100 Years of Universal - Restoring the Classics

Universal Pictures commemorates its centennial in 2012 with the full restoration and Blu-ray release of select films including "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Jaws," "Dracula," "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein," "The Birds" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." In this video, film preservationists and technicians discuss the painstaking process of restoring these popular films using sophisticated digital technology.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Universal Pictures
• Universal Studios
• Frankenstein
• Jaws
• Dracula
• Pillow Talk
• The Sting
• The Birds
• Out of Africa
• film restoration

[vnisanianisback]

How was Universal able to restore so many classics, even after the 2008 vault fire?

[disneytim]

@vnisanianisback The prints destroyed in 2008 were high-quality copies, not original masters. Universal stores its masters in a vault in Philadelphia. For many of the films destroyed, other prints already existed.

[vnisanianisback]

@disneytim What about TV show episodes though? What was the fate of them? All I know is that they lost the masters to "Don Adam's Screen Test".

[FNGLHR]

@Larce89 I imagine it is. You're repairing great works of art, keeping them from deteorating, preserving them for future generations to enjoy. It's an admirable goal.

[BlueNeon81]

Movies from 1930's looks pretty dirty after restoration.

[Larce89]

If I could have any job, I think it would be film restoration. Looks difficult, but very satisfying.

[STANLEYCOURT]

Wow! Tremendous! What a tool! What power! Let's keep it on the level.