Guest Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Got word today Eastman is restoring Gloria Swanson's great talkie debut smash hit. BUT it's being restored as a SILENT FILM!!!! Does this make any sense at all? The he says they'll show BOTH versions in Rochester some times in 2007.... makes even LESS sense...... Eastman has the only known copy of the film....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardny4me Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Had they filmed 2 versions : a silent and a talkie, such as with Hitchcock's Blackmail ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useralx1172 Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 > Had they filmed 2 versions : a silent and a talkie, > such as with Hitchcock's Blackmail ? That wasn't uncommon in the early days of the talkies. In other countries, where modern equipment was harder to come by, the transition process took even longer. For example, the Soviet Union still had more silent systems than sound-enabled ones as late as 1934 and had to make two versions of each movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Yup yup.... he wrote back saying they are restoring the silent version and that the talkie version is ok.... I know the Marion Davies starrer Marianne was also re-done with a different cast as a talkie...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackpickford1 Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 I wish Eastman House and other archives would sell DVDs of films. Unless the donors have certain requests when they donate material I would think most of the films would be public domain by now. They would probably charge $300 for a copy anyway. That is why I don't understand why there are archives. They save all of this stuff yet only a privilaged few can ever see it. Movies were made for people to watch and not be hogged away in some archive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 I agree but Eastman would likely charge a fortune.... even Milestone's DVDs are $30.... The weird thing about Eastman is that they give NO info about possible screenings, no travelling films, no rentals, no nothing...... I even told the guy I could PLAN a trip east to see The Trespasser if he could schedule it...... NOPE.... and I became an Eastman member why???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackpickford1 Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 I think I'd be asking for a membership refund from Eastman House. Making people become members is a way to make $$$ to preserve more films YOU can't see. That sounds pretty snobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardny4me Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 This past May I went to a restored German silent film at the Tribeca film festival. The film was entitled MISS ELSE aka FRAULEIN ELSE , and it starred the European actress Elisabeth Bergner. Anyway the print was a new archival restoration from the Cineteca di Bologna, and afterward a representative of the Cineteca who came from Italy just for this screening spoke extensively about silent film restoration. Even he said he was shocked at the number of times he is told by certain film organizations that a film he knows they just restored will not be made available to him for a one time showing at the film festival in Italy. Now I have no idea what the Eastman House's general policies are regarding film distribution, but with Gloria Swanson's name resurfacing once again because of the discovery of Beyond The Rocks, wouldn't it make sense for them to have a few screenings somewhere of both versions of The Trespasser? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 Well it's just galling that one group or organization can horde copies of rare films so no one ever gets to see them.... Also galling are these same groups/organizations that are totally unresponsive to requests for information about rare films. It's like pulling teeth getting any info about scheduled showings, the condition of the film, future DVD plans or TCM showings, etc. Milestone was actually cooperative about possible showings of Beyond the Rocks here in Santa Fe...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 even Milestone's DVDs are $30>> Drednm, Milestone is a small company that is dedicated to film preservation. While $30.00 may seem high to some folks for a DVD, the truth is that film preservation is expensive. Milestone goes out of there way to make a quality product and should be supported for their tremendous efforts, even if it costs $30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 I have no problem with Milestone..... I'll probably pay the $30 for Beyond the Rocks and maybe even Piccadilly.... The guy I chatted with was VERY friendly and cooperative and even gave me a contact in Santa Fe for getting a showing of the Swanson/Valentino film here..... I had no idea the film was even touring this country.... At least for $30 I know the copy will be excellent as opposed to more than a few on ebay I've paid $20 for that are barely watchable..... The guy at Eastman is generally friendly too but I can't get very much info out of him. Maybe if I lived closer to Rochester...... So I wasn't kvetching about Milestone's prices, just noting that if Milestones are that high Eastman's would be even moreso ... if they even sold DVDs...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 I would think most of the films would be public domain by now.>> Silent films from 1922 that are still in existence are mostly studio films and those films are NOT in the public domain. Silent films that were made by independent studios and Gower Gulch studios are probably in the public domain. But the studio produced silents are still owned by the studios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melly Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 ***jumps up and down in her chair with excitement*** I love Gloria Swanson, and I've always wanted to see the other movie that she was nominated for besides Sadie Thompson and Sunset Boulevard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 me too.... I've waited longer to see The Trespasser than Norma Desmond waited for her comeback! But I also want to see Beyond the Rocks! YAY and YAY to TCM Programmer for putting Desert Nights back on the schedule!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alix1929 Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 I've always wanted to see the talkie version of THE TRESPASSER & WHAT A WIDOW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Hey Alex a guy in California contacted me thru another message board and said he had a copy of What a Widow.... but I never heard from him again...... I'll let you know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeedan Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 He might be pulling your leg, Ed. I've always heard that WHAT A WIDOW! is a lost film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Ya Dane it was weird..... he contacted me with this list of films from Gloria Swanson, William Haines, Marion Davies etc.... all my favorites but then said they were $55...... I asked if that price was PER FILM and he never responded..... He has a strange web site so who knows...... I think Swanson even mentioned in her autobiography What a Widow was lost........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 oops I mean DAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alix1929 Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 How mean to tease a film lover with the promise of a lost film. But then one never knows what somebody's grandaddy has socked away up in an attic. I think we all dream of the discovery of a long lost gem. Did you visit the website? Did it seem legit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alix1929 Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Perhaps he has a trailer or something... Just an additional thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 it was a strange web site asking for lists of films wanted with mailing address and other personal info....... but there was no list of what he had available Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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