Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 The orphan film movement, like preservation consciousness generally, has derived energy from public debates about copyright in the twenty-first century. However, concerns about the complexities and expansiveness of copyright are hardly new. Media archaeologist Rick Prelinger keenly pointed us to this pioneering but farsighted essay that, sixty years ago, connected IP and PD issues to life throughout the Milky Way. — Walter Forsberg “The Shape of Copyright to Come,” Donald F. Reines, 1952. in Library of Congress Information Bulletin
Men in Orbit (1979)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 Men in Orbit (John Lurie, 1979) Super 8, 42 min., color, sound Source: NYU Fales Library & Special Collections The film is Streaming on Ubu. Eric Mitchell and Lurie play the astronauts. Camerawork by James Nares. In 1988, Lurie introduced his 1979 film on VH-1’s New Visions. Notes by J. Hoberman; interview with John Lurie by Andrea Callard John Lurie’s Men in Orbit is one of a number of short feature-length Super-8 sound films produced mainly in Lower Manhattan during the late ’70s, often
Teenage Cosmonauts (1979)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 Teenage Cosmonauts (Igor Rodachenko, USSR, 1979) 10 of 17 min. Source: NYU Tamiment Library Produced by the Ukrainian Newsreel Documentary Film Institute, this classic Soviet propaganda film was distributed (with English narration) by the Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (Russian acronym VOKS). With its celebration of the space program and educational system, Teenage Cosmonauts was part of a larger effort to reconstruct Communism in the 1960s and 70s around the “new Soviet man.” The young cosmonauts represent the
Beyond the Moon (ca. 1961)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 Beyond the Moon (R. E. Barnes, ca. 1961) 11 min., color, silent Narration by Megan Prelinger Soundtrack by Agatha Kasprzyk and Rafaël Leloup (2011) Source: Prelinger Archives After a stint in the U.S. Navy, Robert Earl Barnes (1931-2009) spent most of his career at television station WKEF in Dayton, Ohio, where he was a satellite coordinator. He was also a prolific amateur filmmaker, often working in science fiction and horror genres. For Beyond the Moon Barnes filmed miniatures, model kits, and tabletop sets, enacting the launch
A Trip to the Planets (192?)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 A Trip to the Planets (192?) 17 min., b&w/color, tinted, silent Narration by Megan Prelinger, 2012 Soundtrack by Agatha Kasprzyk and Rafaël Leloup, 2012 Source: Prelinger Archives, Library of Congress As cultural historian and archivist Megan Prelinger notes in her voice-over commentary, A Trip to the Planets is “a true orphan.” Production credits are absent from the 16mm print, perhaps deleted by a producer-distributor of second-hand goods to cover its tracks. Even this title was created after the fact, as we find no record of
Project Apollo (1968)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 Project Apollo (Ed Emshwiller, USIA, 1968) 30 min., color, sound. Sources: Museum of Modern Art and Anthology Film Archives Filmmaker Ed Emshwiller (1925-1990) was an accomplished visual artist, working in media ranging from abstract painting to 3-D computer animation. In the 1950s, “Emsh” first became known for his pulp-realist and fantastical cover art for science fiction magazines and novels. By the mid-1960s, he had made his mark in avant-garde film and video. However, his American followers were unable (with rare exceptions) to see his masterful
Meteorites (USSR, 1947)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 To our knowledge this is the web debut of this remarkable little film. — DS Notes by Sergei Kapterev Meteorites (Meteority / Метеориты) (Pavel Klushantsev, USSR, 1947) Leningrad Studio of Popular Science Films 10 min., b&w, sound English subtitles by Maria Vinogradova (2011) Source: Gosfilmofond of Russia The transition from World War II to the confrontation between two former allies, the USA and the USSR, generated intense interest in long-distance rocket development and, as a consequence, growing fascination with space travel. The secrecy-obsessed Soviet Union
Zenith Star: Experiments in Space (1987)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 Zenith Star: Experiments in Space (Martin Marietta, 1987) 8 min., color, sound, video. Source: U.S. Department of Defense In January 1987, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Strategic Defense Initiative Organization launched a classified research program code-named Zenith Star. Its never-realized mission was to develop an unmanned, space-based laser system capable of destroying in-flight ballistic missiles. One of many SDI projects, Zenith Star best represented the futuristic, if not science fictional, concept that both proponents and critics characterized as President Reagan’s “Star Wars” weaponry: lasers in
Astrovac (ca. 1970)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 Astrovac: Zero Gravity Personal Body Wash Unit (ca. 1970) Produced by Fairchild-Republic 5 min., color, silent; Source: A/V Geeks added soundtrack by Andrew Insignares & Christopher Insignares (2012) Little is known about this silent demonstration film, save from what can be surmised from the images. The opening title card “Company Confidential” presumably refers to the film’s producer. Screen credits identify Republic Aviation, a division of Fairchild Hiller Corporation, as developer of the Astrovac device. (Fairchild acquired Republic in 1965. Both were major aircraft and aerospace
The Big Bounce (1960)
Orphans in Space: Forgotten Films from the Final Frontier special edition for Roger That! 2021 The Big Bounce (Jerry Fairbanks, 1960) 15 min., color, sound. Source: Prelinger Archives In addition to its time-capsulation of telecommunications in the early space age, The Big Bounce represents two important forces in postwar sponsored films: the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and Jerry Fairbanks Productions. AT&T and its Bell System subsidiaries regularly commissioned films to shape the corporation’s relationship to consumers. Many aimed at manners, such as Party Lines (1947, etiquette for sharing telephone lines), Adventure in Telezonia (1949, directory assistance), The Nation at
Ed Feil’s passing
Word from Ken Feil today that his father, the great filmmaker Ed Feil, has passed away, age 96. Such a life and career! Much more can be written about Feil’s scores of films. But for today, we can recommend you watch the exceptional educational melodrama The Inner World of Aphasia (1968). Shot, edited, and directed by Ed, with Naomi Feil playing the lead part. The Feil family honored us with their presence at a special screening in November 2016. Here are photos from that memorable evening at the Museum of Modern Art, made possible by Katie Trainor and Josh Siegel as
Merci, Henri. Gracias, Ambulante. Thanks, orphanistas.
As Twenty Twenty draws to a close, it’s a good time to express gratitude to those who helped make good things happen amid anxious times. First, thanks to all of who share their work — archiving, preservation, writing, research, publication, scanning, media production, programming, curating — in ways that allow us to collectively save, study, and screen orphan films. The eclectic body of previously neglected moving images and sounds continues to intrigue and inspire us. Although we of course missed gathering in person for the NYU Orphan Film Symposium at Eye in Amsterdam, the online edition of Orphans 2020: Water,
[Read on. . . . ] Merci, Henri. Gracias, Ambulante. Thanks, orphanistas.
All Vows revisited again
Kol Nidre (nidrei, nidrey, or כל נדרי) is an Aramaic phrase translated as “all vows.” The words are heard and chanted in synagogues on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism. This year “Kol Nidre night” falls on September 27, 5781 (a number that looks better than the annus horribilis 2020). Music associated with the text has been around a thousand years. Recordings of pieces entitled Kol Nidre began well over a century ago. Musical settings for the traditional chant have taken many forms over centuries. Some twenty-first century artistic uses of the tradition have crossed
Haverstraw Restored
A third post about the wonderful little big-format film of 1897 called The Haverstraw Tunnel, presented below in a restored form, online for the first time. We must thank the British Film Institute and BFI National Archive for the work (thanks, Bryony Dixon) and the access (thanks, Espen Bale). To appreciate the historical significance of The Haverstraw Tunnel, see the February 29, 2020 post “68mm 8k Phantoms” (how the film caused a sensation in 1897 and generated a name for a genre, the phantom ride — but was not on the web or DVD) and the March 5 post for
Rewatching Orphans Online 2020
The 12th Orphan Film Symposium Water, Climate, & Migration May 26-29, 2020 Tuesday, May 26: WATER The Silent World https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/16/session1/ https://vimeo.com/429504288 Environmental Impact https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/17/impact/ https://vimeo.com/429875386 Water Tuesday screenings https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/17/watch3/ https://vimeo.com/429498250 Wednesday, May 27: CLIMATE Early German Images of the Anthropocene https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/18/german/ https://vimeo.com/430242631 Darkening Days https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/19/darkening/ https://vimeo.com/430561049 The Helen Hill Awards https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/20/helen/ https://vimeo.com/430926503 Super Super 8s: Films by Tatjana Ivančić https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/20/super8/ https://vimeo.com/431032937 Climate Wednesday screenings https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/21/climatewed/ https://vimeo.com/431071315 Thursday, May 28: MIGRATION Great Migrations https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/21/greatmigrations/ https://vimeo.com/431088477 Euro Migrations https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/22/euro/ https://vimeo.com/431339417 Migration Thursday screenings https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/23/migrations/ https://vimeo.com/431690134 A Clockface Orange performs Deliquescence https://wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2020/06/24/clockface/ https://vimeo.com/432042400 Friday, May 29: Never Lost But Found in the Ocean:
Postscript to An Atlantic Voyage as Bon Voyage
A postscript to the post about Anke Mebold’s screening of An Atlantic Voyage, the multicolored, silent-era compilation of travelogues from the early twentieth century, produced by ?? in the year ??. The Orphans Online program listing calls this stand-alone segment Envoi & Bon Voyage! An excited sentiment that required the rare exclamation point. In addition to including a film literally about a ship carrying travelers on a touristic voyage, the session was a cheerful, celebratory ending to the four days of screenings and talks that characterize all the Orphan Film Symposiums heretofore. The term envoi is a rare one in English prose.
[Read on. . . . ] Postscript to An Atlantic Voyage as Bon Voyage
Watch: Bon Voyage, AN ATLANTIC VOYAGE (Orphans Online 10b of 10)
Streaming now: an HD recording of the final part of the final session of Orphans Online, May 29, 2020. Anke Mebold (DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum) introduces the puzzle/compilation film of uncertain date and origins. Original music composed and performed by Stephen Horne. 24 minutes. Click to enlarge, or watch at vimeo.com/432997996. The Mebold metadata on the DFF film: An Atlantic Voyage: Von Hamburg zu den Niagarafällen mit dem Schnelldampfer Kaiser Wilhelm II [From Hamburg to the Niagara Falls with the Express Steamer Kaiser Wilhelm II] (DE[?] 19?? / GB 1903[?] / FR 1906[?]); with footage from [?] Charles Urban
[Read on. . . . ] Watch: Bon Voyage, AN ATLANTIC VOYAGE (Orphans Online 10b of 10)
Postscript to Sunken Films and Lusitania
Here’s the full US NARA reel (4:26) excerpted in Bill Morrison’s Sunken Films, debuted at the 2020 Orphan Film Symposium. The NARA YouTube channel published this in 2015, with the assigned title S.S. Lusitania Leaves New York City on Last Voyage. No head title is on the film itself. The archival record does not identify the original source of the footage. NARA catalogs it as Historical Film, No. 1221. Who shot it? The paper work from the deposit of elements in 1936 is scanned into the catalog record. The War Department memoranda and Signal Corps Photo Lab records contain internal
Watch: Never Lost But Found in the Ocean (Orphans Online 10a of 10)
Now streaming in HD, this roundtable of artist, archivist, and scholars, with extensive audience discussion. 99 minutes. “Never Lost But Found in the Ocean: On Biographies of Film Copies.” Film historian Maria Vinogradova (NYU Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia) conceived of the topic in collaboration with Bill Morrison, whose newest work is inspired by an unlikely recovery of celluloid from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Joining them are Peter Bagrov, curator at the George Eastman Museum; Joan Neuberger, Eisenstein scholar and professor of history, University of Texas at Austin; and moderator Marina Hassapopoulou from NYU Cinema Studies faculty. Click to enlarge or
[Read on. . . . ] Watch: Never Lost But Found in the Ocean (Orphans Online 10a of 10)
Watch: Thursday finale, A Clockface Orange (Orphans Online 9b of 10)
Now streaming, this HD recording of Deliquescence, a live multimedia performance by the artist known as A Clockface Orange (Genevieve HK & Rachael Guma, liquid-light projection) with Lea Bertucci (sound) and Bradley Eros (light). Their multilayered triptych also incorporate footage found in Prelinger Archives. The 14-minute piece is followed by discussion with the artists. Click to enlarge or watch at vimeo.com/432042400. A Clockface Orange:presents live liquid-light performances to accompany musicians, artists, and recordings of all genres. Its work showcases an appreciation for ephemeral, experiential art inspired partly by Fluxus and 1960s experimental culture, incorporating the use of liquids on glass to
[Read on. . . . ] Watch: Thursday finale, A Clockface Orange (Orphans Online 9b of 10)