MoMA | Tag: film preservation

Posts tagged ‘film preservation’

April 16, 2015 | Film

Hamilton MacFadden, Who?

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

The discovery of new artists and the rediscovery of established ones are key components of curatorial work. An exhilarating part of curatorial work is the ability to be something of a cultural archeologist and bring to the fore an artist whose work has been consigned to the past due to changing critical taste, shifts in technology, and the demands of motion picture economics. As a longtime Fox Films contract director, Hamilton MacFadden (American, 1901–1977) is indeed worthy of thoughtful rediscovery.

December 2, 2014 | Film

An Interview with Art Wehrhahn, MoMA Film Vault Manager

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

Art Wehrhahn at work in The Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center in Hamlin, PA. Photo: Mary Keene

Those of you who follow my blog posts know I generally write about issues relating to the MoMA film collection. When my colleague and dear friend Art Wehrhahn announced his retirement this summer, it seemed fitting to devote a blog post to an interview with Art that examines an extraordinary career spanning more than four decades.

May 16, 2013 | Film

FIAF Congress 2013: A Visit to Barcelona’s Filmoteca de Cataluyna

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

Filmoteca de Catalunya in Barcelona

Chief film curator Rajendra Roy and I attended the 69th congress of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), in Barcelona, Spain, April 21–27. Each year the member and associate film archives convene in a city where the annual congress is hosted by a local FIAF institution

December 20, 2012 | Behind the Scenes, Film

The Provenance of the Montgomery Clift Film Collection at MoMA

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

Montgomery Clift film cans. Photo by Art Wehrhahn, Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center manager

Montgomery Clift collection film cans. Photo by Art Wehrhahn, Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center manager

The provenance of a work of art is an important part of the acquisition process. What is a provenance? By definition, the noun provenance—with respect to art and archeological specimens—is a place or source of origin.

May 18, 2012 | Behind the Scenes, Film

Casablanca: A Case Study in the Best Surviving Original Film Material

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

Poster for Casablanca. 1943. USA. Directed by Michael Curtiz

There is no more beloved American film than Casablanca (1943). In 1989 Casablanca was selected for inclusion on the National Film Registry, a designation reserved for films considered to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

May 5, 2011 | Film

007 at MoMA

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

Film canisters holding 35mm print of Dr. No

James Bond took up residence at MoMA 25 years ago this June. You might have thought a posh London apartment or a secluded villa on the Caribbean island of Mustique might better suit the suave international man of intrigue, but in fact Bond—well, the 35mm films at least—resides in Hamlin, Pennsylvania, zip code 18427.

March 16, 2011 | Conservation, Film

Film Preservation in the Digital Age

Posted by Arthur Wehrhahn, Manager, Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center

With Turner Classic Movies (TCM) celebrating MoMA’s film-preservation work with a special 24-hour festival (all day today!) featuring 14 preserved films, I thought it made good sense to write about our efforts to preserve films, the background and importance of film preservation, and about the Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center, where this valuable works take place and where the Museum stores all of its films in climate-controlled conditions to prevent any further deterioration.

March 15, 2011 | Conservation, Film

Turner Classic Movies Presents 24 Hours of Films Preserved by MoMA

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

On Wednesday, March 16, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will celebrate the film preservation work of The Museum of Modern Art with 24-hour program of 14 films drawn from MoMA’s collection. Chief curator of film Rajendra Roy and I flew to Los Angeles in late February to tape cohosting spots with the well-known TCM host Robert Osborne. We were eager to be a part of TCM’s ongoing commitment to spotlighting efforts to protect the world’s cinema heritage. And we also got to sit in the red leather chairs during the interview with Mr. Osborne!

October 28, 2010 | Conservation, Film

Rescuing Mangue-Bangue

Posted by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film

Mangue-Bangue director Neville D’Ameida photographed during a comic moment, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2008

I take my work as a curator very seriously. I consider myself fortunate to put into practice on a daily basis the knowledge I gained as an undergraduate and graduate film and art history student. But honestly, we’re not saving lives here at MoMA or finding the means for alternate energy sources that will sustain our planet for millennia. My mother is proud of my professional achievements too, but she’ll never have the chance to say to her friends “my daughter, the Nobel Prize winner.” Even so, the work of a film curator is significant, enduring, and critical to the history of cinema.

October 14, 2010 | Film

Out of the Vaults and onto the Screen

Posted by Katie Trainor, Film Collections Manager

The Story of Temple Drake. 1933. USA. Directed by Stephen Roberts

To Save and Project</a>, MoMA’s international film preservation program, is celebrating its eighth year with glorious masterworks and rediscoveries of world cinema. My involvement with To Save and Project began two years ago, when I began working at the Museum. I was hired as the Film Collections Manager and given my background in preservation and exhibition of archival film, I was honored when my colleagues Anne Morra and Josh Siegel asked me to join them on this exciting project.

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