Film Foundation restoration screening room

[Ed Gordon]

The Film Foundation, the non-profit organization created by Martin Scorsese to preserve cinema, invites you to come together for a series of beautifully restored films in the Restoration Screening Room, our new virtual theater, available through any web browser. Presentations will take place within a 24-hour window on the second Monday of each month, along with Special Features about the films and their restoration process. Monthly programming will encompass a broad array of restorations, including classic and independent films, documentaries, and silent films from around the world.
Created in collaboration with DelphiQuest and powered by Oracle Corporation, which provides cloud storage and infrastructure capabilities.

This Topic will be used to post updates about new events. Those of you who watched the screening of the restored Giant earlier this month (old post here) will get notifications via email from DelphiQuest.

February Update:

Beginning on Saturday, February 11th we will be screening the restoration of THE RIVER (1951, d. Jean Renoir).

After shooting multiple films in Hollywood, the acclaimed French director Jean Renoir set off to India to shoot his first color film. While searching for locations in Calcutta, Renoir befriended a young Satyajit Ray, who would accompany him on his scouting expeditions. Lovingly shot by Jean’s nephew, DP Claude Renoir, the vibrant Technicolor underscores the turbulent emotions of the young women at the center of the story, as they begin to make the delicate transition from childhood to adulthood. Adapted from Rumer Godden’s autobiographical novel, THE RIVER deals with many of Renoir's favorite themes: love and death, decay and renewal, all seen through the prism of daily life.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process.

THE RIVER will be available on-demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on February 11th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, February 13th at 7pm EST.

Registration is available now.

Many thanks,
The Film Foundation & DelphiQuest

[Ed Gordon]

The live New York screening of The River is today

Coming Next Month

[Ed Gordon]

March Update:

Beginning on Saturday, March 11th we will be screening the restorations of CAUGHT (1949, d. Max Ophüls) and FORCE OF EVIL (1948, d. Abraham Polonsky).

CAUGHT is the third film the great Max Ophüls would make in America and it's a dramatic and sometimes terrifying examination of domestic life in the 1940s. He makes the most of his terrific cast—James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Ryan—to tell the story of a young fashion model who falls in love too quickly and soon finds herself a prisoner in her new husband's estate. Mason plays a young doctor who gives Bel Geddes's wife hope of escape, but Ryan's tyrannical millionaire husband—based on Howard Hughes—doesn't want to let her go. Lee Garmes's striking cinematography creates an unforgettable mood to match the dark melodrama.

FORCE OF EVIL, moving like a runaway train, follows the unscrupulous scheming of New York lawyer Joe Morse (John Garfield). By consolidating a numbers racket, Joe has the unseemly opportunity to make it big by teaming up with ruthless gangster Ben Tucker (Roy Roberts). The only hindrance to this plan is Joe's brother, Leo (Thomas Gomez), who refuses to implicate his small outside-the-law operation and its dedicated and loyal employees. The moody plot of this tense and widely respected film noir is a scathing indictment of monopoly capitalism and its victims. From one terse and gripping scene to another, Joe presses his brother to accept the looming inevitability that can't be reversed.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process.

CAUGHT & FORCE OF EVIL will be available on-demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on March 11th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, March 13th at 7pm EST.

Registration is available now. Click HERE to register

Many thanks,
The Film Foundation & DelphiQuest
Register

[Ed Gordon]

April Update:

Beginning on Saturday, April 8th we will be screening the restoration of PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA [Prisoners of the Earth] (1939, d. Mario Soffici).

PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA is considered one of the greatest films ever made in Argentina. Director Mario Soffici adapted three different short stories by Horacio Quiroga, the Uruguayan playwright, poet, and author, to craft a powerful and emotional film that examines issues of social justice through its myriad of characters, all human and all flawed. Set in the yerba mate plantations of northern Argentina, the film shows the harsh working conditions of the Guaraní Indians against the beautiful natural landscapes, which highlights the ongoing conflict between the upper and lower classes. Soffici effortlessly balances his social justice narrative with more melodramatic elements of love, betrayal, and alcoholism, all filmed in dramatic black-and-white, to create a rich and honest portrait of life's many struggles. In addition to its cinematic achievements, the film is also an important record of the Guaraní dialect, which is now virtually lost.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process.

PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA will be available on-demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on April 8th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, April 10th at 7pm EST.

Registration is available now.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Prisoners of the Earth, also known as Prisoners of the Land, (Spanish: Prisioneros de la tierra) is a 1939 Argentine drama film directed by Mario Soffici. The film premiered in Buenos Aires. The film is often cited as one of the greatest in the history of Argentine cinema, and established Soffici as a "social" filmmaker. It was awarded by the Municipality of Buenos Aires as the best film of the year, and the Silver Condor Award instituted by the Argentine Association of Film Critics.

It was selected as the greatest Argentine film of all time in the polls conducted by the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken in 1977 and 1984, while it ranked 6th in the 2000 edition. In a new version of the survey organized in 2022 by the specialized magazines La vida util, Taipei and La tierra quema, presented at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, the film reached the 19th position.

In 2019, the Museo del Cine of Argentina, with the support of Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation and the laboratory of the Cineteca di Bologna, restored "Prisoners of the Land" from two 35mm prints of the film found both in Paris at the Cinémathèque Française and in Prague at the Czech Film Archive. The discovery of this two prints was crucial, due to the lack of a national cinematheque and protective cultural politics the original argentine negative was lost during the last century, and the only copy left in the country was a degraded 16mm. Paula Felix-Didier, head of the Museo del Cine and principal responsibility of the restoration, said about the significance of this new copy: "This is a new possibility of seeing one of the fundamental films of the history of Argentine cinema again as it had been decades ago could not be seen, and once again having a deep heritage rescue to understand the history of Argentine cinema and its evolution".

This 2019 restoration was first shown at the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna and later, in December, it was first screened in Argentina at the MALBA, in Buenos Aires.

Free Online Restoration Screening

Register to receive full access through your browser

Available on-demand for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on April 8, 2023
or
Join us for a live screening with commentary on April 10, 2023 at 7pm EST

This program is available worldwide.

In Spanish and Guaraní with English subtitles

[Ed Gordon]

May Update:

Beginning on Saturday, May 6^th we will be screening the restoration of STELLA DALLAS(1925, d. Henry King).

STELLA DALLAS was the first screen adaptation of the 1923 novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty. A surprise box office success, largely due to Belle Bennett’s incredible performance as Stella, the film, a striking portrait of class difference, centers on Stella's efforts to raise her daughter and do right by her. The role made Bennett famous, which was quite an accomplishment given the unglamorous nature of the character she was portraying. Frances Marion's adaptation of Prouty's novel is refreshingly restrained, providing a surprising contrast to the high melodrama of the plot and aligning quite well with director Henry King's gentle style. The film also stars a young Ronald Colman, whom King had cast in his earlier film, THE WHITE SISTER (1923), after discovering him on the stage in New York City. Described by one reviewer upon its release as having a “painful beauty,” this original version is a remarkable feat of the silent film era.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process.

STELLA DALLAS will be available on-demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on May 6^th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, May 8^th at 7pm EST.

Registration is available now.

[Ed Gordon]

June Update:

Beginning on Saturday, June 10^th we will be screening the restorations of R.G. Springsteen's HELLFIRE (1949) and Edward Ludwig's WAKE OF THE RED WITCH (1948).

HELLFIRE was shot by Republic Pictures staff cinematographer Jack A. Marta in the studio's special two-color Trucolor process. The result is a dynamic orange and blue landscape, with the vibrant colors accentuating the violent but heartfelt story of a gunfighter (Republic regular Bill Elliott) who promises a dying preacher that he'll build a church. His quest to fulfill his promise leads to the infamous outlaw Doll Brown, played by "Queen of the B's" Marie Windsor, a role that she would later call her favorite of all time. Deftly directed by R.G. Springsteen, the film ebbs and flows between campy melodrama and earnest tear-jerking tragedy, resulting in one of the most unique Westerns of all time.

WAKE OF THE RED WITCH was one of "poverty row" studio Republic Pictures’ most expensive productions and also one of its most successful. The film stars John Wayne as the captain of a cargo ship in the South Pacific in 1860 who is seeking both revenge and the heart of Gail Russell's Angelique. A dreamlike movie that creatively makes use of flashbacks, director Edward Ludwig doesn't hold anything back as his characters navigate the search for sunken treasure and a giant octopus, among other adventurous things. The moody atmosphere builds to a terrifying crescendo and the film ends with an image of John Wayne that is impossible to forget.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process.

HELLFIRE and WAKE OF THE RED WITCH will be available on-demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on June 10^th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, June 12^th at 7pm EST.

Registration is available now.

[Ed Gordon]

I missed Hellfire, but did catch Wake of the Red Witch (very good movie, and an unusual role for John Wayne.

Next up in July:

Beginning on Saturday, July 8^th we will be screening the restorations of Robert Siodmak's THE KILLERS (1946) and Don Siegel's THE KILLERS (1949).

Robert Siodmak's THE KILLERS, the first screen adaption of Ernest Hemingway’s deceptively short story, is a terrifying and taut film noir, one that would not only help create the genre but also come to define it. The iconic opening diner scene, filled with a deep sense of dread, gives way to a layered story of heartbreak and disappointment that is perfectly embodied in everything star Burt Lancaster—in his first movie role—does on screen. Director Robert Siodmak effortlessly takesLancaster’s handsome exterior and infuses it with a startling innocence. Combined with an unforgettable Miklós Rósza score, haunting black and white photography from Woody Bredell, and a star-making turn from femme fatale Ava Gardner, THE KILLERS is a film you won’t soon forget.

The second screen adaptation of Hemingway’s story was also the first movie ever made for television. Don Siegel’s 1964 version of THE KILLERS differs greatly from Siodmak’s in both tone and temperament. It’s shot in vibrant color and from the opening scene—moved from the stark diner to a bustling school for the blind—the movie has an off-kilter kookiness that creates a jarring sense of unease. That unnerving sense is made even stronger by the performances in the film, namely by the killers themselves, played by straight man Lee Marvin and his unpredictable sidekick played by Clu Gulager. John Cassavetes and Angie Dickinson take on the Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner roles and Siegel again twists things up, focusing more on their doomed love affair. The film also features Ronald Reagan in his last on-screen performance and his only villain role. In the end, Siegel’s film was deemed too violent for television but has lived on as a vital cult-classic companion to the original film.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process.

THE KILLERS will be available on-demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on July 8^th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, July 10^th at 7pm EST.

Registration is available now.

[Ed Gordon]

September 2023 Update:

Beginning on Saturday, October 7th we will be screening the restoration of Roger Corman's THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964).

The film will be available on-demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on October 7th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, October 9th at 7pm EST.

The devilish apex of Roger Corman’s many Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH is both vibrant and vicious. Vincent Price takes his villainous role as Prince Prospero to new heights, turning in a career-best performance as a man living in 12th century decadence and debauchery while the nearby village succumbs to a foretold plague, “The Red Death.” The great Nicolas Roeg serves as cinematographer, capturing Prospero’s devotion to Satan in flamboyant reds, blues, and yellows that roar across the screen, perfectly complementing Corman’s expertly woven ebb and flow between horror and fantasy.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process

Registration is available now at:

https://connect.delphi.international/masque

[Douglas Meltzer]

Yes, Masque is gorgeously shot by Nicolas Roeg. I would love to see the extended cut of this film on a big screen.

[Ed Gordon]

Yes, Masque is gorgeously shot by Nicolas Roeg. I would love to see the extended cut of this film on a big screen.

I will be seeing this film for the first time when the live presentation is done. I have seen two other Corman productions in the same genre, The Pit and the Pendulum and House of Usher. I always thought they were very well done. I wonder how much influence Corman had on the look of those films. I was surprised that Roeg was not the cinematographer on those films as well.

I did find a couple of interesting trivia item on Roeg on IMDB:

• Never went to film school.
• He was hired as director of photography on Doctor Zhivago (1965), but disagreed constantly with director David Lean, who felt that Roeg did not respect him and regarded him as "old-fashioned". After many weeks of work, Roeg was eventually replaced by Freddie Young, although most of his work remains in the finished film. Young eventually won the Oscar for cinematography, but Roeg went unmentioned in his acceptance speech.

[Ed Gordon]

Beginning on Saturday, December 9th for the final presentation of the Restoration Screening Room series, Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968).

The film will be available on demand, through any web browser, for 72 hours beginning at 7pm local time on December 9th. You can also register to view the film with a live commentary in the chat on Monday, December 11th at 7pm EST.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, Sergio Leone’s masterful reinvention of the Western genre, is the riveting story of two mysterious strangers (Jason Robards and Charles Bronson) joining forces to defend a widow (Claudia Cardinale) after a sinister hired gun (Henry Fonda) murders her family in a bid to grab land for the railroad. Unlike the well-groomed characters depicted in traditional studio Westerns, the inhabitants of Leone’s frontier are dusty and sweaty and grimy. Leone’s frame-filling close-ups linger on nuances of facial expression, communicating more with a look than with pages of dialogue. Good-guy icon Henry Fonda is cast radically against type as the darkest of villains, bringing the European stylistic reinterpretations perfected in Leone’s low-budget “spaghetti Westerns” to a quintessential cowboy movie location—John Ford’s favorite, Monument Valley. The quietly epic film goes far beyond a reiteration of cinematic clichés, ultimately creating a deeply emotional exploration of the genre’s mythologies.

Viewers will experience the excitement of a festival event, featuring conversations with filmmakers and archivists providing an inside look at the restoration process.

We thank you for joining us in The Film Foundation Restoration Screening Room where we have been proud to present 20 restored films since May 2022 to film fans like you all over the world. Please visit The Film Foundation website to stay informed about future events and activities.

Many thanks,
The Film Foundation & Delphi

You can register for the screening here: https://connect.delphi.international/once-upon