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Author
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Topic: The Great Gabbo (1929)
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Bradford A Moore
Master Film Handler
Posts: 272
From: Provincetown, Ma
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted May 18, 2013 03:21 PM
Before doing this review I had to a bit of research, and I'm not entirely sure if its all correct, But It will have to do. I recently purchased from U.K. Ebay a super 8 print of The Great Gabbo (1929) With Erich Von Stroheim.
Before buying this print, the only distributor I've known to release it was Thunderbird Films. The film arrived on 5 400ft reels, and I was surprised to see that the print was printed on a low fade non marked color stock, and possibly a early LLP. I was curious to look at the opening titles under a microscope to see who may have released it. It read before the opening titles in red Cinegate presents.
This I had never heard of, and tried to do research on Cinegate with very little luck. The cleaning process took longer than usual due to being a color print that not only had ever been clean before, and having to remove the yellow color dye, and the previous owner put on some lubricant, which left some spots.
While cleaning, and every so often taking a look under the glass, could see the print took on a pale purple tint of the black and white film due to the color stock. After cleaning the print was pretty good, my only gripe was a bit of a soft focus.
This is now where this print takes on even more of a confusing turn, which may be correct in its description of what it is, or not. Three out of the five tail leaders read Thunderbird Films, but also hand written, but printed in the leader is Cinegate presents. Phil Sheard of Classic Home Cinema believes That its a super 8 print of a 16mm Television print. Cinegate may have purchased from Thunderbird Films a 16mm print, and reprinted it adding Cinegate Presents. At some other time another company Famous Films Of Florida not only made a super 8 print of it, but put in on this low fade color stock.
That is what Phil believes, but I still can't seem to find any information on them, or Famous Films.There is roughly about 18 minutes of the film missing, which doesn't take away from the plot. It may have been cut for time allowed for the original television screening.
My only negative thing about the print, was a heavy dark hair that got into the print, which was present for the first few minutes. I guess it was noticed while printing, and you see it being removed from the image. After that issue, its really very nice, and a very rare title for sure. I was surprised how clean the soundtrack is for a 1929 sound film. One of the first talkies. I heard that Stroheim hated the film, and wanted to buy up the rights, so he could have them all destroyed. It turns out that the copyright and the prints were bought up by Edger Bergen at the time. He was the man behind Charlie McCarthy, and Mortimer Snerd. Apparently Theodore Mack who made them both, also made Otto in The Great Gabbo.
To conclude I will keep my eyes open for either the 16mm, or super 8 Thundrbird print, which should be complete, and being a generation or two back from this print, should be better. Still a Great Find!
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted May 19, 2013 08:41 AM
Great to get that extra info, and that brings up something that I had forgotten about ...
Thunderbird films didn't make it into the "advent' of LPP film stock. I found an absolutely beautiful print of "Popeye Meets Sinbad the Sailor" with color to truly "dye for" (chuckle), what was interesting, is that the leader said (printed, not scribbled on) .,..
Thunderbird films
... therefore, it appears that Thunderbird Films, at some point, sold off they're negatives to other people. Who, I don't know, but I believe that this is the case with your print as, it appears to be a B/W on color film, and appears to be on Low fade (perhaps LPP) ...
Now, I clueless as well when it comes to who actually printed "Popeye", but whoever did it, did a color restoration on "Popeye" as the color is so spot on to even the restored print that it was done on purpose as Thunderbird, Niles ect. NEVER had color like that.
I hope that this helps
OSI
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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