Lost film and lost music...Toronto's sucky Halloween
This morning on the subway, I started into reading the Frank Thompson book "Lost Films" which discusses the plots of many films, considered lost from the early days of Cinema. This was a purchase from years ago, but I only re-found it this morning.
It was kind of within the last while talking with old FESTIVAL alumni about the good old days and the disappointing barrage of films that played in Toronto on Halloween. There was no more "Friday the 13th in 3-D" programmed by head festival guru Tim Smy, or even myself and the CONFLICT ARCHIVES with a rickety, bargain basement screening of Orson Wells Occult horror"Necromancy", complete with planted female in the audience screming "I can't handle this! It's too scary!"
As I snoop in the CONFLICT ARCHIVE vaults and re-examine some of the films we showed over the time we spent with FESTIVAL, I realize there is even more film that still hasn't seen the light of day and would be considered "lost". Or perhaps, I should use the term "neglected".
It's funny how with the throng of re-releases in both CD and DVD that we "assume" everything is at our disposal when it comes to entertainment. Perhaps if you are upgrading your copy of James Cameron's Titanic from VHS to DVD that may hold true, but for me it still doesn't hold true. Sadly, the thing is... there are so many titles that I have that I'm always frightened that it will deteriorate into nothing. Does anyone want to see "Rice Girl" or "Yao of the Jungle"? I do!
On another note. During August for one of our VIDEOCLIPE of the week links I featured the incredible Moroccan James Brown, named "Vigon" and his Scopitone.
NPR indie reporter Jennifer Sharpe has done an excellent audio story on the SCOPITONE machine, the overtly large 60's video jukebox from France. I almost bought a Scopitone machine earlier this year and tried to convince Mihai to go on a road trip to Utah. Damn him for not believing in the Scopitone dream!
Here's the link for the NPR story...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5630027
It's funny how my co-workers here actually have favorite Scopitones! Try to picture armchair jocks discussing the Argos and NCAA basketball playoffs and yammering on about Scopitones TOO!
It was kind of within the last while talking with old FESTIVAL alumni about the good old days and the disappointing barrage of films that played in Toronto on Halloween. There was no more "Friday the 13th in 3-D" programmed by head festival guru Tim Smy, or even myself and the CONFLICT ARCHIVES with a rickety, bargain basement screening of Orson Wells Occult horror"Necromancy", complete with planted female in the audience screming "I can't handle this! It's too scary!"
As I snoop in the CONFLICT ARCHIVE vaults and re-examine some of the films we showed over the time we spent with FESTIVAL, I realize there is even more film that still hasn't seen the light of day and would be considered "lost". Or perhaps, I should use the term "neglected".
It's funny how with the throng of re-releases in both CD and DVD that we "assume" everything is at our disposal when it comes to entertainment. Perhaps if you are upgrading your copy of James Cameron's Titanic from VHS to DVD that may hold true, but for me it still doesn't hold true. Sadly, the thing is... there are so many titles that I have that I'm always frightened that it will deteriorate into nothing. Does anyone want to see "Rice Girl" or "Yao of the Jungle"? I do!
On another note. During August for one of our VIDEOCLIPE of the week links I featured the incredible Moroccan James Brown, named "Vigon" and his Scopitone.
NPR indie reporter Jennifer Sharpe has done an excellent audio story on the SCOPITONE machine, the overtly large 60's video jukebox from France. I almost bought a Scopitone machine earlier this year and tried to convince Mihai to go on a road trip to Utah. Damn him for not believing in the Scopitone dream!
Here's the link for the NPR story...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5630027
It's funny how my co-workers here actually have favorite Scopitones! Try to picture armchair jocks discussing the Argos and NCAA basketball playoffs and yammering on about Scopitones TOO!
posted by Dion Conflict's Personal (for now) Blog at 1:39 PM
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