8mm Forum: A question about a 9.5mm print ...

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Topic: A question about a 9.5mm print ...

Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted March 15, 2014 12:48 PM

I have just one 9.5mm print (I like having act least one print of each gauge in my collection), and I'm just curious of the date (age) and such of the print.

It is a "Pathe-O Gram" print, with that stated on the first images, "Pathe safety Stock" (wound around a triangular image under the "Pathe-O-Gram"), curious, as I was expecting early Kodak stock.

It is a Mickey Mouse cartoon entitled "Haunted House" and appears to be complete, as it is on a very full metal 200ft reel. Very cuious reel, in that it doesn't have the usual super 8 or standard 8 middle to it, but these two holes in the middle. I assume that this was common for 9.5mm?

I must say, I have always been fascinated with the fact that the sprocket was in the very middle of the film, instead of on the edges, which nearly every other film gauge has it ...

So, can anybody date this thing for me?

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Terry Sills
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1423
From: Weymouth,Dorset,England
Registered: Oct 2012

posted March 15, 2014 02:04 PM

Ossi
Pathe 9.5mm predates Standard 8 and was the first affordable home movie guage for the masses, and still my favourite to a large degree. Not sure of the launch date but pretty sure it goes back to the 30's or maybe before. There will be experts replying to give you more exact data, of that I am sure.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted March 15, 2014 04:11 PM

"Haunted House" is a Mickey Mouse 200' number M/30151. It's actually a 1929 cartoon called "The Haunted House".

The M reels were introduced by Pathescope Ltd in November 1934.

"Haunted House" was issued on 9.5mm in December 1935.

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Maurice

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted March 19, 2014 12:42 PM

Maurice, your magnificent! Totally awesome ...

Fairly old reel then. I like it, though I can't project it.

As a general rule, have 9.5MM films aged well or not?

I'm curious, as, apparently, they used they're own stock and not necessarily "Kodak Safety stock" (which a lot of the early standard 8mm and double sprocket 16MM were printed on).

Once again, kudos to one Mr. Leakey!! [Big Grin]

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted March 19, 2014 04:07 PM

I blush.
9.5mm film was printed on Pathe stock, only during the war was stock from UK Kodak used, reverting back to Pathe when supplies were resumed after the war.

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Maurice

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Lee Mannering
Film God

Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006

posted March 20, 2014 01:39 AM

Osi’s question: As a general rule, have 9.5MM films aged well or not?

Over the years they have held up very well Osi if kept in good hands and well away from an ACE silent projector, similar with the optical sound film if kept away from a SON sound projector not used correctly. I’ve found the films to stand the test of time very well indeed and they have also benefited from a design where the film has more actual mass than the smaller gauge so more tolerance to shrinkage perhaps. With the sprocket hole in the middle should the films show signs of shrinking it’s a very even process where as with 8 and 16mm they can warp in a curve.

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Dino Everette
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1535
From: Long Beach, CA USA
Registered: Dec 2008

posted March 20, 2014 01:50 AM

Osi
most of the printed 9.5 films are on a diacetate stock, rather than the triacetate stock that most 8mm prints are on...I have found pretty much across the board that diacetate holds up better. It has a far less chance of getting vinegar syndrome and is overall more durable. One of the many reasons I love the 9.5 [Big Grin]

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"You're too Far Out Miss Lawrence"

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted March 20, 2014 03:19 AM

Osi
I you would like to see your cartoon, click on my attachment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8LiPoIpxnk

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Maurice

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Terry Sills
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1423
From: Weymouth,Dorset,England
Registered: Oct 2012

posted March 20, 2014 03:35 AM

I have had many 9.5 films over the years, and still have quite a few now, but I have never had vs on any. The main problem is that some go brittle and then the film suffers from cracking perforations which is largely terminal as it makes it unprojectionable because it will keep breaking as it transports through the film path. The great thing about 9.5 silent film is that because sprocket holes are in the centre of the film the picture image is maximised to almost the full width of the film and picture quality is nearly as good as 16mm, so definition is much better than 8mm.

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted March 20, 2014 12:13 PM

Thanks for that link Maurice! [Smile]

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted March 28, 2014 12:36 AM

Osi, the three holes on the reel is indeed the normal standard for 9,5. The earlier films were however mounted on small black cartridges and there were notches on the film itself. The first 9,5 projectors (known as Pathé Baby) stopped the film each time there was a notch so the projection could be longer. Of course, the notches were put on images like titles or statues or anything that doesn't move on the screen. The projection restarts automatically and many 9,5 projectors from that time still work. The purpose of Pathé (the company that invented the gauge) was to make it afordable and easy to use to a large audience as possible so Pathé used the middle perforation system, the notches, the cartdriges and the safe ininflammable filmstock. It is interesting to note that 9,5 is still alive and it is still possible to film in that gauge.

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Dominique

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