of Arc to be found in a mental asylum in Norway), and it's our duty to find and preserve these relics and make them available for modern and future eyes to behold. I hope that I too can one day make a discovery of my own.

[@mohammedcohen]

...lost to the ravages of time...and young boys playing with matches inside a film warehouse on Linwood Ave in Fort Lee, NJ in the winter of (IIRC) 1959...yeah I knew a couple of 'em...but they're passed and the statute of limitations has long sive run out...

[@zahirsookoor2673]

This is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen!!! Great job

[@FifthContinentMusic]

Negative comments from bloggers about attempts at film preservation are counter productive.

[@Larkinchance]

The same is true for the first 40 years of television. TV appears not to have the same cultural significance of the early days of film but it is still important history. Like the film industry, it was the executives that disposed early kinescopes as useless clutter. TV, along with film is the evolution of media.. It is a record of civilization.

[@AladdinSaneNYC]

I wish someone would find the original 5 hour print of One Eyed Jacks that Brando directed. He told Martin Scorsese that Paramount destroyed this particular print, but I don't believe that to be true. Somewhere in an old tin reel case laying forgotten there must be a copy of the so called destroyed version. I hope so! ♐

[@Otokichi786]

4:25 That reminds me of the "burning movie film" scene in "Cinema Paradiso," as projectionist Alfredo was burned/disfigured/blinded.

[@JohnMGilbert]

I work with film every day. I'm always saddened to see how poorly these films were treated. Vinegar Syndrome is the problem with so many films. Fortunately, I've developed a treatment for VS which seems to work. After several years on the shelf, the VS hasn't returned.

[@christopherwibberley8984]

What is that please as I collect 16mm features

[@JohnMGilbert]

@@christopherwibberley8984 Where the film begins to destroy itself by turning acid.

[@b2meb2meb2me]

​@@JohnMGilbertThey were asking about the treatment, not the definition

[@musikdoktor]

Time ago, i had the order to destroy over 1000 16mm films.. cartoons etc.. i couldn't.. so now i have no space .. but hey! i love to watch old cartoon in cinema.. Popey, Bugs Bunny.. i'm and archivist.. and i cant let just people destroy history just because they think is old..

[@johnackerman5599]

@@BetamaxFlippy I mean, it also depends if those have original titles or not.

[@Yetaxa]

@@BetamaxFlippy Many movies were permanently lost because someone thought 'eh, they must have the original'

[@Robinem]

Still remember watching a film were there was what like a scratch yet had a pen ink colour to it right down the middle of the screen for a entire reel.

[@TechTubeCentral]

I bet they are extremely thankful that they didn't get rid of the wizard of oz. How much money has been made off of that since digital copies have been made?

[@supermariogirlz]

Yeah, but there are still 20 mins of deleted scenes from that movie that got lost over the years.

[@msgeek703]

My dream is that somewhere there will be a set of reels of London After Midnight found somewhere in Scandinavia or in Siberia or some other cold climate.

[@nobodysperfect06]

Same thing with lost films of Clara Bow and Colleen Moore, Theda Bara, especially her film Cleopatra from 1917

[@skullcrusher1678]

@@nobodysperfect06 and both of the golem films

[@nobodysperfect06]

@@skullcrusher1678 another one, is the lost deleted scenes from The Wizard of Oz, along with the spider pit scene from the original King Kong, however that's extremely doubtful

[@walker6772]

Bless those that preserve, these treasures can not & must not be lost..it’s our gift to future generations...watch and learn

[@nickzegarac429]

Negativity is never the answer. However, it does speak to an inherent frustration I think anyone who loves movies - not merely goes to them, but truly takes their timeless teachings to heart and treasures the vicarious experience of having lived a life not our own - has when they stop to realize how much necessary work to preserve what remains of movie land history is still untouched, stifled or altogether not even considered because studios have yet to realize the perilous state of their back catalog. The problem isn't with the resources. It's certainly not with the archivists or restoration experts who would come together in a moment's heartbeat to work on the litany of classics still in desperate need of preservation. The real challenge lies with producing the necessary funds for conducting these costly missions of mercy; part archaeological dig and part 'Easter egg' hunt. Time is of the essence. But money is the essential ingredient to move the work forward. That is why I would firmly champion a bill that forces all Hollywood studios in operation today to set aside a percentage of profits sustained from the release of their new movies (say 5%), these funds set aside to plan ahead for future restorations of their classic archive and catalog. Those who love film, like Martin Scorsese, are already doing their part through the Film Foundation, the AFI and other organizations dedicated to the art and science of motion pictures. The last link in the chain is us - we, who love movies but haven't the wherewithal to do the restoration work ourselves. What's wrong with nickle and diming it from our end; forming a national film restoration fund in which NO contribution, from $5 to $500,000 will be frowned upon; bringing movie lovers everywhere on a united front to stave off the ravages of time? Something to think about. The clock, as we are all well aware, is ticking.

[@iammaybeabro4598]

Negativity usually doesn't exist, though. It's usually all positivity. Like if you get the joke.

[@Ampex196]

It's all very sad to look back on. Expensive productions on videotape from the Quad era were wiped because the tape was considered more valuable than its content. Some have survived on 16mm prints made for export. Nitrate film is unpredictable in many ways. I have some nitrate short films that have survived in perfect condition. I still project them at home with a low power lamp. On the other hand it was some 15 years ago when I found a 1920s short, title: 'Stop That Shimmie' (as spelled on the can) at Tyneside Cinema. Sadly it was too far gone to save. My first advice to anyone handling the stuff is: Wear a mask: DO NOT inhale the brown powder; very unpleasant! Have a ceremonial bonfire. Degraged nitrate is VERY unstable. The best way to deal with it safely is to burn it, taking all sensible precautions., after which there is no hazard.

[@russellarmer602]

its unreal how much family related film and other related material is out there to be cataloged

[@robertmason3082]

Amazing so many films lost very sad. I thank those that preserve an restore Films for generations to enjoy an to educate young filmmakers around the world.

[@bgp001]

Film preservation is a subject that has always interest me. Really enjoyed the video!

[@stefanrodic5398]

Best documentary I have ever seen.

[@MiaHessMusic]

I'm so glad I watched this. for many reasons not the least of which it reminded me to back the stuff I need that's on my computer to an external hard drive. I don't do that as much as I should and I'm a photographer and musician!

[@queenielouweekly3160]

Imagine how devastating it would be if we lost Saturday Night Fever (1977) or The Terminator (1984). Both of which are classics...

[@christopherthorkon3997]

A beautiful documentary. Love it!

[@andreraymond6860]

I highly recommend reading Kevin Brownlow's book on his efforts to restore and preserve Abel Gance's masterpiece 'Napoleon'.

[@shenkaed]

Fantastic work.

[@savannahs3524]

Incredible! Loved it!

[@beaviselectron]

LOVE this documentary...it is both informative and entertaining, and it raises the issue of continuance of the preservation process...a "call to action" as it were. Well done, and THANK YOU, from a digital archivist who is in the middle of this all day, every day, and who does so without regret.

[@CDubya.82]

May the world continue to record movies on film.

[@IainHC1]

Brilliant!!!!.... & Thank you :-)

[@IsaacBTTF]

What a beautiful short documentary.

[@oldcartoonnetwork3589]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaOWlX6YZr2Sa9E

[@kasandraoconnell9263]

Gotta love George : )

[@jmalmsten]

26:36 Ok, who did the color correction and re-recording on this one? And what did they do to anger the distributors of this documentary so?

[@dallasbagley]

This is pretty powerful, good work!

[@garyhowtobluetoothjblheadp3583]

Beautiful film!

[@MikinessAnalog]

Humanity began documenting history thousands of years ago on clay tablets. It would seem, the more complex the medium, the least amount of time passes before it is not accessible / readable. Did you know there are "VIDEO" recordings from the late 20s - early 30s on "video records" that have the retrace sync video pulses "encoded" onto them to play these videos back? Imagine a VCR made in 1929. It would look more like a turntable than a video cassette recorder.

[@jkellis2]

Now if only we can find the full-length version of Erich von Stroheim's Greed (1924).

[@dave11061]

Yeah, wouldn't that be something? I've read that Irving Thalberg ordered that all the footage that was cut got sent to their incinerators. What a damn shame! All that money and all that creative energy and vision down the drain! I had also read that there were a very small handful of people who had the priveledge to see Von Stroheim's initial rough cut of the film, which ran for just under 8 hours. Among those who saw it were LA Times reporter Harry Carr and film director Rex Ingram. Those who saw it agreed it was the greatest film ever made. I imagine if such a film were made today, it would likely be broken down into episodes like Breaking Bad. What a shameful waste!

[@esmeephillips5888]

'The Devil's Passkey' is lost completely.

[@zyral.f.6938]

Same with John Huston's Red Badge of Courage 1951, but the bastard who took over mgm after ousting Mayer destroyed that as well.

[@theolamp5312]

What is a great Film ? I don't know if we truly Know. But, to see a film on the big screen that we love actually brings us to another dimension. Having seen movies like Bride Of Frankenstein, Jaws, Psycho, Treasure Of Sierra Madre,, Indiana Jones The Last Crusade, & Lawrence of Arabia at my local indie theaters, I relished in the experience. We need to keep classic films alive.

[@whocrusader5179]

It was very reasonable to show Metropolis because the film was almost lost entirely

[@prabhakarv4193]

Very nice information. Thank you

[@zacharywhite5631]

Really wish this would've gone more into the process by which films are restored, 4k vs. 2k, negatives vs interpositives, etc.

[@dianagarcia-ie1fp]

wonderful

[@UNOwen1]

Thank you - so much - for posting this. While I know of the dire situation of the nitrate films, etc., this documentary short - shot with such engagement, & wittiness - really just pulled me in. It's our (current) society's version of the cave painting's our forbearers' made. It's a testament to what has been, and what is OUR culture. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, it left me sad, but, hopeful, that there'll be more finds. The only down side is the idiotic, P.C. (B.S.) referring to Ms Anderson as 'African American'' (19:06). Yea, I know these people are film preservationists, not linguists, not historians, not even well-educated, but it's the dumbest thing (Africa ISN'T a country, unlike Ireland', Japan, or any other nation). No other (racism) group is either referred to, OR CHOOSE to be referred to by such nonsense. In addition, most people who are (originally) of African descent consider themselves American (this idiocy is primarily typical only in three states).. If anything, it would be more accurate to refer to someone as Zimbabwe-American, etc, but, you never hear the reverse i.e., American African ( for those who don't know history, Liberia - a typically terrific, independent country in Africa) was founded by former (American) slaves6, such as Liberian-American. P..C. -think its DANGEROUS,

[@TheseAmazingShadows]

Thanks, U.N.!

[@jaydenmontgomerysvhsarchiv5057]

i love this video

[@cellosareawesome]

This documentary changed my life

[@TheseAmazingShadows]

Wow. Thank you. Hope it changed for the good.

[@forcedadventure]

INTERESTING !!!

[@Landrew0]

"Dump all that old $#*t in the bay." "But it's precious art that will be lost forever." "Well, La-de da."

[@petersolomon8894]

An important documentary, Now can we talk about the preservation and restoration of cultural artefacts from the rest of the world.....

[@BeverlyM52]

The only reason we have Shakespeare's plays is because, after he died, some friends got together and published what they could find. The pride was in poetry, and plays were just "stuff." (I heard a story that John Wayne and a friend were leaving the studio one day and stopped to retrieve a bunch of his old films from a dumpster. ?

[@moldyoldie7888]

John Wayne is credited with saving the only color footage of Jean Harlow (Hell's Angels 1930).

[@BeverlyM52]

@@moldyoldie7888 Love it!

[@michaelmcgee8543]

Back in the early or mid 1910's safety film was introduced ,but was more expensive than nitrate, so the studios did not use it.Fools! Good new i had donated to a film case to restore a Viola Dana classic feature produced in 1916 the innocents of Ruth released by Edison studios one hour long .Those of us who donated 25 and more will get a free copy with art cover.

[@nobodysperfect06]

Really? I thought safety film was not introduced until after World War II

[@stephenrowley880]

In 1968 I watch "The Wizard of Oz" on Nitrate in a converted shed in the back garden of a house in Yorkshire UK, until then I have never seen the original Technicolor, it was so sharp and the colour so brilliant I was blown away. In all I saw 23 Nitrate films in that shed, all in prefect condition. Do we loose something by copying Nitrate film on to digital apart from money?

[@moldyoldie7888]

Palo Alto's Stanford Theatre has run the 1939 "Four Feathers" from a nitrate original and a later copy. The nitrate copy was in good condition and its picture was slightly better. Once you've seen both you can tell.

[@DavidChristieCareerCafe]

Marvellous, erudite, timeless.

[@oldcartoonnetwork3589]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaOWlX6YZr2Sa9E

[@annaruyer4681]

there are some great movies on film, I like them the old movies black and white, good shock effects.

[@Tadfafty]

Some stories are better seen in black and white.

[@SamLovesMovies25]

Yeah, even with digital files, it is great that they don't degrade, care must still be taken to preserve the digital file and keep it available and able to be played. Also, it is still important to preserve the original film elements, because as technology improves, digital copies of films can become outdated (think some of the earliest KZbin videos that by today's standards are in very low resolution/quality) and this allows them to go back to the original negatives and such to re-scan/re-restore the film and make a higher quality digital file of it.

[@Nukle0n]

Having film copies is good, but as they say it's still a matter of storage. Digital files can be reproduced infinitely without degredation, and the files can be stored on a myriad of formats. Sure, something like Zip Disks goes out of fashion, and one should always be careful about that kind of offline storage, but through cloud server storage as long as the cloud is maintained and mirrored, data there will never be lost, and as long as it's a matter of software being needed for playback and not something mechanical they'll always be there. Just putting this out there because again I see these well-meaning film enthusiasts being terrified of digital, yet maintaining that an expensive air-conditioned storage facility full of canisters of film is the best option.

[@PointingMonkey1]

Nukle0n While I complete agree with you on everything you said. One of the bad aspects of cloud server storage, is that it would also need a temperature controlled room to keep the servers from overheating and crashing. Really neither form of archiving is perfect. But I do feel within maybe a few decades digital will become the best form of archiving. Just because technology is getting better and better. I have had many hard drive failures over my last few computers, but the one I'm using now has gone 4 years now without a single failure.

[@wado1942]

+Nukle0n Film enthusiasts are not neophytes. It is projected to cost almost 10x as much to store a movie in digital form for 100 years, once accounting for the necessary migration, as it would cost for the same movie on film. Multiply that out over 500 years that polyester film is projected to last. The answer is obvious. Cloud storage is not practical for movies. There's way too much data (8TB or so per movie) and it's not secure enough. It can be hacked. If the company running it has some accident or goes out of business, it's lost. At least when you store a movie under a skating rink, the business tanking doesn't destroy the film.

[@Nukle0n]

+wado1942 You can't hack a private cloud unless you give someone who shouldn't have access access. The supreme advantage of digital is that you can have as many 1:1 copies as you want. With film, an optical copy is gonna be of lower quality, and you risk losing the original in accidents. With digital you can have 5000 copies at 5000 sites if you wanted to, encrypted of course. I sincerely doubt that it cots much more to have 8TB of storage in several places around the world than it does having to have a giant air conditioned building with maintenance staff.

[@wado1942]

The studios already have a hard enough time with material getting leaked. Bring in online servers and the problem is compounded. If you encrypt them, there's a chance the studios even won't be able to recover them (this has happened). Digital is not inherently better quality. Even if you do a 6K 16-bit (considered full 35mm quality) scan and store it in uncompressed form, the optics required to get the film into the digital world degrade it. The electronics add noise and other distortions. Once it's there, you can theoretically copy it as many times as you want but even a contact print of a film is better quality than digitizing it. For film, they make a dupe master and a preservation master (in addition to the camera negative and inter-positive). The dupe master stays at the studio vault where it can be used if needed while the preservation copy goes to a vault to sit. Film vaults are cheap to air condition because they are under ground and film generates no heat on its own. Computer servers require a lot more air-conditioning (generate a lot of heat), use tons of power themselves and require constant maintenance. Believe me, the top people in this field have done their research on the topic. Having three perpetually migrated digital copies will cost about 10x as much as two film copies. All my film projects put together cost me about $20 per year to preserve and zero time. I have to migrate the digital copies every 3-5 years and at $100 per project... Some are lost forever because they degraded before I could copy them. Then there's the time I have to spend finding/copying files etc. Cloud storage would cost about $20 per movie per year for each storage site. You'd want more than one site in case one had an accident or tanked. It would also take forever to download an 8TB movie. BTW, I recently ran across several films that were stored in a boiler room since the early 80s and look as good as the day they were printed, amazing color and contrast that doesn't exist in digital projection.

[@gundammon]

22:51. It is worth nothing that in 2010 there was a 9-minute restoration released of that version of "Alice in Wonderland".

[@michaelmcgee8543]

In spite of new digital technology and 35mm being reduced ,used way less,A new kind of professional 35mm film has come up safety nitrate .Yes safety nitrate .a new kind of nitrate film that is safe and wont' explode .

[@EverCreateStudio]

Good job bro

[@ivonnemendeville4639]

I'm always wandering WHERE the lost scenes of GWTW are !!!! After the preview one hour was cut- I wonder where they are!!!!- I think that restoring GWTW as it was originally made, would be great to us, and a best seller!!!!!- To see "new" scenes between Scarlett, Rhett, Mammy... etc it could cerainly be a blockbuster !!!!- Where are they?

[@PointingMonkey1]

Ivonne mendeville They maybe out there somewhere, although I would imagine with it being only shown at a preview, it's very unlikely we'll ever see the footage. But then again stranger things have happened before. I was watching a review of the restored version of Metropolis. The guy reviewing it said that they began the restoration with an incomplete film, and then mid way through the restoration, some more thought to be lost footage was found in a vault somewhere. So this footage was then re-incorporated into the film. The restoration continued and then believe or not some more footage was found, which was also thought to be lost.

[@ivonnemendeville4639]

PointingMonkey Oh !!!!- Wonderful !!!!!- I LOVE Metropolis !!!!- Thank u so much for this information !!!!!!

[@PointingMonkey1]

Ivonne mendeville No problem. The version of Metropolis I mentioned is available on Blu-ray, it's on the Kino label in the USA (The Complete Metropolis) and Masters of Cinema in the UK (Metropolis [Reconstructed & Restored]).

[@BetamaxFlippy]

The Blu-Ray version was made before they found the fighting scene between Joh and Rotwang. There's no way they'll reissue the blu-ray once again to have 2 minutes extra, but it's in a rescored version of metropolis here on youtube.

[@RevolutionRicky]

I wish a copy of London after midnight was around somewhere....if there is a copy somewhere, that person can write his own amount on a blank check

[@thehernandezmediacorporation]

Wait a minute. If MGM sent their feature film, newsreel, and animated cartoon nitrates off the studio lot, then what was destroyed in the 1967 warehouse fire?

[@SevenForce1]

I read that a lot of its silent movies from the 1920's were destroyed in that fire.

[@whocrusader5179]

Yes that is true

[@GBOAC]

Also the negative of the first (black and white) scenes in the Wizard of Oz. Thank god the technicolor stock was stored elsewhere.

[@Tadfafty]

Only 65% of MGM silent films survive.

[@Tadfafty]

Which is actually about the most of any silent era studio.

[@garymattscheck9066]

I was thinking about the films of the early sound period,such as musicals as The Gold Diggers of Broadway. I've seen excerpts from it.

[@Pauldjreadman]

Two reasons for lack of restoration, first from memory was a studio fire in the 40s? ( Ah, Fox, was it) and the bbc used to reuse film and rub out a lot of of their archive because of it.

[@vilstef6988]

When I left The Empire Strikes Back, the best film of the original Star Wars trilogy, the 20th century looked primitive to me. After seeing The General, one of Buster Keaton's greatest films, silent film didn't look the same. Seeing a film in a theater with others opens up film for you.

[@michaelszczys8316]

There is a theater in Detroit that I grew up going to regularly which is still in existence and is owned by a theater organ group. They show old silent movie with organ accompaniment and a number of years ago I saw Buster Keaton in The General there and it was fantastic. It was played by a fellow who was in the Air Force I believe and he played the movie score, the intermission, and a special Air Force tribute at the end. Just like olden times, it was great.

[@vilstef6988]

@@michaelszczys8316 I saw The General played with live piano back in the 80s. Of interest to you-sometime in the past 10 years, I downloaded an album by an old time theater organist named John Muri. The album was recorded in a Detroit area theater and it sounded superb. The instrument credit was The Mighty Wurlitzer in the Six Mile Uptown Theater Highland Park, MI..

[@_GhostMiner]

Digital is not the answer to preserve films, but at least that Mp3, M4. JPG, PNG etc. Are still the standard and most popular.

[@roxics]

I have faith that we'll find a long term digital storage solution at some point. We have to. Films may be able to be stored on celluloid for decades or centuries, which is great, but we're now generating a lot of digital only content. Computer code/websites, video games, 3D digital models/art, etc. Things that are not as easily (if at all) translatable to a physical format like celluloid or paper prints. So we need a low cost, low/no power long term digital solution and once found can be used for older films and photographs as well. It's just a matter of time. Perhaps that new DNA storage solution being worked on.

[@Theomite]

I had an idea for that myself; pretty simple, actually. The problem was the materials science. I had no clue what type of non-oxydizing material could be used; the only thing I could think of was gold and that...yeah, that wouldn't be a good idea.

[@Yoyo-ci6gt]

roxics I don't know the exact length but a very very microscopic amount of DNA can store 900 or so terabytes,sure server rooms can store more but a whole full size server rack full of DNA could store PETABYTES and more of storage. I wouldn't even know how to count over a 1000 petabytes

[@mormonthinktank9979]

This was great. I was moved. We need to preserve this history. How do I help?

[@BoshMind]

Can anyone tell me the music from 17:34?

[@TheseAmazingShadows]

Thanks for your question. It is from the original soundtrack from our documentary, "These Amazing Shadows." I think it is from "Final Montage: The Power of Movies." Check out this Amazon link to Peter Golub's fine score: www.amazon.com/Amazing-Shadows-Original-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B004ZC4K9Q

[@annaquintero8852]

Made me sad to find our desilu destroyed films. Come on Desi and Lucy!

[@GopiNath126]

Thanking You All- Team It is Good to See And Better List the Film s Because Old is Gold And Give Information To Facebook Thank once again you all....!!

[@msspi764]

It's ironic that this great piece is being shown on one of the most digital shallow media. Well maybe more intentional than I give credit for

[@TheseAmazingShadows]

We agree with the irony...but we just wanted as many people as possible to see it.