l Which They Serve
‘WE WERE DRIVEN IN THIS RESTORATION PROJECT BY LEAN HIMSELF’
On the centenary of his birth, David Lean's first ten films can finally be seen as he intended thanks to a bunch of boffins in Berkhamsted, discovers Miles Fielder
be British Film Institute's re-release of the rarely seen and now beautifully restored David Lean film The Passionate Friends is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the celebration of the centenary of the great British filmmaker‘s birth. In addition to the rediscovery of Lean's superb l948
romantic drama — a kind of companion piece to Brief
Encounter — the BFI is re-issuing nine more titles which together constitute the master‘s first ten films. starting with the 1942 propaganda/state-of—the—nation drama In Which We Serve and ending with the l953 working class comedy Hohson 's Choice. Each one of them has been painstakingly restored to their original condition (or near-as-dammit) by the BFI National Archive at considerable expense (a cool £1 million) to the David Lean Foundation. and they arrive on tour in Scotland next month courtesy of the BFI and Glasgow-based classic films (re)distributor Park Circus.
It took the lab-coated boffins at the Archive. located in Berkhamsted just north of London. three years to restore the ten films. Andrea Kalas. the Senior Preservation Manager there says. ‘You start by
sourcing the best original material. but with Brief
Encounter for example there were no original negatives left. We looked everywhere. but they’re just gone. So what we had to work from was a what I call a vintage fine grade negative. which is a copy of the original that was made at the time the film was completed. However. it was really. really damaged. ‘So.’ Kalas continues, “with Brief Encounter we didn't have good enough quality original elements to
44 THE LIST 17-31 Jul 2008
do the standard photo—chemical restoration. which involves working directly from whatever negative you have. What we had to do was a full digital restoration. which means scanning into a computer the original elements. cleaning them up pixel by pixel. and then recording them back out to film. Then. in contrast to that hi-tech method. one of the team suggested cleaning up In Which We Serve with cotton buds. I thought. “That‘s going to be a lot of hard work“.‘
The results are glorious. (lone are the scratches and crackles. colour fading and contrast variations that marred the experience of watching these wonderful films. Now Guy (lreen's ()scar-winning chiaroscuro photography on (ireut l:'.\'pectutioiis can be fully appreciated in its unblemished glory. Now we can hear each delicately delivered line of dialogue (and every awkward pause) between (‘elia Johnson and Trevor Howard in Brieflz'ncounter. And now Scottish audiences in particular can enjoy Lean‘s meticulous recreation of Victorian (ilasgow for the period drama. Madeleine.
‘We were driven in this restoration project by Lean himself.~ says Kalas. ‘lIe was an amazing technician and very perfectionistic. He was absolutely determined to get the perfect contrast. the play between light and dark that‘s so remarkable in his films. and likewise. we were determined to overcome the huge challenges this project presented.‘
Talk about passionate encounters.
The Passionate Friends is at Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 21-Tue 24 Jul.
LIST >l<
THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
* The Dark Knight Unavailable for review at press time, Christopher Nolan's sequel to Batman Begins, featuring the late Heath Ledger as The Joker, is among the most eagerly anticipated blockbusters of the summer. See feature, page 24, and review next issue. General release from Fri 25 Jul.
* WALL-E Pixar has done it again. The pioneering CG animation studio’s ninth feature, a sci-fi rom-com about the last robot on Earth, is as great as anything they‘ve done yet. See review, page 45. General release from Fri 78 Jul.
* Baby Mama Saturday Night Live alumni, 30-Ft0ck star and ex-Mean Girl Tina Fey makes her film debut proper with the leading role in this winning baby-boomer comedy. See feature, page 16, and review, page 46. General release from Fri 25 Jul.
* The Passionate Friends David Lean's lost classic from 1949 kicks of a season (following in August). See preview, left. Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh from Mon 27 Jul.
* Standard Operating Procedure Legendary documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (Oscar winner for The Fog of War) gives us his most political work yet, a deeply disturbing investigation of the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Baghdad ‘s notorious Abu Ghraib prison. See review, page 48. General release from 78 Jul.
* Summer Hours French filmmaker Olivier Assays directs Juliette Binoche in a graceful family drama set in the countryside that also tackles the thorny issue of the impact of globalism on everyday lives. See interview, page 47, and review, page 46. GFT, Glasgow, from Fri 18 Jul.