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Cleveland Plains-Dealer: Effect of Universal Studios fire felt in local indie movie theaters

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Bruce Calvert

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Jun 13, 2008, 11:49:15 AM6/13/08
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http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/06/local_media_effect_of_universa.html

http://blog.cleveland.com/ent_impact_movies/2008/06/large_z-fire0611.jpg

Effect of Universal Studios fire felt in local indie movie theaters
by Julie E. Washington/Plain Dealer reporter Thursday June 12, 2008, 7:27 AM

AP
The fire this month that ravaged Universal Studios in California is
affecting art houses throughout the United States.
The recent Universal Studios Hollywood fire turned the Cleveland Institute
of Art Cinematheque's plans for a special anniversary treat to ash. The fire
destroyed nearly 100 percent of the 35mm archive prints available to art
houses like the Cinematheque, as well as museums, film series and festivals.

Among the casualties was the silent film "Napoleon," a French epic that
premiered in Paris in 1927. Cinematheque director John Ewing wanted a
screening to mark the theater's 22nd anniversary in August.


MGM screened a severely edited version in the United States in the 1920s.
Restoration work in 1980 and 2000 restored the film's length to nearly six
hours.

Ewing plans to locate another print, substitute another historic film, or
skip a celebratory screening. "Napoleon" had not been announced on
Cinematheque's schedule.

Ewing, who also is associate director of film for the Cleveland Museum of
Art, must replace three additional films because of the fire and were
planned for the museum's Panorama Film Series.

They are the British film "Privilege" (1967), Charlie Chaplin's comedy "A
Countess from Hong Kong" (1967) and "The Scarlet Empress" (1934), which
stars Marlene Dietrich as Catherine the Great.

These screenings are planned for July, August and November. Ewing hopes to
locate prints or show DVD versions.

Check the museum and www.cia.edu/cinematheque for updates.

When Ewing first heard about the fire, he assumed it had damaged only movie
sets. The next day he received an email from Universal stating that the
archive was lost, and that the studio couldn't send prints it was scheduled
to ship.

"Really, my heart sank. It was a dark day," Ewing said.

Media reports estimate the fire may have destroyed hundreds of classic 35-mm
prints from the 1920s to the '40s. The original negatives were stored in
another location, and Universal plans to make new prints, a process that can
cost up to $6,000 each.

Ewing thinks the studio won't bother to make prints of obscure films that
aren't in demand. The films could be remastered on DVD, but that would be a
loss for purists who want to see films in the original format.

Ewing estimates there are as many as 50 art houses like the Cinematheque in
the United States. All find it difficult to continue on in the face of
rising shipping costs and fewer new prints made of old movies.

"This is another blow," he said.

--
Bruce Calvert
--
Visit the Silent Film Still Archive
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com

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