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Unfortunately, most prints are NOT properly edgewaxed by the labs, due to recent environmental restrictions on the solvents used.

Fortunately, Kodak has made significant improvements during the last few years to both color and black-and-white print films, making them much more resistant to projector abrasion and flaking, even without additional post-process lubrication. But print lubrication will help provide additional protection, especially in projectors more prone to abrade the film edges.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

It is rare nowadays to come across any black and white, and rarely is it handled quite this well. I've projected A LOT of black and white both in 16 and 35MM, and an amazing print such as that one is all too rare. Not all the Columbia 75th aniversary prints were as good as that; that may have been the best. Unfortunately, Sidney Lumet's excellent 'Fail Safe' did not look very good at all, marred by poor contrast and sharpness. I am sure that this was not the intended look of Lumet's film.

Another stunning example that comes to mind is the French film 'Forbidden Games' ('Jeux Interdits') that was also in Academy ratio and coincidently, like the Lang film, also made in 1953. (Not from the Columbia retrospective, of course!)

I remember a more modern example, too - a black-and-white Belgian short made in 35MM just a few years ago (can't remember the name, unfortunately) which was tack-sharp and had a tremendously extended grey scale, like an Ansel Adams print. The point here is that black and white can still be done well! When it comes to quality black-and-white processing, the European labs - especially some of the French ones such as Eclair - are superb.

Although veering a little off-topic, I cannot discuss excellent black-and-white without a mention of one of its true masters, Sven Nykvist. The films that he photographed for Ingmar Bergman in the late 1950's and early 1960's are truly unique experiences and must be seen in 35MM to fully appreciate how peerless they are. Some stunning examples are 'The Virgin Spring' (the second feature I ever projected!), 'Through a Glass Darkly', 'Winter Light', 'The Silence' and 'Persona'. He later won an Oscar for his color work with Bergman on 'Cries and Whispers'.

In regards to 'the present' versus 'the past', I believe that both offer valuable lessons and experiences. True, given today's modern film stocks and lenses it can be said that those films of the past would look even better if that level of technology was available then (although perhaps altogether different in character) but 'film done right' of the past will always beat 'film done wrong' of the present or future.

Well said! And I would add that "Film Done Right" with today's much improved technology will beat any other imaging technology, and still be very cost-effective.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Many, many years ago while the crust of the earth was still cooling... during one of my visits to LA, it was my great privilege to see a screening of an absolutely pristine nitrate print of “The Phantom Of the Opera” with Claude Rains [Universal, Technicolor, 1943.] Even more fun was that I was able to handle a bit of the film, while wearing white gloves, of course. Have never forgotten how marvelous this print looked on the screen, then, as though it had just been filmed “yesterday.”

Today, I’ve no idea where this print is other than probably in either the Academy’s or the UCLA archives. Hopefully it still exists and is being carefully looked after. I wish that everyone else here on the forum might have had my above experience, as it would settle once and for all the issue of the superiority of original IB Technicolor on the nitrate base [which never fades] over anything done today.

I have two copies of this movie in the film library; most recently Vault #36-3 having been updated off-satellite from American Movie Classics last year with an intro. This looks very good but I don’t think it originated from the IB-tech print of 1943: it would be much sharper if it had. This would be the definitive print to use for a television or DVD master if anyone here associated with the forums has any influence to track it down and get the job done. Provided, that is, if the 1943 print has held up thru today. One just never knows with nitrate, which is finicky, unstable stuff. You can have two reels side-by-side in the same vault and one will remain pristine while the other turns to powder.

And as John Pytlak pointed out, you could never run nitrate on a platter; apart from the heresy of chopping up an irreplaceable archival print. If it ever caught fire, it would not just burn up the platter and the booth, it would probably burn all the way down to the lobby and destroy the popcorn stand on its way to the Center of the Earth!

For other insight on this, look up the Byrd Theatre [Richmond VA] under Pictures, with its authentic carbon arcs all still in use, where it is remarked using the ancient generator with the arcs produces an even better quality of light than with the solid-state power supply of more recent vintage. What a fantastic place the Byrd is.

J.

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