One day in 1961 FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND # 12 appeared on the magazine rack of the drugstore in the small town I grew up in.
Wow!
The door was opened wide on the world of Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction.
It was next to impossible at that time to see the films I read about.
Today that has dramatically changed for the better.
We’re living in a golden age for motion picture preservation and restoration.
Back then I ordered 8mm cut down copies that offered only a few silent minutes however, boy, those were exciting minutes!
By the time I arrived in Toronto in the mid 1960s I had a small library of 8mm movies.
“Can we see them?” people asked.
“Don’t go there. He’s just a crazy kid showing 8mm movies,” many (most) in the established film community said.
I upgraded to 16mm.
Because I wanted to see these pictures at their best I kept looking for better copies of the films.
I worked with 16mm for decades.
I was not a fan of VHS.
The digital age killed the 16mm market.
The big problem was getting the projectors serviced.
The first DVD I bought was FRIDA (2002) with Selma Hayek.
At the same time I bought a DVD of THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK (1929) with Douglas Fairbanks.
The quality of the picture and sound sealed the deal.
16mm at its best was never this great. Physically it just could not be.
Best of all unlike 16mm these digital prints are legit.
Everything comes down to the equipment we use.
I use top of the line Digital Projectors. I bought speakers and a sub-woofer that delivers sound on all cylinders.
Why?
Because I personally want to experience these pictures at their best.
Given the choice of seeing THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) projected in 16mm or Blu-ray I’m going Blu-ray.
Not only is the picture better the sound is incredible.
–Reg Hartt
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