NitrateVille.com

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Cit ... 5271476.jp

City's advertising landmark rescued


Rowntree’s Mr York in action in a bygone era.

Published Date: 15 May 2009
By Mark Branagan
IT may not have been the greatest moment in the history of the talking picture and the star was not exactly one of the Hollywood greats.


But York still claims to have produced the first animated commercial with synchronized sound starring Rowntree's own Mr York, a walking, talking chocolate bar.

The original footage of the advert was in danger of deteriorating. But now Nestlé Confectionery has teamed up with the Yorkshire Film Archive to restore the 1929 advert, originally shown to cinema audiences before the main feature.

Nestlé regards the unique film, shot on 35mm nitrate film stock, as a stunning example of Rowntree's innovative marketing.

The original footage is kept in a specialist blast room by the British Film Institute as nitrate film is highly flammable, requiring specialist licensed storage facilities.

It is part of a wealth of archive material deposited by Nestlé at the Yorkshire Film Archive, ranging from a 1920 Royal visit by the Duke of York to the Rowntree factory, to 1970s adverts for Quality Street chocolates.

Megan McCooley, Moving Image Archivist at the YFA, said: "It's exciting to have the opportunity to restore such and important film, not only to the Yorkshire region but nationally as well.

"Working in conjunction with the BFI and Nestlé, we're really looking forward to using digital technology to restore Mr. York of York, Yorkshire back to his former glory."

Oh yes, Rowntree -- the original makers of the Kit-Kat bar. I'm just old enough to remember when the Kit-Kat bar was still imprinted with the Rowntree name, before Hershey's was licensed to make the bar in this country.

But back on topic, I too would be interested in seeing the antics of Mr York . . .

CoffeeDan wrote:Oh yes, Rowntree -- the original makers of the Kit-Kat bar. I'm just old enough to remember when the Kit-Kat bar was still imprinted with the Rowntree name, before Hershey's was licensed to make the bar in this country.

But back on topic, I too would be interested in seeing the antics of Mr York . . .

I would imagine, as this is precisely the sort of copyright-free or BFI-copyright material that ends up there, that the BFI channel on Youtube will be the place to look in the fullness of time....

http://www.thepress.co.uk/news/4373885. ... _restored/

Historic but fragile Rowntree advertising film to be restored
10:19am Saturday 16th May 2009

Comments (0) Have your say »

By Gavin Aitchison »

FILM buffs and York historians could end up with a real blast from the past when experts try to restore a key piece of the city’s history.

For the ageing Rowntree advert they want to work on is so delicate that, if it goes wrong, it could literally blow up in their faces.

Yorkshire Film Archive and Nestlé are hoping to recondition an old advert starring Rowntree’s iconic marketing character, Mr York of York, Yorks.

It is believed to have been the first advert to feature both sound and moving pictures, but it is on nitrate film, which can potentially dissolve into nitro-glycerine and explode like a bomb.

The seven-minute cartoon about Mr York was an advert for “Plain York” chocolate – the predecessor to what is now the Yorkie bar.

It is one of a number of films to be restored, and Nestlé hope the films can be shared with staff and the public once the restoration is complete.

Alex Hutchinson, heritage assistant at Nestlé Confectionery UK in York, said: “The ‘Plain Mr York’ film is part of a collection of Nestlé Confectionery films being restored by the Yorkshire Film Archive.

“The film is of huge historical importance. It is difficult for most of us to imagine going to the cinema and seeing an advert that lasts over seven minutes, but to its first audience it will have been a real novelty – I bet they were glued to their seats!

“Very little film footage from the early days of cinema has survived because it was made with such fragile material, so we’re very fortunate to have this copy. At Nestlé Confectionery, we’re very passionate about our heritage and want to share that with our employees and with local people.”

Nestlé said that, according to the British Film Institute (BFI), the advert was the first talking, moving-picture advert ever made. It is kept in a specialist blast room by the BFI as nitrate film is so dangerous people need a licence to store it or project it.

A Nestlé spokeswoman said it was hoped that restoration on the footage would begin soon.

The firm hopes the Yorkshire Film Archive will also make a digital copy of the film, which can be made available to the public later.