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WAR AND PEACE (1924)
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Caleb Kennedy
Apr 1, 2009, 5:46:29 AM4/1/09
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The Siegmund Lubin Film Archive in Betzwood, PA, has announced restoration
work on the newly discovered early silent version of WAR AND PEACE, made in
1924. Long thought lost, the film's discovery came as a surprise to many
archivists. "This film has actually been in our collection for decades,"
said one Lubin source, "but no one suspected its existence since all the
reels were labeled incorrectly as a 'Swedish travelogue' sometime in the
'50s, and only recently has anyone actually watched them."
The restoration has involved quite a bit of detective work for the intrepid
Lubin archivists. WAR AND PEACE was originally made as a twenty-reel epic,
to be shown over the course of two evenings. Though information is scanty,
it is thought to be one of Irving Thalberg's last productions at Universal
Pictures before his move to Metro Pictures; the director was the renowned
Rupert Julian. Unfortunately, the only surviving version is a four-reel
condensation of highlights made by Nordisk Film for the Swedish market, with
intertitles in Swedish.
"We do have some stills that were sent to us by Gosfilmofond in Moscow,"
said one of the restoration crew, "so we hope to get our reconstructed
version up to an hour's running-time." Reconstructing the titles, though,
has proved the hardest challenge. "With all these cuts, a lot of material is
missing, and nothing seems to join together. There appears to be an invasion
of Russia, but it is hard to make sense of the titles. To make matters
worse, the Swedish cutters changed characters' names and seem to have left
out most of the war in favor of a love story, and scenic shots of snow," the
restorers noted. However, they have been able to identify brief appearances
by Norman Kerry as Napoleon, and Snitz Edwards as Tsar Alexander.
Restoration continues thanks to a small grant from the Tolstoy Appreciation
Society; but one of the restorers has succumbed to a deep archival
depression. "What does it matter if we get it right? The world will little
note nor long remember our work here, and this film will simply languish
forgotten and unseen in our vaults until it silently perishes, like all the
works of humanity."
Nonetheless, the discovery of this previously unknown classic has sent a
ripple through the silent-film world, and many are wondering if a DVD
release will be imminent. There are, however, no plans for release. Kevin
Brownlow, completing his new documentary "Thalberg: Boy Genius", requested
permission from rights-holder Universal Studios for use of a clip. "They
demanded $600,000 per minute," the embittered producer declared; "so I can't
use it." But film fans may be able to see it at next year's Stockholm Silent
Film Festival, if all goes well. "We have requested from the Lubin Archive
before," says Sven Svedig, "but they always seem to send the wrong films or
mix up the reels, so we have learned to expect disappointment."
work on the newly discovered early silent version of WAR AND PEACE, made in
1924. Long thought lost, the film's discovery came as a surprise to many
archivists. "This film has actually been in our collection for decades,"
said one Lubin source, "but no one suspected its existence since all the
reels were labeled incorrectly as a 'Swedish travelogue' sometime in the
'50s, and only recently has anyone actually watched them."
The restoration has involved quite a bit of detective work for the intrepid
Lubin archivists. WAR AND PEACE was originally made as a twenty-reel epic,
to be shown over the course of two evenings. Though information is scanty,
it is thought to be one of Irving Thalberg's last productions at Universal
Pictures before his move to Metro Pictures; the director was the renowned
Rupert Julian. Unfortunately, the only surviving version is a four-reel
condensation of highlights made by Nordisk Film for the Swedish market, with
intertitles in Swedish.
"We do have some stills that were sent to us by Gosfilmofond in Moscow,"
said one of the restoration crew, "so we hope to get our reconstructed
version up to an hour's running-time." Reconstructing the titles, though,
has proved the hardest challenge. "With all these cuts, a lot of material is
missing, and nothing seems to join together. There appears to be an invasion
of Russia, but it is hard to make sense of the titles. To make matters
worse, the Swedish cutters changed characters' names and seem to have left
out most of the war in favor of a love story, and scenic shots of snow," the
restorers noted. However, they have been able to identify brief appearances
by Norman Kerry as Napoleon, and Snitz Edwards as Tsar Alexander.
Restoration continues thanks to a small grant from the Tolstoy Appreciation
Society; but one of the restorers has succumbed to a deep archival
depression. "What does it matter if we get it right? The world will little
note nor long remember our work here, and this film will simply languish
forgotten and unseen in our vaults until it silently perishes, like all the
works of humanity."
Nonetheless, the discovery of this previously unknown classic has sent a
ripple through the silent-film world, and many are wondering if a DVD
release will be imminent. There are, however, no plans for release. Kevin
Brownlow, completing his new documentary "Thalberg: Boy Genius", requested
permission from rights-holder Universal Studios for use of a clip. "They
demanded $600,000 per minute," the embittered producer declared; "so I can't
use it." But film fans may be able to see it at next year's Stockholm Silent
Film Festival, if all goes well. "We have requested from the Lubin Archive
before," says Sven Svedig, "but they always seem to send the wrong films or
mix up the reels, so we have learned to expect disappointment."
sir m
Apr 1, 2009, 5:32:06 AM4/1/09
to
in a previous post, you state that you have a library of 600 silent
films
charlene...@hotmail.com
Apr 1, 2009, 8:02:35 AM4/1/09
to
Check your calendar.
Am spending today restoring "Hats Off" from flipbooks found in Chuck
McCann's basement for a hi-def Criterion release, which will boast 3
different new scores by the Pet Shop Boys, Maria Newman and Gaylord
Carter...
rotoflex...@yahoo.com
Apr 2, 2009, 7:33:27 AM4/2/09
to
On Apr 1, 7:02 am, charlenedunwoo...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Check your calendar.
>
> Am spending today restoring "Hats Off" from flipbooks found in Chuck
> McCann's basement for a hi-def Criterion release, which will boast 3
> different new scores by the Pet Shop Boys, Maria Newman and Gaylord
> Carter...
> Check your calendar.
>
> Am spending today restoring "Hats Off" from flipbooks found in Chuck
> McCann's basement for a hi-def Criterion release, which will boast 3
> different new scores by the Pet Shop Boys, Maria Newman and Gaylord
> Carter...
Car & Driver's announcement that the Obama administration had directed
GM & Dodge to exit NASCAR was more subtle & effective.
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