Films live in our memories. They live in our hearts. But they don't necessarily live for very long in our archives.
We think of cinema as a fixed, unchanging, undying phenomenon. They delighted us, horrified us, titillated or amused us. This spectacular documentary teaches us that those memorable pictures might as well be stored on an Etch-a-Sketch.
In it's own way, Film, the Living Record of Our Memory, is an adventure story. As the world blunders along, these hardy souls spend their lives battling the inevitable decline of films, one frame at a time.
I've visited major archives and labs. I have strolled through major cold-storage aisles loaded with precious cinematic artifacts. I understand now that I simply had the illusion that I understood the battle for preservation. After seeing Film, the Live Record of Our Memory, I finally understand what I don't know.
Whatever you're doing, stop. Go see this documentary right now.
We think of cinema as a fixed, unchanging, undying phenomenon. They delighted us, horrified us, titillated or amused us. This spectacular documentary teaches us that those memorable pictures might as well be stored on an Etch-a-Sketch.
In it's own way, Film, the Living Record of Our Memory, is an adventure story. As the world blunders along, these hardy souls spend their lives battling the inevitable decline of films, one frame at a time.
I've visited major archives and labs. I have strolled through major cold-storage aisles loaded with precious cinematic artifacts. I understand now that I simply had the illusion that I understood the battle for preservation. After seeing Film, the Live Record of Our Memory, I finally understand what I don't know.
Whatever you're doing, stop. Go see this documentary right now.