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Topic: Phantom Ship "Mystery of the Marie Celeste"
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted April 28, 2011 10:26 AM
The interesting thing is that when they released this on DVD, they used the Blackhawk master negative, which is the best in existence, and it is missing that prologue as well, which, on the back of the box it states to be "lost footage" these days ...
However, If a print of this exists, either in 16MM or especially 9.5mm, (as it is closer to the original release of this feature) there might be the chance that this footage could actully exist, even if the original 35MM doesn't exist.
Micheal, I have heard that about the reels as well ... (some dupey, some not).
From what I understand, the film begins in either a courtroom or official inquiry about what happened out at sea, and that the main part of the story is told in flashback.
-------------------- "All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted May 03, 2011 08:51 PM
Niles released it under the title "Phantom Ship" in Super 8 Sound for $89 back in 1979. Blackhawk issued it as "Mystery Of The Mary Celeste". I believe Reel Images out of Sandy Hook, Connecticut and Ivy Films also released it under the P/S title, as well. Being that it's been a public domain title for years I'm sure there were a number of film vendors that released it. Niles, Reel Images, Ivy and Thunderbird specialized in PD titles utilzing 16mm masters and rarely took efforts to clean them up at all. They kept their overheads down by not licensing too much and performing little to no restoration on their products. This explains why titles like "It's A Wondeful Life", "Night Of The Living Dead", "White Zombie", "Utopia" and older WB and Fleischer cartoons were offered in many different catalogs of the day. I'm sure the masters they all used were different. Interested in which vendor used the best masters, overall. Blackhawk offered alot of silent PD properties, but they often took pains to restore many of their A-title masters before issuing prints. Not always successful, I will say. Much of their silent stuff was B/C-grade dreck. I gave alot of it away back in the late 70's when I graduated to sound. [ May 04, 2011, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: Brad Kimball ]
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