Going Stag: Piecing together a pornographic film

Stag films at their most innocent

“Adult movies are often treated like a dirty little secret. But what took place in that crowded room late on a Saturday afternoon at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel was an open dialogue about the promise and the peril of dealing with such material. The room was charged with a sense of both relief and excitement: relief that, finally, some of the dirty little secrets about moving image archives were coming out of cold storage; excitement about the scholarly and philosophical questions that surround these materials being voiced.” -Eric Schaefer “Dirty Little Secrets”

Working with a collection that hardly ever sees the light of day can be more than just fascinating some times; it can be down right enthralling. Sometime ago I stumbled upon a film as I was cleaning in the stacks. I have to admit the title caught me off guard; “Old Porn” said the label as I mentally tried to push my prudishness to the back of my mind. For the life of me I could not figure out what an old porn flick could be doing at my place of employment. Sure we had films on venereal diseases and drug addiction, but porn somehow didn’t seem to fit. A search on our database provided this description:

“Loosely following the theme of auditioning for a stage production, includes dancing, the “casting couch,” and sex in different positions and locations. An anthology of porn from the ’30’s and ’40’s”

I inquired a little further asking those I could surmise had seen it what it contained. The answer was it was tame, nothing compared to what’s out now. It was sometime after this that I forgot about it a put the idea of watching it to the back of my mind.

Thoughts have this strange way of creeping back into your brain and so it was with “Old Porn”. Just a few days ago my mind wandered back to it curious as to what the celluloid could possibly contain, I made a mental note to watch it come Monday…

I gingerly threaded the film through our ancient moviola hoping it wasn’t too damaged to be seen. Since I had been discussing the film with another student I invited her as well thinking nothing of what we were about to pay witness to. I’m not sure who began the myth that everything was far more innocent in the past, after all where did we all learn our bad habits?

Tame would have been the best word to describe the first five minutes of the film, which featured women dancing and posing naked. And then suddenly the films tone changed and we found ourselves looking at something far more “risqué” than either of us had anticipated. Clip after clip showed varied sexual acts both heterosexual and homosexual in nature sparing none of the detail allowing the viewer to see anything an everything.

The prude in me immediately arrived on the scene, as I covered my eyes in disgust. Who could possibly think this was art? Better yet who could actually sit and enjoy this? I had to calm down and collect my thought, try to open my brain back up to the idea that this was film, no matter what the content.

A few hours later I sat thinking about what I’d seen. Sure it was not well shot, these directors were no John Ford or Griffith. The people in the films moved awkwardly as if they weren’t exactly comfortable with what they were doing. However, this aside there were some fascinating things about this film, things I couldn’t discredit. For example the film was not one continuous narrative. Rather the reel was composed of bits and pieces of different stag films, each spliced together. It appeared to me to be the handiwork of the original owner, someone with various bits of film he or she wished to make into one reel. How our outfit got a hold of it I will never know, there are hardly any records of acquisitions that I have come across in my two years of employment. Each piece bore a different edge code with many dating back to the 1930s. Above all of this I realized that these films were not made as pieces of art, rather they were made for consumption and entertainment at a time when film was still relatively new. Some of the fragments bore title cards which tells me that perhaps many of these early stags were shot as silent films rather than sound ones.

“Old Porn” stands as a piece of history, one that many people have tried to forget. Like anything visual this film records snippets of times and places that may no longer exist. Much like the quote above describes, these types of films are something that many archives or repositories have in common. They often receive the smallest amount of attention because of their content and may be the first to get junked. However, I think it is the nature of these films that should be championed.  They are offbeat and irregular, a glimpse into a world most people know little about; a document of history and of our truely carnal nature.

Some belated thoughts on Home Movie Day 2009…

I have been meaning to post this for some time now, but as always time escapes me…

Home Movie Day 2008

This year’s Home Movie Day was of particular interest to me, and as you read on below you will see why. There was plenty of running around, decaying films and wonderful gems to be found in our little room in the library…

I arrived at the prescribed location at least a half an hour early with my friend in toe. Clutched protectively in my hands was a plastic box containing several super 8 films, all which showed signs of mold. They were my friends grandpa’s and had been stashed in a closet somewhere in his house for the past few years. As we walked through the door I was immediately ambushed by my boss and the events coordinator who both had ideas as to my roles for the afternoon. One insisted that I run the projectors while the other thought I should be checking people’s items in. Seeing as we were short on personnel I agreed to do both. An old lady sat perched on a chair close by and the program coordinator glided over to her making sure she had everything she needed, including a front row seat for the festivities. My friend and I relegated ourselves to a back table where between checking in films we worked cleaning mold off film. We were forced to use rubbing alcohol instead of film cleaner do to the noxious vapors the latter gives off.

We were an hour or so into our event when an older gentleman and his wife approached me with their films. The man insisted that what he had in is igloo cooler was nitrate film. I held my breath for a moment. If this was the real McCoy I wouldn’t know what to do. All I had ever touched was acetate film.  The man opened the cooler and revealed several old cans of 16mm, which were most defiantly not nitrate. The tops of the cans didn’t need to be pried off for me to tell that we were most likely dealing with heavy decay. The films smelled like the feet of a basketball player after five hours of practice and I choked a little as I pried the cans apart. Two of the three were decayed beyond projection but the third appeared to be playable. I asked the man if he knew what was on the film. His Uncle, he explained, had been a silent film actor. This according to him was one of the films he had starred in. I prayed that nothing would go wrong as I threaded the film through the EIKI. From the glimpses I caught the film was an amateur work but none-the-less impressive. I longed to copy it for further study, unfortunately that was out of the question.

For the rest of the day I had a brief chance to marvel at others joy, as they watched themselves, or loved ones up on the screen. For my friend it was the joy of seeing her mom in a hometown parade. For another woman it was seeing the film of her childhood growing up in El Salvador (her parents were missionaries). For the old woman sitting in the corner it was seeing herself young again embracing her husband and children, watching them grow.

Home Movie Day allows us to be for a brief time the star of the show. For a few hours once a year we’re are feted like celebrities within the confines of the venue. Our personal histories unravel for everyone to enjoy and we realize the importance of remembering these events and people for future generations   to enjoy.

For more information on Home Movie day please visit their website: www.homemovieday.com

New to DVD

A few months ago I posted a piece asking you my loyal readers to vote for a film called The Patsy starring Marion Davies. Well folks, it may have been your feverish voting or just a choice by Warners but it made it on DVD! Yes this comic jem starring the much underrated Ms. Davies has made its way to the public along with many other long forgotten masterpieces of the silent era. I urge you to check out tcm.com (they have the best prices) and treat yourself to a little movie shopping spree!

 

Marion as Patricia Harrington

 

 

Mary Pickford and Robert Israel at the La Paloma

Mary, Mary quite contrary

As the legend goes, a little more than 80 years ago, on a somewhat rainy evening a young-looking woman rode her bike to the opening of a local theatre. For this then small town this was a big event, s

omething that likely most people at least made an appearance at. When the woman arrived the town

In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mary Pickford’s (birth name Gladys Smith) screen debut the La Paloma will be screening several of her films in a three day festival. As a fan of silent film let me say this is a rare event in North County. The cost per night, per person is $10. Let me stress however that you are certainly getting your moneys worth. Each night will feature musical accompaniment by none other than Robert Israel the acclaimed silent pianist and film historian. Festival passes can also be purchased for $30 which gets you into all three nights of films. For more information and to purchase your tickets please visit etcinfo.net.

So if you’re a silent film fan or just a fan of film in general, come out and support the La Paloma and watch some highly entertaining galloping tin types from the silent eras premier actress, Ms. Mary Pickford.

Robert Israel

Just Call October Film Month at UCSD…

This month is particularly abundant with film events at the University of California–San Diego. Whether you looking for an event involving your own personal history or one that delves into the early years of film we have it here.

For the silent film fan/enthusiast or the novice wanting to learn more there is month long film series entitled Silents on Sunday. Every Sunday features a different line-up of film from a different year during the 1920s. Last week we featured two slapstick shorts by a couple of the masters of silent comedy, Keaton and LLoyd. Our feature was one of John Barrymore’s most celebrated silent film portrayals, Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The following is a list of the other three Sunday’s lines ups. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for something free to do on a Sunday Night or looking to take your date to something different, we’ve got some fascinating films yet to be shown. The following list is of the remaining  nights and their films.

October 11th 2009/ Films from the year 1923

Rythmus 23 (Hans Richter)

Why Worry? (Harold Lloyd)

October 18th 2009/ Films from the year 1926

Anemic Cinema

Sparrows (Mary Pickford)

October 25th 2009/ Films from the year 1928

You’re Darn Tootin’ (Laurel and Hardy)

Two Tars (Laurel and Hardy)

The Crowd (King Vidor)

Be sure to join us for the last night as we will be featuring live musical accompaniment from the renowned Teeny Tiny Pit Orchestra for Silent Film, lead by the Arts library’s very own Scott Paulson. The event is hosted by the Arts Library and curated by yours truly so don’t miss it!

-Note: Each night’s films begin at 7pm in the Geisel Library Seuss Room

The Arts Library is also hosting the annual worldwide event called Home Movie Day. This event allows the community to bring their super 8 and 8mm films to the campus, have them inspected or thrown up on the screen. For many it is the first time they have seen their home movies in years and it is fascinating to hear them tell the history behind the images. So if you have home movies that are collecting dust or you simply want to come watch people connect with their past this event is for you. It will be held from around 1-3:30 in the Geisel Library Seuss Room, so come on down!

So there you are some fabulous free events for the month of October. Please come down and enjoy, and who knows you might learn something new!

New Look for the Blog

I really want to make this blog count, which is often easier said than done…which is why I’ve taken the first step and changed the theme. I’m hoping this will both inspire and remind me to post more often! Stay tuned for more….

There’s a fungus among us…or film mold

This film met an unfortunate end...RIP

I realize I have a very unique job. Heck its not everyday that someone from my generation see’s a reel of motion picture film. Which is what brings me to my current topic: film mold. Yes film does mold and the consequences can often be disastrous. Luckily my brushes with this sporific fungus have been few and far between, but its never pleasant to open a can of film and find mold. So what causes mold on film? How can it be treated? The best way for me to answer these questions is to quote my friends at the National Film and Sound Archive in Australia. According to them mold propagates in wet, dark environments. In other words say you are storing a film in a vault. If the vault has a high humidity, say 60% and a temp of say 70% your going to have mold. By lowering, and in effect balancing these two conditions the risk of this type of biological damage is greatly reduced. The mold in these wet conditions feast on the gelatin in the film eating away eventually at the binder that holds the film together causing it to become limp and fragile. The people of the NFSA say there are two types of mold known to effect film in particular: Aspergillius and Pencillium.

So how is mold treated. What I can say from experience is this: if your mold is mild it can usually be spot treated with film cleaner. I’ve personally never used film cleaner (my boss insists he doesn’t want me breathing in the fumes) . Think of it as a type of topical ointment. Like you would use alcohol to clean a wound…you would use film cleaner to kill the bacteria on the film. You can also adjust your storage conditions, lowering the temp and the humidity when possible. However the best strategy is keeping a diligent eye out. If you think it’s mold it probably is. It’s far better to catch it early and save the film than wait until its too late…

Some Thoughts on a Self-Made Film Education

A Day in the Life...

This may seem obvious to those out there who have been studying film for a considerable amount of time. I haven’t spent the majority of my life (like may historians, critics and enthusiasts) basking in the warm glow of the projector. I believe I’m going on five years now of intense study and every day I’m attempting to make up for lost time…

Anyhow, I have come to a conclusion after much deliberation. What many of us learn about film, its history its theories..so on and so forth is self taught. I have been perpetually frustrated by film classes that never seem to live up to their descriptions. Granted I also do not attend a school where film is a primary educational focus. So for some time I have been stewing and grumbling because of the lack of classes that teach anything I’m actually interested in. Don’t get me wrong its important to expand your horizons, but how in the world are people supposed to become aficionados of a particular portion of cinema if there are no classes. And then it dawned on me…

For the past five years I have been surrounding myself with anything and everything film history and preservation related. Sure the world would be a wonderful place if it met our expectations all the time, but then where would all the fun be. I have been self educating myself, learning from books and films practically everything I know about the silent era and or preservation. This is something that I should embrace and be proud of…to have the initiative, the passion to teach myself and be able to confidently talk to others and share my knowledge. And so now I am content, knowing that I have learned for some of the best in the business who have cared to share there knowledge with me through the written word. Perhaps one day when I am a professor at some university I will covey what I have learned to my students. Who knows maybe I will even foster and work to create the classes I always wished I had in school, anything is possible…

*Note*: I aplogize for not posting!. I hadn’t realized how many hits I was getting, from now on I hope to be more frequent with my submissions! Sorry!

The not so Discrete Charm of Errol Flynn…

The Baron in Raphel Sabatini's Captain Blood

“ I allow myself to be understood as a colorful fragment in a drab world.”

Many things can be said about Errol Flynn by those who are not familiar with him or his work. Many have to do with his sexual prowess and others deal with the films he was best known for such as The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood. I can think I can safely say that almost everyone who has seen Flynn (or Fleen as his first wife Lili Damita called him) as Robin Hood loves him. However, while he enjoyed making films such as the swashbucklers he was know for, he enjoyed the paycheck more. As Errol progressed through his film career he discovered that what he wanted more than anything in his life was to be respected as a serious actor. His ten plus years as a sex symbol/virile male susperstar had proved to him nothing, save the fact that he was a good athlete and studio jackpot.

Few people know that Flynn was an accomplished sailor, a passion that had begun for him during his late teens and early twenties while spending time in New Guinea. He owned three boats in his short life, two which were called Sirocco and the famous Zacca, which served a distinguished tour during WWII. Errol was also an author. He penned two novels (Beams End and Showdown) as well as writing his autobiography entitled My Wicked Wicked Ways. In addition he authored several articles which discussed his acting career as well as other topics such as the war in Spain.

While Errol is know best for his swashbucklers and westerns he had a somewhat varied career portraying other characters. In Objective Burma he plays a general of an American troop stranded in the Burmese jungle. This was one of his personal favorites because he worked with friend and director Raoul Walsh. Walsh allowed Errol more creative freedom which the actor thoroughly enjoyed. He was far more used to being told what to do by directors (such as the tempestuous Michael Curtiz). Other films which signaled a departure from his regular sword wielding roles were That Forsythe Woman and Gentleman Jim. That Forsythe Woman featured a more mature Flynn who played a cold, ineffectual husband during the Victorian era. Gentleman Jim (which came several years before the pervious film) exercised a portion of Errol that hadn’t been worked in over ten years. In this picture he plays Jim Corbett one of the first major prize fighters of the 20^th century. Jim Corbett is credited with introducing footwork into boxing something that is displayed quiet aptly by Errol in the film. Flynn had spent several months in his late teens boxing and used the experiences he had in the ring for the film.

So why, you might ask, am I waxing poetic about Errol Flynn? For me Flynn symbolizes a life lived to the fullest. He carried with him in his fifty short years, an exuberance and a zest for life that few of us ever have the privilege to experience. On screen he sparkled with an effervescence that few have exhibited since. His ability to act realistically not only set him apart from the rest but was unique for its time. Set up against other greats of the time he often steals the show, not necessarily because he is “Errol Flynn” but because he possesses certain magnetism, one we can’t take are eyes away from. So the next time your surfing channels looking for a good movie to watch and you come across an Errol Flynn picture I implore you to watch it. I promise you will not be disappointed.

P.S: This year marks what would have been Errol Flynns 100th Birthday. He is being honored in various ways. One notible celebration has taken part in Hobart, Australia where he is being honored with a perminate statue. Happy Birthday Baron Flynn!

Day in the Life: That’s Gooey-ducks to you!

Film Preservation takes a certain amount of personal investment. I personally cannot imagine a moving image archivist who hates movies. Which is why there are certain part of my job that are emotionally harder than others.

Take for example something I did today. Typically I spend my Fridays copying over some sort of film in our collection to DVD. Typically these are home movies that we house in our collection. In the past I’ve been in charge of copying my own home movies as well as ones donated by other employees. We also hold several collections created by amateur filmmakers. Unfortunately, due to inadequate past storage several of these film have begun to decay. The best we are able to do at our facility is clean, repack and add a sieve. We also keep the films in a controlled environment. However, when the damage is done. it’s done and there is no reversing it. The best we can do is add a molecular sieve to try and slow the decay. Only a few of the films in our modest collection have decayed beyond the point of saving. If we were say an archive we might be able to re-plastitcize the film allowing it to regain some of its original shape. This makes it easier to copy. However, we are not an archive and sadly we lack the funds to send these films to a lab for processing. The filmmakers were generous enough to donate these films cart blanch in hopes that at least they would be stored in a better environment. They never gave specific instructions, they were simply glad, in their old age that someone was interested in the work of their youth.

Which brings me to the particular film in question. It is called Geo-ducks, and of the four films I converted to DVD today it was the most decayed. Most film usually lies flat and straight, with a bot of a curl to to how its wound. This film had begun to curl at the sides, had begun to buckle and smelled like a weeks worth of ripe male gym clothes. Needless to say the technicians that were working with me didn’t think we would be able to get it through the projector. The experienced technician, Jim stood vigilantly at the projector to ensure the film made it through the gate. Luckily we were able to get the entire film. It was clear how crucial making an archival DVD of the film was. This way we still had a record of this man’s work.

The author of this film was T.H. Sarchin. Of the group of amateur work we harbor his is the most artful in nature. This film in particular was about creatures of the sea. It featured crabs, sea slugs and the enormous Geo-duck mussel. Sarchin chose to not just capture the creatures but construct a narrative as well. After the archival copy was stuck we were forced to junk the 16mm original. It’s hard to explain just what it feels like to depose of someones original work. I always feel like I’m losing someone important. I continuously have to remind myself what we are capable of, what we lack to save the original. At the end of the day however I still feel like I’ve done someone wrong. Is it me, the film or both?

This ones for you T.H. Sarchin. RIP