5/5 NY Times Metropolis Article/Lost Films Found

westegg · Post by **westegg** » Thu May 06, 2010 2:51 pm

Anyone read this article and see reference to previously lost silent films being recently found, at the same Argentinian film archive where METROPOLIS's lost footage was rediscovered? These films include the only existing print of CRIMSON CITY (1928) with Myrna Loy, THE GILDED LILY (1921) with Mae Murray, and three W.S. Hart westerns. The recently appointed director is intent on digging into the archives further, and sounds optimistic that more titles will be discovered. Or is this old news here? I think it's pretty exciting.

moviepas · Post by **moviepas** » Thu May 06, 2010 3:18 pm

It seems a while since Metropolis was found for this all to come out so most of the current news is fresh but there was always hope they might have more in whatever state. The vault storage does seem haphazard by the pictures. Time will how great these copies are and what can be done with them.

There are archives in other South American countries like Brazil & Chile and it has been said that anyone in Latin America can direct you to the nearest film archive whatever that means to them. Brazil & Chile have had purges in the collections due to changing regimes and material chopped up, particularly newsreels negative to the new ruler/president.

I once wrote to the Brazilian archives and then a few years ago e-mail about the Brazilian made Carmen Miranda films of which clips in the 1970s were seen in a documentary shown at the Melbourne Film Festival that I was not at but I did see Mamoulian when he came out in that decade with two of his classics for another year's festival(Love Me Tonight, BBC's 35mm print copy with a scratched reel 2, I think it was). The letter was answered directing me to Warner-7 Arts but this company was known to me in Australia for distributing some of the Fox films to TV here and also in other areas like Latin America so it was clear that they didn't know any other Mirandas Brazilian films or didn't want.

I know that the Mexican archives had a fire in recent years and it was reported that a guy went berserk at the Philippines archives where he worked and chopped up a lot of film. These incidents had been reported in Classic Images after their reported happenings.

Serials were highly popular in Turkey(American ones) but are there any safely stored there? Once does not know.

There is always hope but like my feet time is getting thinner in these matters of discovery.

Gagman 66 · Post by **Gagman 66** » Sun May 09, 2010 3:13 pm

Why do I have to keep bringing up Roberto Di Chiara here? The one thing that can't be disputed is the immense size of Roberto's collection. Literally anything could be in there. Even if they are only 16 Millimeter Safety-copies that is far better than nothing. And Roberto was very meticulous with anything that He transferred. so the quality figures to be very good.

moviepas · Post by **moviepas** » Mon May 10, 2010 6:09 pm

Does any one remember a guy in Buenos Aires called Enrique Bouchard? He used to advertise in The Classic Film Collector(Classic Images). I bought a few films from him for my customers. He had a number of rarities. I can't remember any titles at present but I was a regular buyer in the 1970s.

Gagman 66 · Post by **Gagman 66** » Mon May 10, 2010 6:30 pm

moviepas,

Roberto's collection is much bigger. But neither one of these guys Archives have been explored for the most part.

westegg · Post by **westegg** » Mon May 10, 2010 7:34 pm

I plead ignorant about Roberto's collection and its history. Are you saying that a lot of assumed missing features from, say, the '20s are in his collection? Will they ever be indexed? How did he acquire such a collection?

Gagman 66 · Post by **Gagman 66** » Mon May 10, 2010 7:43 pm

Roberto started his collection in 1948 I believe, He passed away about two years ago very unexpectedly. I'll find some of the other threads where you can see the photos, and link them to this one. Yes, He could have literally hundreds of Silent films that are currently considered lost.

kndy · Post by **kndy** » Mon May 10, 2010 8:35 pm

westegg wrote:Anyone read this article and see reference to previously lost silent films being recently found, at the same Argentinian film archive where METROPOLIS's lost footage was rediscovered? These films include the only existing print of CRIMSON CITY (1928) with Myrna Loy, THE GILDED LILY (1921) with Mae Murray, and three W.S. Hart westerns. The recently appointed director is intent on digging into the archives further, and sounds optimistic that more titles will be discovered. Or is this old news here? I think it's pretty exciting.

Wow! That is fantastic news!!!!!

Gagman 66 · Post by **Gagman 66** » Mon May 10, 2010 9:22 pm

Here is the page with the photos Jorge posted of Roberto's Archive. This is just for starters. I would have posted them again, but they were Jorge to Start with. Finally found the thread.

viewtopic.php?t=1414&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60

westegg · Post by **westegg** » Tue May 11, 2010 10:21 am

Thanks for the info! I'm in awe of those photos re Roberto's Archive. I'm sure major archives are aware of this collection, right? I'd sure like to know of any comprehensive list that might exist of its holdings. At least these films are mostly on safety film?

There's >got< to be some major finds awaiting discovery in there. has the son stated any particular future plans with these reels? I'm glad they appear to be well taken care of.

Shorty · Post by **Shorty** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:09 am

I have some of Bouchard's releases, rare, not always THE finest qulaity, but good enough considering, one is THE THREE AGES, Shorty

craig2010 · Post by **craig2010** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:51 pm

People don't realize how expensive these repats and restorations are. The Metropolis one--admittedly an extremely expensive digital one--cost nearly $1 million and the images still had lots of flaws. There are many hundreds if not a few thousand "lost" American films (mostly silent) existing only in non-US archives. These foreign archives spent thousands saving these films the past many decades and you have to reimburse them for that to some degree. then you have to preserve the films photochemically and/or digitally to modern standards. To do this on a large scale, we are talking hundreds of millions of dollars at minimum. More repats are coming but It takes money and lots of it. Sad to say but that is the truth. And there are so many other possible amazing repats if the $$$ were just there

westegg · Post by **westegg** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:23 pm

I wonder how many of those possibly thousand(s) of silents have been identified? That's what intrigues me--what exactly has survived, even if they must stay on a shelf far away? It's all relative, but it seems a pittance the amount needed to salvage such "history," but it's always an uphill struggle finding money for cultural artifacts compared to other global priorities.

craig2010 · Post by **craig2010** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:19 pm

Another major repat (this one involving about 6 dozen titles) will be announced by the end of June and probably sooner///

westegg · Post by **westegg** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:50 pm

Can't wait to read the news here!

westegg · Post by **westegg** » Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:40 am

That must be the amazing news about the 75 previously "lost" silent films found in New Zealand, as stated in a New York Times article today. This is such great news, though it shows that allegedly lost titles are often just dozing, unexamined, in archives, albeit in need of rehab. At least these will be, some to be funded by the Hollywood studios that originally made them. Alas, I don't see any mention of a full print of GOLDDIGGERS OF BROADWAY among the 75, but everything being returned are nonetheless precious artifacts.

So, what else is out there?!

5/5 NY Times Metropolis Article/Lost Films Found

5/5 NY Times Metropolis Article/Lost Films Found

Metropolis

Roberto Di Chiara

Re: 5/5 NY Times Metropolis Article/Lost Films Found