Nov 25 2008
Finding and bringing back lost films
I’m not talking about “lost” like “misplaced,” but gone. Zip. Erased from existence.
The Berlin-based Deutsche Kinemathek film museum has begun an ambitious undertaking: to bring back, as much as possible, untold amounts of cinematic treasures that have been lost to time and decay.
It is estimated that 80-90% of all silent films, along with a lot of movies from the age of sound, are basically non-existent, partially due to excessive mangling by censors cutting up films like crazy, or celluloid/film stock breaking down, or even movies being chucked in the trash or melted down because they were considered disposable commodities rather than “art,” or at least something worth preserving and curating.
Thus, the Deutsche Kinemathek has begun its Lost Films website — currently in beta mode — in an attempt to create a single virtual “space” in which these disappearing treasures can be brought back into the light, via surviving documents, known historical information, and, whenever possible, audio-visual material too. They’re starting with 35 German films, such as the pictured Die ewige Nacht: works that have been long sought-after and/or been considered irretrievably lost. But the film museum will surely expand its efforts to address other titles, and perhaps other cultures, after it tackles the initial batch.
Anyone who’s genuinely interested in cinema history should check the site out.
