That's a reel find: Trove of silent films from 100 years ago are discovered in dumped shelf unit at recycling centre including rare 1928 movie The Cardboard Lover
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An incredible collection of 100-year-old near-extinct silent films from the Golden Age of cinema have been found - at a tip.
The historic reels of film dating back to 1909 were discovered in a dumped shelving unit at a recycling centre in Sidmouth, Devon.
Film buffs Mike Grant, 56, and daughter, Rachael, 26, were stunned when they came across the historic reels.
Their interest was sparked after spotting two 16mm film reels placed next to a 1950s' paint tin, which was wedged behind a cupboard.
They found a further ten old 35mm and 16mm films dating back to 1909, including a copy of The Cardboard Lover, one of just two remaining copies in the world.
The MGM movie starred Marion Davies, a famous actress of the time.
The rest are a variety of feature films and shorts, ranging roughly from 1909 to 1913, and include films from France, Italy, India, America and the UK.
Mr Grant approached the staff at the recycling centre to purchase the tin and its contents, and was amazed when they wanted just £10.
They are now going to donate them to the British Film Institute.
Mr Grant, a factory worker from Chard, Somerset, said: 'I have always been interested in old film and television, and regularly go to look in the recycling centre, when I'm in the area. We couldn't believe what we found.
'It was a real find, it's the biggest thing I have ever found, not the sort of thing you expect to see - especially at a tip.
'You hear about missing Doctor Who episodes and that sort of thing, but this is much rarer, and much older.
'The films come from all over the world, including France, Italy, India, America and one from the UK.
'It's a mystery where they came from. We are trying to piece together who they belonged to.
'There are a lot of retired people in that area, so I presume that someone was having a house clearance and skipped the whole lot.
'It's a bit sad to think that there might have been others that we missed, and they ended up in land fill, but at least we found some of them.
'We only paid £10 for them, but on the private market it would be difficult to guess what they would be worth - it could be quite a bit of money.'
After buying the collection, they took them home and began researching exactly what they had found.
Only some of the tins were labelled, so the identity of others remains a mystery - but with the help of internet forums, they have been able to identify a few.
Included in the collection are an Italian film called Il Guanto from 1910, a French film called Jane Is Unwilling To Work, from 1909, and one reel of the 1928 film The Cardboard Lover.
Intrigued by The Cardboard Lover, Rachael, a copywriter who lives with her father, and mother Marina, 54, carried out further research.
She discovered that only one other copy remained - in the Library of Congress in Washington - but that copy was heavily damaged.
After further research, the family have been informed that their version is in a better condition.
Rachael said: 'The Cardboard Lover is a great find, but we only have one reel of that film.
'It was a feature film, so would have come on six or seven reels.
'It's a bit of a shame we don't have all of them but, with a find like that, you don't get upset you don't have them all - you are glad you even got one.
'When we found them, we couldn't believe what we were seeing.
'It's difficult to express how rare it is to find 35mm films. Because the films are made of nitrate, they are highly unstable, and you often hear about whole archives burning to the ground because nitrate film is self-combustible.
'It's miraculous that they survived. Some of the films are in great condition, but some aren't so good. One of them has decomposed almost completely, which is a shame.
'But still, it's the find of a lifetime. We have contacted the British Film Institute, and will be loaning the films to them.
'One of them was an American film from 1910, by Independent Motion Pictures.We could tell because the IMP logo was visible in the film.
'It has been speculated that the actors in the film are King Biggott and Florence Lawrence, one of the first stars of film to be promoted as a star in her own right.
'The BFI archive is the best place for them. They have a specialist archive for nitrate film, so they will be quite safe.
'We are not asking for any money. Our main priority is to see the films looked after and properly identified.
'I would also love to see the films. We don't have the equipment to play them, so it would be great if the BFI could invite us round to watch the films one day.'
I saw this a few weeks back. Hoping they find some lost films in there like London After Midnight and The 4 Devils or even the unedited long version of Greed. One can always hope. Though it appears most are too old for any of that it still gives you hope there are more out there.
BFI will be busy. Probably restore and release some on Bluray and North America will never see a release.
Although I'm not a fan of Japanese horror, I didn't find it to be too bad. I definitely wouldn't call it scary, but I do think there is an underlying feeling of foreboding throughout the entire film.
Although I'm not a fan of Japanese horror, I didn't find it to be too bad. I definitely wouldn't call it scary, but I do think there is an underlying feeling of foreboding throughout the entire film.
Would you say it's a good movie, great movie...classic?
Would you say it's a good movie, great movie...classic?
I would not rank Kuroneko with the absolute greatest Criterion titles, but I would have no reservations about giving it a four or four-and-a-half star rating in a review. I used to own the Criterion DVD, but I sold that DVD three years ago with the intent of upgrading to Blu-ray, and I still have not made my way to buying the Blu-ray yet. I really need to stop procrastinating, because I'm sure that it looks fantastic in high definition.
Kuroneko is atmospheric, more than anything, and, for me, atmosphere in a horror movie goes a long way.
This movie involves cats, just like House did, and that adds to the spooky factor for me. (Sorry, folks who own cats, but I'm not a cat person.)
Would you say it's a good movie, great movie...classic?
great atmosphere!! not a 'classic' but certainly one that is hard to forget.
have you seen onibaba? same director...same feelings of unease throughout the picture.
i hope this doesn't sound too out of left field...but the film has a similar feeling with 'the innocents'. so if you like either of the two films mentioned, you'd like kurenko.
it's also got a nifty little adventure slant to it...with the main character somewhat of a samurai...going back home and having to come to terms with things in his past. having to destroy ghosts and such.
I saw this a few weeks back. Hoping they find some lost films in there like London After Midnight and The 4 Devils or even the unedited long version of Greed. One can always hope. Though it appears most are too old for any of that it still gives you hope there are more out there.
BFI will be busy. Probably restore and release some on Bluray and North America will never see a release.
Gives us hope that any "lost" film is really only "missing." That always sounds more optimistic. Has anyone heard anything about plans to bring the found 2-strip technicolor print of the '29 version of The Mysterious Island to home video? I'd love to see it since so few early color films seem to exist.
So I last week I snagged The Third Man on ebay for around 80 bucks (my personal holy grail), but the seller just shipped off the digibook without a slipcover.
I've been going crazy trying to figure out what to do to restore unity to my shelf.
I just bought some clear cases off the criterion site, and I was wondering if anyone had access to a cover scan of their third man blu ray that they would be so kind to share. I wanna take this bad boy to a Kinko's and resurrect a kind of Frankenstein Plastic Case Third Man Monster.
So I last week I snagged The Third Man on ebay for around 80 bucks (my personal holy grail), but the seller just shipped off the digibook without a slipcover.
I've been going crazy trying to figure out what to do to restore unity to my shelf.
I just bought some clear cases off the criterion site, and I was wondering if anyone had access to a cover scan of their third man blu ray that they would be so kind to share. I wanna take this bad boy to a Kinko's and resurrect a kind of Frankenstein Plastic Case Third Man Monster.
Had I seen this last week before I sold my plastic case on ebay I would've gladly helped you. Good luck though im sure its gonna look so much better in the plastic case.
Watched Cronos yesterday and was somewhat disappointed. I know it was del Toro's first feature so I can cut the guy some slack. It seemed more like a TV movie than what I anticipated. I was entertained and liked the spin on a vampire story, but his growth as a director (and budget I am sure) was apparent between this and Devil's Backbone.
I need to see Cronos again...I remember it being quite bizarre but I hadn't been properly introduced to Guillermo del Toro at the time yet. I have mixed feelings about The Devil's Backbone but then again I only saw that one once too and I bought that in a blind-buy at the time.
I can tell you this though... I absolutely love his current TV series The Strain. I'm totally riveted by that TV show right now and look forward to every new episode. I find it terrifying and unique how it combines ancient mythology, history, science and horror. Have you watched that yet? Or anyone else here for that matter?
So I last week I snagged The Third Man on ebay for around 80 bucks (my personal holy grail), but the seller just shipped off the digibook without a slipcover.
I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you would buy the Third Man at a high price, when there is the recent 4K restoration released on a region free Bluray at UK.
I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you would buy the Third Man at a high price, when there is the recent 4K restoration released on a region free Bluray at UK.
For me, it isn't about owning the cheapest copy of the best transfer available. I missed the boat on the Criterion release of The Third Man as I had yet to make the switch to BD before it went OOP. As a Criterion collector, I just really wanted a mint copy and was therefore prepared to spend what I did ($100) to own one. It takes pride of place next to my copy of the original Criterion DVD of the film, and the new SC release on BD that I ordered from amazon in France (preferred the cover to the UK release).
I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you would buy the Third Man at a high price, when there is the recent 4K restoration released on a region free Bluray at UK.
Because some people like collecting all releases or collecting OOPs/Rares?
Or they like the cover art and Criterions release?
Because some people like collecting all releases or collecting OOPs/Rares?
Or they like the cover art and Criterions release?
I see.
Well, i don't understand that, since I wouldn't prefer an inferior release at a much higher price just for a cover, or just to buy an OOP Criterion.
It doesn't seem logical to me.
But to each his own I guess.
I see.
Well, i don't understand that, since I wouldn't prefer an inferior release at a much higher price just for a cover, or just to buy an OOP Criterion.
It doesn't seem logical to me.
But to each his own I guess.
If you're a Criterion collector, then the fact that another release has a better transfer means nothing. It's the Criterion version that you're after. A blu-ray collector would probably want the best version though. For me, I'm a blu-ray collector but I am also very much a Criterion collector. I also prefer to have a Criterion release, because I really like collecting Criterions. To each his own.
I can tell you this though... I absolutely love his current TV series The Strain. I'm totally riveted by that TV show right now and look forward to every new episode. I find it terrifying and unique how it combines ancient mythology, history, science and horror. Have you watched that yet? Or anyone else here for that matter?
I read the first book of that trilogy, and quite enjoyed it as a potboiler. Haven't had the time to read the others. As for the show, I watched the first season, and thought it was "meh". I'm not feeling compelled to watch the second.
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