SAVED FROM THE FLAMES
SAVED FROM THE FLAMES presents a unique and wonderful collection of 54 rare and restored short films from the inflammable years of cinema. Movies were once made on nitrate film stock, which has a chemical composition similar to gunpowder and is highly vulnerable to fire and decay. This remarkable seven-hour anthology, organized in eight thematic groups over three DVDs, presents amazing treasures from the vaults of Lobster Films in Paris and from the Blackhawk Films Collection, rescued during half a century of gathering movies from the nitrate era.
This 3-disc set also features: SAVED FROM THE FLAMES Booklet - An illustrated history and comments on each film in the collection, written by David Shepard and Serge Bromberg.
Contents
Format: DVD-NTSC / Region 0
(No Regional Code)
----------------------------------------------------------
New Beginnings
(1896-1907)
• Seven films: including the early cinematic experiments of Lumière, Georges Mendel and others; featuring CYRANO DE BERGERAC, from 1900, believed to be the first color and sound film.
_________________________________________
Magical Movies
(1901-1911)
• Five early fantasy and trick films: including a previously-unseen trick film by Georges Méliès; hand-colored films from Segundo de Chomon and Gaston Velle; and astonishing stop-motion animation from 1911.
_________________________________________
Seeing The World
(1910-1932)
• Among the ten films in this section: A transatlantic crossing in a Zeppelin dirigible; a stencil-colored trek through the Belgian Congo in 1925; Parisian street kids in Montmartre during the first World War; a 1916 visit to Los Angeles; 1927 sound film of Charles Lindbergh embarking on his New York-Paris flight; an early 1930s portrait of New York’s Coney Island; and a film promoting Josephine Baker’s revue at the Folies-Bergère.
_________________________________________
Laughing Like We Used To
(1907-1924)
• Seven comedies: including four restored from turn of the century Italy and France; KID’S AUTO RACE, a recently-discovered nitrate negative of Chaplin’s first appearance in his “tramp” attire, a frenetic Mack Sennett gag fest with tin lizzies galore; and THE PEST, starring an early Stan Laurel (before Oliver Hardy).
_________________________________________
Drawings And Models
(1908-1936)
• Six works of animation: Gaumont’s FANTASMAGORIE (1908); three cartoons from the Fleischer Studios – CARTOON FACTORY (1924), AIN’T SHE SWEET (1932), and PLAY SAFE (1936); Ub Iwerks' BALLOONLAND (1935), featuring a new color restoration made from the original negatives; and a filmed performance by puppetry pioneer Tony Sarg.
_________________________________________
Grace Notes
(1929-1939)
• Rare musical performances: Django Reinhardt with Stéphane Grapelli and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France; Duke Ellington and the Cotton Club Orchestra; Louis Armstrong in Copenhagen; and the Utica Jubilee Singers.
_________________________________________
Persuade Me
(1934-1944)
• Eleven films designed to influence: including vintage promotional films featuring Laurel & Hardy (dubbed in French); Michel Simon and Jacques Tati; puppet animation by George Pal; three WW-II era musical shorts; two political campaign films; and MASTER HANDS, a paean to the 1936 Chevrolet, selected for the National Film Registry.
_________________________________________
Tell Me A Story
(1912-1913)
• Narratives from 1912-1913 by D.W. Griffith (FOR HIS SON), Lois Weber (SUSPENSE), and Thomas Ince (THE HEART OF AN INDIAN), all mastered from beautiful 35mm film elements.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Total Running Time: 06:50:00 (3 Discs)
Language: Silent with English intertitles
Musical Score: Eric le Guen, Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, Frederick Hodges, Eric Beheim, Louis de Francesco, Sydney Jill Lehman, Donald Sosin, Rodney Sauer & Neil Brand
Booklet Text: David Shepard & Serge Bromberg
Published By: Flicker Alley
Institutional Price: $400 (plus shipping)
To order call: 212.280.8654 or click here for information on ordering by fax, e-mail or post.