Thu May 26, 2016
Presidio Dialogues - Behind the Door: Restoring a Lost Treasure
SEE EVENT DETAILS
at Arguello
(see times)
Irvin Willat's infamous 1919 film Behind the Door is relatively unknown to even the most devoted movie fans. Reviewers at the time of its release described it in terms typically reserved today for Quentin Tarantino: "a tremendous drama powerful in its perfection and production quality," "exceptional in every detail" but also "an opus in brutality" and "an intermezzo of gory revenge." A century later, the few that have seen the current incarnation of the film are no less enthusiastic. Historian Kevin Brownlow calls the film "the most outspoken of all the [WWI] vengeance films," while the Cinefest catalog describes it as having "one of the most beautiful and eerie photoplays."
Unfortunately, Behind the Door has been notoriously difficult to see, and impossible to see it its complete form. Only two copies of the film are known to exist: an incomplete copy held in the vaults of the Library of Congress, and a previously inaccessible Russian-language version held by Gosfilmofond, the Russian national film archive.
Finally, last year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival came to agreement with Library of Congress and Gosfilmofond to work together to combine both film sources into a definitive reconstruction and restoration of the film.
In their generously illustrated presentation, film restorer Robert Byrne and restoration team members Seth Mitter and Anne Smatla will share the story of the film’s production, its release, reception, and history, etc.
Robert Byrne specializes in the restoration of early and silent era motion pictures, and also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Films restored by him include: The Spanish Dancer (1923), Shoes (1916), The Half-Breed (1916), The Good Bad Man (1916), and recently Sherlock Holmes (1916), The Birth of a Nation (1915), and When the Earth Trembled (1913), Robert has also published articles in The Moving Image, FIAF Journal of Film Preservation, and festival catalogs including: Le Gironate del Cinema Muto, Toute la Mémoire du monde, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
Presented with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
show less
Unfortunately, Behind the Door has been notoriously difficult to see, and impossible to see it its complete form. Only two copies of the film are known to exist: an incomplete copy held in the vaults of the Library of Congress, and a previously inaccessible Russian-language version held by Gosfilmofond, the Russian national film archive.
Finally, last year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival came to agreement with Library of Congress and Gosfilmofond to work together to combine both film sources into a definitive reconstruction and restoration of the film.
In their generously illustrated presentation, film restorer Robert Byrne and restoration team members Seth Mitter and Anne Smatla will share the story of the film’s production, its release, reception, and history, etc.
Robert Byrne specializes in the restoration of early and silent era motion pictures, and also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Films restored by him include: The Spanish Dancer (1923), Shoes (1916), The Half-Breed (1916), The Good Bad Man (1916), and recently Sherlock Holmes (1916), The Birth of a Nation (1915), and When the Earth Trembled (1913), Robert has also published articles in The Moving Image, FIAF Journal of Film Preservation, and festival catalogs including: Le Gironate del Cinema Muto, Toute la Mémoire du monde, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
Presented with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
Irvin Willat's infamous 1919 film Behind the Door is relatively unknown to even the most devoted movie fans. Reviewers at the time of its release described it in terms typically reserved today for Quentin Tarantino: "a tremendous drama powerful in its perfection and production quality," "exceptional in every detail" but also "an opus in brutality" and "an intermezzo of gory revenge." A century later, the few that have seen the current incarnation of the film are no less enthusiastic. Historian Kevin Brownlow calls the film "the most outspoken of all the [WWI] vengeance films," while the Cinefest catalog describes it as having "one of the most beautiful and eerie photoplays."
Unfortunately, Behind the Door has been notoriously difficult to see, and impossible to see it its complete form. Only two copies of the film are known to exist: an incomplete copy held in the vaults of the Library of Congress, and a previously inaccessible Russian-language version held by Gosfilmofond, the Russian national film archive.
Finally, last year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival came to agreement with Library of Congress and Gosfilmofond to work together to combine both film sources into a definitive reconstruction and restoration of the film.
In their generously illustrated presentation, film restorer Robert Byrne and restoration team members Seth Mitter and Anne Smatla will share the story of the film’s production, its release, reception, and history, etc.
Robert Byrne specializes in the restoration of early and silent era motion pictures, and also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Films restored by him include: The Spanish Dancer (1923), Shoes (1916), The Half-Breed (1916), The Good Bad Man (1916), and recently Sherlock Holmes (1916), The Birth of a Nation (1915), and When the Earth Trembled (1913), Robert has also published articles in The Moving Image, FIAF Journal of Film Preservation, and festival catalogs including: Le Gironate del Cinema Muto, Toute la Mémoire du monde, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
Presented with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
read more
Unfortunately, Behind the Door has been notoriously difficult to see, and impossible to see it its complete form. Only two copies of the film are known to exist: an incomplete copy held in the vaults of the Library of Congress, and a previously inaccessible Russian-language version held by Gosfilmofond, the Russian national film archive.
Finally, last year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival came to agreement with Library of Congress and Gosfilmofond to work together to combine both film sources into a definitive reconstruction and restoration of the film.
In their generously illustrated presentation, film restorer Robert Byrne and restoration team members Seth Mitter and Anne Smatla will share the story of the film’s production, its release, reception, and history, etc.
Robert Byrne specializes in the restoration of early and silent era motion pictures, and also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Films restored by him include: The Spanish Dancer (1923), Shoes (1916), The Half-Breed (1916), The Good Bad Man (1916), and recently Sherlock Holmes (1916), The Birth of a Nation (1915), and When the Earth Trembled (1913), Robert has also published articles in The Moving Image, FIAF Journal of Film Preservation, and festival catalogs including: Le Gironate del Cinema Muto, Toute la Mémoire du monde, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
Presented with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
show less
Date/Times:
Arguello
50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94129
The Best Events
Every Week in Your Inbox
From Our Sponsors
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great suggestion! We'll be in touch.
Event reviewed successfully.