bhryun Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 For myself, its wonderful to see so many titles be restored and screened at CM and film shows. One bit of controversy is still the subject of colorization. But this process is great to restore films that originally had color/tinted scenes. For example, I understand the recent restoration of the 1925 silent PHANTOM OF THE OPERA used colorization to restore the entire BAL MASQUE scene originally shot in 2 tone Technicolor. The end result was so good you couldn't tell where it was added. I would like to see this process used to restore the 1929 MYSTERIOUS ISLAND with Lionel Barrymore. The film was originally fully tinted with Technicolor scenes. The film, sadly, is just shown b/w. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkny1177 Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I'm sorry, but what is CM??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhryun Posted March 2, 2005 Author Share Posted March 2, 2005 CM should have read TCM. I didn't catch the mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhryun Posted March 2, 2005 Author Share Posted March 2, 2005 Here is a little story I would like to share with everyone. My Dad and I caught the restored "KING KONG" in the early 1970's at the old CINEMA THREE,on White Street in Red Bank, NJ. At the time it was mostly a revival theatre and KONG was circulating with the scenes that were cut after I guess its 1938 release (Faye Wraye being stripped, people getting chewed on etc) and after the movie, we were talking about what we saw at the local diner. Suddenly my Dad mentions..."Strange, I didn't see the Spider". It took me a second to realize that my Dad saw a print with the cut Spider scene. Over the years I brought this up and Pop always maintained he saw this (He isn't a film fan and was unaware this was a piece of history). In the early 1990's he even mentioned this to Forrest Ackerman, who got quite excited (Dad even then couldn't understand what the excitment was all about). It would be interesting if any other theatre goers saw this print. I think my Dad saw it on STATEN ISLAND in 1933, perhapes at the Paramount in Stapleton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfp2 Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 Wow! Having been involved in film collecting for many more years than I like to admit, I have to say that the spider sequence in King Kong is one of the "holy grails" of collecting. I was under the impression that it was cut prior to the first release and was never in any of the prints. Sadly, as far as it is known, the footage no longer exists. I'm sure if Turner had it, it would have been restored and added to the movie. No archives seem to have it so I guess we have to keep our fingers cross that it will turn up in some private collection somewhere. If your father saw it, he was a very lucky man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhryun Posted March 4, 2005 Author Share Posted March 4, 2005 Forrest Ackerman,I understand, also recieved word from another film goer who saw the scene. Ray Bradbury saw it as well. On a similar note, WPIX 11 I'm pretty sure it was, ran a print of RED RIVER that had almost no music cues. I irecall the climax with Wayne going to kill Cliff didn't have any music. This was in the early 1970's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhryun Posted March 5, 2005 Author Share Posted March 5, 2005 Among one of the best restorations I have seen is the Able Gance NAPOLEAN and Lewis Milestone's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTREN FRONT. I'm wondering about the condition of the original materials of A WALK IN THE SUN. Anyone know? Also needed for restoration is... THE LUCK OF THE IRISH 20th Century Fox 1948. The original prints were tinted GREEN for the Irish nights. THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS Warner Brothers 1953-the underwater scenes were tinted a deep green as well. It would be great if a little colorization could be used on these or other films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardny4me Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 Speaking of restorations, tonight in New York at the Walter Reade Theater they showed the Alfred Hitchcock-directed silent film BLACKMAIL. It was recently restored by the British Film Institute, with the Alloy Orchestra providing live musical accompaniment. I have seen public domain copies of the Alfred Hitchcock silent film BLACKMAIL in the video bins, having been disappointed with other titles, I have ignored those versions. Well, except for some occasional speckling, they did a fantastic job of restoring the film. Apparently Hitchcock almost immediately re-shot parts of this version, to take advantage of the then-brand new sound technology, but the silent version is known to be the better one. And it was worth the wait, because the silent BLACKMAIL was a real gem, with some great Hitchcock touches which influenced some of his later films. If it comes on DVD or is shown in your town, make every attempt to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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