What 8mm films did I watch last night?

[Brian Fretwell]

The 1x400ft of The Outlaw (really just the end of the film) and some reversed films, mainly cartoons, bought cheaply from Derann as White Box specials, Blitz Wolf, Pluto's Purchase and The Tree in the Test Tube with Stan and Ollie in colour.

[Graham Ritchie]

Last week another screening of "Peter Pan" on Super 8, it really is a stunning print and another Derann gem, bought from them many moons ago.

Below screen shots taken last week

[Oliver Feld]

Graham, what an outstanding print…!

I watched Derann’s THE LION KING and it is still one of Disney’s best!

[Osi Osgood]

I agree, great looking print. I watched "To Be or not To Be" again and was again surprised as to how good it is. I took the film after viewing, and found that the frames had the slightest letterboxing possible. It turns out that they, instead of coming in on the 35mm frame, chose to go the opposite way, and you have more of the original square frame of the original 35mm master, even the "rounding" on the corners;. No wonder the image is so good! Does anybody know who released this on super 8?

[Graham Ritchie]

Oliver I totally agree with "The Lion King" print. I bought mine when it first came out and was impressed not only with the image but the stereo soundtrack as well.

One addition regarding "The Lion King" itself, was this release of the promo with Elton John singing the full number its stereo as well. This is one film I do need to do a re-record with, it would not be hard, just got to make the effort. The print quality is excellent, just let down a little bit with the sound of the promo.

I have added a couple of screen shots of the "feature" taken a while back

[Graham Ritchie]

Two night ago before the main feature that was to be on the VP, I ran this stunning Derann stereo sound print of "Prince and the Pauper" one thing with this film is that after the end credits Goofy comes on and talks about, "that there will be a short intermission before the main feature of "The Rescuers Down Under" which is a really neat add on .

"The Rescuers Down Under" I should add is a excellent stereo sound print, that I bought brand new from Derann, in fact it was to be my first feature from them and still have it. .

[Graham Ritchie]

A bit of a blast from the past with "Night Mail" 1936, bought new from "Derann" long long ago. Mounted on a 600ft reel, the only downside its a B/W film printed onto Super8 color stock. However putting that aside, its certainly an interesting film on the "London to Scotland" postal train. Its also very interesting how the get the mail bags on and of while the train is travelling at speed.

Its certainly been a while since I last screened this Super8 print. "Night Mail" is full length, with a running time of about 25 minutes.

[Graham Ritchie]

Another blast from the past tonight "Vickers Aviation" 400ft B/W printed on B/W Super 8 film stock. Although bought new from Derann, it was originally a DCR release I think passed on to Derann in later years..

"Vickers Aviation" is a comprehensive and dramatic record of over 50 years of achievement from the Vickers Corporation,

Some very interesting early footage is shown in this film.

[Brian Fretwell]

Yes, I think when Dave West's diabetes affected his sight he had to give up the film business and many titles went to Derann.

[Graham Ritchie]

I heard that was the case Brian, a real shame regarding his eyesight. I still have his Super 8 feature release of David Lean "Great Expectations" 1946 and intend to screen it again very soon, one of the best classic films that was ever released onto Super 8. I think he also did the full feature of the 1948 film "Oliver Twist" as well that was another good one.

[Melvin England]

With all the decades I have notched up of super 8 film collecting / watching, last night (Saturday 23rd) was a milestone in my super 8 life.

It was the very first time that I hosted an OUTDOOR film show ! I even had an audience ! The problem in the UK is that there are very few warm nights when it could be feasible. Not only that, at this time of year it is not really dark until just before 10pm so the presentation started rather late. By the time it is dark at 8pm the temperature usually makes it an unattractive idea.

However, with the next door neighbours away on holiday and no other houses within hearing distance, last night I threw caution to the wind as the below photographs show......

. The set up in the early evening.





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Ditto





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Ditto





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The presentation !




We kicked off at about 9.45pm with the following......


1x 100' Saturday Night Fever Trailer

1x 200' Look at Life - For The Record (The one featuring Helen Shapiro and the vinyl record making process)

2x 800' Grease


Aiming to finish by midnight, I made it with 4 minutes to spare!
A great success! The only downside was that a wind blew up at one point making the screen sway a little, but no major disasters. The night also reaffirmed my belief that the super 8 image always seems to look far better on the screen when it is being thrown from a long distance. Don't know why but it does. Grease looked fabulous !


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[Graham Ritchie]

Great stuff Melvin you mention that it looks better when its been thrown from a long distance I was thinking the same when I screened the Marketing 3/400 footer of "The Ten Commandments" two days ago. The close up shots are fine, but the mid and far distance stuff were quite bad with soft focus, so I needed to be as far back as possible from the screen to watch it. Unlike digital projection, film can have a lot more limits on it, as to how close you can sit to the screen..

In saying that the Derann Disney prints were light years in that aspect, compared to the early films like the MGM releases.

I did take a couple of screen shots though, the color and sound were fine, just the detail was badly lacking.

[Graham Ritchie]

Although those films are getting on a bit, they are still pretty good, I screened this reel twice this week. The Walton T/J are printed of Fuji film stock. Apart from the following "I Wanna Be Like You" extract, the rest are all English prints with little or no fade at all. Even the American Disney import of "I Wanna Be Like You" is still looking pretty good color wise, that particular extract, would have to be one of the most popular musical numbers Disney released onto Super 8. I must have screened that Disney extract more than any other. I have more than one copy In fact I know the words and can sing along with it, while watching it.

Both "Sword In The Stone" and "Jungle Book" shown, came as two 400ft reels from the Derann second hand list, hence me saying some are English prints. The previous owner had edited the two "Jungle Book" extracts in the right order. "Mowgli The Jungle Boy" extract has excellent color, so that has to have come from an English lab. Most of the imported Disney films from the US from the 1970s early 1980s have some kind of fade, where as the Disney prints made in the English labs still look great.

Anyway

On one "very" full Elmo 800ft reel.

1....Saturday Evening Puss 1950.
2....Triplet Cat 1952.
3....Sword In The Stone 1/400ft reel.
4....Jungle Book 1/400ft reel.

Here is a bit of a blast from the past, of the front cover April 1976 issue of mine....

[Graham Ritchie]

Ran another 800ft reel tonight

1....Engine Driver, a Derann S8 release, very interesting and good quality B/W image and sound.
2...."Across The Firth Of Forth" Derann again, good color and sound.
3.....150th Anniversary Of Steam from Walton films, includes a very interesting look at York Railway Museum.
4.....A Train For Christmas.
5.....last one "Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway". I will include the up-load to you-tube I did for this one.

I enjoyed watching those shorts so much I screened it twice tonight

One film I have not watched in a long while was Mickey Mouse: The First Fifty Years. I bought the Silver edition when it came out back around 1978 watching it tonight it still looks pretty good.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Graham,

I have the gold "Collector's Limited Edition" of Mickey Mouse: The First Fifty Years. Mine is numbered 3063 out of 5000. I have the highest number of everyone I know!