Festival of Preservation restores classic films
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 9, 1995 9:00 p.m.
Festival of Preservation restores classic films
Old feature films, animation and shorts all renewed
By Barbara Hernandez
Daily Bruin Staff
Imagine seeing all the old grainy movies you grew up with, clear
and restored, some with their original endings. The UCLA Film and
Television Archive have restored and preserved some of Hollywood’s
former glory in its 7th Annual Festival of Preservation, which runs
through May 4.
The Archive does not just restore features, but also newsreels,
cartoons and even television shows. A collection of George Pal’s
"Puppetoons," the first stop-action animation ever, will be
highlighted, as well as a few Vitaphone shorts including hits from
the "Jazz Age."
Some shorts including Al Jolson were destroyed by Warner Bros.
and later found in a misplaced can. Only one Vitaphone disc holding
the soundtrack was found, smashed into pieces and awkwardly glued
back together. A lone film preservationist spent months dissolving
the glue, refitting the pieces and transferring the contents to
tape with a tilted turntable. Such is the genius of film
preservation.
A brief showing of "The Gene Kelly Show" a forgotten and rare
television program full of incandescent Kelly choreography and his
own blithe versatility will also be shown on April 19. One of its
highlights is a 13-year-old Liza Minelli and the comic timing of
Donald O’Connor.
Kelly found one of the few creative outlets for an innovative
choreographer and entertainer. Worried about the end of Hollywood
musicals, Kelly pulled out all the stops when he tried television.
The shows are among one of the jewels in the crown of television to
date.
Not only are American classics highlighted, but also the new
"Lumiere Project," a restoration of European classics by a group of
European preservationists. Among the offerings are "Mater Dolorosa"
and the landmark film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," a tinted print
showing on May 4, who Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan called
"as close as any version has to capturing the celebrated look of
the original."
The special highlight of the series is a special screening of
"My Darling Clementine" on April 15, a John Ford incarnation of the
showdown at the O.K. corral. This special version differs from the
one released in theaters and television with new dialogue, shots
and a vastly different score. This special "director’s cut" was
closer to what John Ford had in mind, and not the sentimentalist
narrative the studio released.
FILM: "Seventh Annual Festival of Preservation" presented by the
UCLA Film and Television Archive. Now running until May 4. Playing
at Melnitz Theatre. TIX: $5 general, $3 students and seniors. For
more information and show times call (310) 206-FILM.
