This is what happens to 35mm film that went bad

[starmike]

Many years ago, a friend of mine gave me this 35mm trailer of The Day the Earth Stood Still. It had this awful vinegar smell. It was so bad that when I first took it home it permeated the whole house. I had to put it in a container to keep the thing from smelling.

Here it is years later and I'm cleaning the house of things that I no longer want. The trailer was one of them. I opened it up for the first time and the film was so bad that it was literally crumbling, like leaves when you walk under them. You couldn't unravel the film from the spool, it was sticking to itself. I have other film stored that's still in pristine shape, but this was in bad shape when I got it, and this is the result.

Next time you hear about film restoration, I don't think there's anything anyone could have done for this. It was a gonner when I got it.

[Cowman]

I read somewhere that some crumbly films can be saved by humidity treatment that softens it up

[singhcr]

That's a shame, that's long gone I'm afraid.

As for your other prints, they can be put in the fridge or ideally freezer with ziploc bags and mat boards and they will last basically indefinitely. If you are interested I can give more info, it's called the CMI cold storage method. I store my vintage Disney 16mm prints this way. You can pull them out of storage and they are ready to watch in maybe 3 hours, just dry the boards again in the oven and stick it back in the fridge or freezer when you're done watching them.

[Sage00]

That’s where Vinegar Syndrome gets their name.

[NDcowboy]

Thank goodness that’s not original element's. Much appreciation for those that preserve film.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by starmike

Next time you hear about film restoration, I don't think there's anything anyone could have done for this. It was a gonner when I got it.

Not for this, but if it had been something incredibly rare they'd have had a go!

A Trip to the Moon (hand-tinted version) was restored from the only known surviving print that came apart as they unrolled it IIRC. The restoration of that was a jigsaw puzzle but the end result is remarkable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trip...-colored_print

Even if not totally salvageable, they can use technology to extract some. There's a lost Morecambe and Wise episode where it really was just a congealed mass with no hope of ever taking it apart, but they still managed to extract some and the 3D scan is likely still archived for future tech that may be able to save more of it in better quality.

The the quality is really poor, but it's still amazing to get anything from film this far gone.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10157179960928047

[Socko]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

The the quality is really poor, but it's still amazing to get anything from film this far gone.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10157179960928047

If that was the status of the negatives of Event Horizon, even that would have made for a nice bonus feature. I think those really turned into soup

[RevolverOcelScott]

My drive-in theater sells trailer reels. I feel like it'd be cool to own, but would just sit on a shelf waiting to get stanky.

[Eidolon]

Originally Posted by starmike

Many years ago, a friend of mine gave me this 35mm trailer of The Day the Earth Stood Still. It had this awful vinegar smell. It was so bad that when I first took it home it permeated the whole house. I had to put it in a container to keep the thing from smelling.

Here it is years later and I'm cleaning the house of things that I no longer want. The trailer was one of them. I opened it up for the first time and the film was so bad that it was literally crumbling, like leaves when you walk under them. You couldn't unravel the film from the spool, it was sticking to itself. I have other film stored that's still in pristine shape, but this was in bad shape when I got it, and this is the result.

Next time you hear about film restoration, I don't think there's anything anyone could have done for this. It was a gonner when I got it.

How likely is this type of thing to happen?
I have a 35mm trailer reel for one of the X-Men films, which is obviously from a much later point in time. I'd expect that film manufacturing then would be a lot better.
But I'm also looking to get some 8mm/Super8 film in time, which would be a lot older. 60's-80's mainly.

[HillSprinter]

One of my prized possessions is a 35mm trailer of Kubrick’s Eye Wide Shut. Hopefully it hasn’t disintegrated.

[orangerunner]

I think most 35mm trailers made after about 1982-ish started using LPP film stock which was more resistant to degrading and color shifting.

The previous Kodak stock would would often lose the cyan and become very pinkish looking. They were also much more likely to have vinegar syndrome.

[Geode]

Originally Posted by orangerunner

I think most 35mm trailers made after about 1982-ish started using LPP film stock which was more resistant to degrading and color shifting.

The previous Kodak stock would would often lose the cyan and become very pinkish looking. They were also much more likely to have vinegar syndrome.

LPP emulsions were more resistant to color fading, with cyan holding up better, but if printed on an acetate base still subject to vinegar syndrome. I know that in later years of 35mm distribution to theaters, from the late 90s on, prints using an Estar (mylar) base that does not break down were used.

[CompleteCount]

Originally Posted by Eidolon

How likely is this type of thing to happen?

But I'm also looking to get some 8mm/Super8 film in time, which would be a lot older. 60's-80's mainly.

There're not all doomed to die so easily. I have things like Come Play With Me and Plan 9 From Outer Space on these formats, and they're still in mint condition.

p9.jpg

[matianusol]

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[matianusol]

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[matianusol]

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[avexhype]

Why choose 35mm? 35mm in its own reference, offers triple viewing. When shooting trailers and such, its optional to choose video depth, also range in recording. Thanks all!

[meremortal]

They ideally need proper climate controlled storage. It's pretty amazing how companies can scan negatives and old prints that look pristine now from decades old archives.

[CompleteCount]

Originally Posted by meremortal

They ideally need proper climate controlled storage.

Some independent, low-budget filmmakers of old used to stick their negatives in the fridge when it came to storing them. A pity that Peter Jackson just left the materials for his early films in a box under his bed.