What 8mm films did I watch last night?

[Melvin England]

Easter Saturday night 2021 will most certainly go down as one of the most monumental nights in my entire super 8 collecting life that spans over 45 years. It is the first time I have ever ordered a brand new print from overseas (USA) that is printed to order and tonight after waiting for what seemed like an eternity waiting for it to arrive, I managed to screen it for the first time. I am referring to that jaw dropping 600' edit of Jurassic Park. Oh my goodness, what a FANTASTIC job has been done with it. Congratulations to all concerned ( David Baker and others ). Edit is stunning, Colour is stunning, definition stunning. If this is the shape of things to come, super 8 still has a very healthy future ahead of it !

Anyway, to all the films I actually saw....


Batman and Robin Trailer
Dantes Peak Trailer
Jurassic Park Trailer #1
Jurassic Park Trailer #2
Jurassic Park - The Lost World Trailer #1
Jurassic Park - The Lost World Trailer #2

Jurassic Park - 1x 600' !!!!!!!!

...and also.....

Melody On The Move - 1x 200' - Laurel & Hardy extract from Swiss Miss
Blockheads Part 3 - 1x 400' - Laurel & Hardy

With the 2x Laurel and Hardy's, I was just checking the print quality as I have duplicate copies in my collection.

Wow! Best have a G&T to calm myself after this wonderful night.

Bring on.... Titanic 600' !!!!!!??

[Brian Fretwell]

A 'Scope night (Easter - Christmas?)
Happy go Ducky (T&J Derann on Agfa), trailers and promos The Passage, Cleopatra, Murphy's War and Theatre of Death (mixed), the 1x400ft Cut down of Dracula Prince of Darkness (Derann on Fuji with very good colour) ending with part 5 of Die Hard.

[Bill Phelps]

Nice one Melvin! I screened some films yesterday....

Mickey Mouse Sorcerers Apprentice.....std 8mm sound B&W
Sherlock Jr......std 8mm silent
Citizen Kane.....Mountain feature super 8 sound

[Lee Mannering]

As its Easter: The Robe, Where Jesus Walked and Ten Commandments trailer.


Brian talking about Christmas. Did a Easter video call around the family and one little girl when asked if she was enjoying Easter said
' No I like Christmas' Bless the children

[Oliver Feld]

I screened EASTER PARADE & THE BAND WAGON! 2 Fred Astaire full features full of spectacular choreography and music.
Great prints on the big screen!

[Lee Mannering]

Been working in Peter Cushing county for tv so fetched the Elmo to watch the Curse of the Mummy. Nice touch. Those who know the country will know Tudor tea rooms Peter's fave afternoon venue. Called in with my parents in the 80s and Peter came in to sit at his reserved table. For me he was the best actor in show business a gent and very respectful......lacking today sad to say.

[Oliver Feld]

„The Fox and the Hound“; the most touching and heartwarming story of a very special and sadly impossible friendship; a glorious Derann print. And what a soundtrack!

[William Ferry]

I've been going through my collection on a regular basis this week. Mostly recent eBay purchases, but some oldies from when I started collecting around 1973: DO DETECTIVES THINK? (an old L&H Blackhawk print on two 200 foot reels), CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS (A 1918 Harry Gribbon Triangle/Keystone, funnier than I remembered), and SAPPY SERVICE (a really good Bobby Vernon/Christie from 1929). Not to get too esoteric, but for some arcane reason the last two were one reelers put on 400 foot reels, so I used the opportunity to splice L&H onto one of the big reels, and put the other two on the now-empty small reels.

This begs the question: If Necessity is the Mother of Invention, who's the Father?

[Melvin England]

William - "NEED" perhaps?

After last week's thrill of seeing my brand new 600'er of Jurassic Park, I make no apologies for watching it again tonight!

SO.......

Tonight.....

Jurassic Park - 1x 600'
Close Encounter of The Third Kind - 1x 400'
Alien - 1x 400'
The Omen - 1x 400'
The Towering Inferno - 3x 400'

I don't know if this is the same for all of you, or whether it is just me, but normally when watching my films I sit next to my projector with one eye on the film and the other on the projector so to speak. For a change, tonight I set the projector going, focused and then sat a few feet further towards the screen as if I was a member of an audience being entertained by someone else. I did not realize how completely different it is when one takes their mind off the projector and becomes totally immersed in what is on the screen. I saw particularly "Alien" in a new light as if I had never seen it before. A lovely feeling. I am sure I will do this more often but will no doubt come a cropper sometime with 400' of film piled on the floor!

[Brian Fretwell]

As I hoped but having trouble finding it after a re-stacking of my films I got to the Movietone news 'scope reel of Cowes week, it also shows Prince Phillip on a yacht with Princess Ann. Before that I watched a compilation reel of the trailers to The Sound of Music, Bridge on the River Kwai and A Bridge too Far ending with Movietone News in Cinemascope No.1 showing the opening of the Forth Road bridge by the Queen, with Prince Phillip next to her (which I had forgotten). I finished off with trailers to The Young Ones and Summer Holiday.

[Oliver Feld]

Melvin, this is so true! I use earphones now and then and sit in front of the machine sometimes. This is a big difference to „being the person at the projector“ and even a cutdown can be a kind of new experience!

[Brian Fretwell]

After the Derann trailer the Walton 400ft 'scope of Summer Holiday was my film last night. Seems to be more the first two reels of the feature rather than a digest. A print on Fuji, no sign of any fade.

[Brian Fretwell]

An oddity first a 200ft extract from The Riddle of the Sands, no title card just a voice-over stating it was a Movieland print and that it was an extract. This was followed by Derann's 2 x600ft of Never Say Never Again. Both 'scope prints.

[Ali Hipperson]

My planned Easter screening got delayed, but eventually last night it was:

Little Caesar 3x400' - the first, true gangster film.

Easter Parade 1x400' - a very good edit with all the best songs from the film. Although it's well faded, it looked more than acceptable and surprisingly good with my new filter! 🙂

[Brian Fretwell]

Last night an Iver print on Eastman of now "The Slipper and the (Rather pink) Rose" part two had rather better colour though, the Iver card at the end showed a good blue.