The
medium of film has allowed us to record the events of the past century with
a richness and clarity that was never before possible. But there's a catch —
this record, upon which we have become so reliant, fades into oblivion without
intense and vigilant care. In fact, fewer than 20% of feature films from the
20s, and 10% of films from the teens survive today.For films with major commercial appeal, the $50-75,000 price-tag of preservation is affordable, and major box office releases are getting the attention they deserve. But recently the film community has become concerned about "orphan" films, films that are culturally, but not commercially, significant. Newsreels, silent films, experimental works and documentaries are being left to decay because there is no profit motivation to preserve them.
"It's a frightening scenario actually," says Russ Suniewick, owner of Colorlab in Rockville, MD. "We've gotten ourselves into a situation where big money decides how the history of our culture will be written — what will be preserved and what will be left to rot."
Suniewick isn't the only one concerned with this problem. In 1996, the US Congress got involved by creating the National Film Preservation Foundation. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a supporter of the bill, stressed "the fragile nature of our film heritage [and its importance as] a record of our history, our mores, and our aspirations."
Congress wasn't about to do all the work, however. In creating the foundation they presented a challenge to the film community by stipulating that all start-up funds come from the private sector.
Many of the film world's most recognized faces like Martin Scorsese and Laurence Fishburne accepted this challenge, and vendors like Colorlab were right there with them making an important contribution on the non-Hollywood level.
"Congress has promised matching funds by fiscal year 2000," says Suniewick. "Until then it is up to those who really care about film and its history to make sure the foundation is strong."
Since Colorlab and other founding members began donating money and services to the foundation, it has grown considerably. Over the next 5 years, the foundation expects to collect on over $500,000 worth of pledge money and services. Suniewick is encouraged by these numbers. Colorlab's contribution is in the form of services for three university archives, helping them preserve priceless images of their past. He says the experience has been an extremely positive one and urges other local film labs to get in on the effort.
"It's a race against time," he says. "But for the first time, thanks to the efforts of the National Preservation Film Foundation, I feel like we're actually going forward."