American Cinematheque is sponsoring the showing of two rare nitrate films at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, March 16 and March 18, 2018.
The featured films are:
- Carol Reed’s British drama THE FALLEN IDOL showing Friday, March 16 at 7:30 pm. This Oscar-nominated movie is an adaptation of a Graham Greene story about an upper-class boy’s idealization of his father’s butler.
- Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s BLACK NARCISSUS showing Sunday, March 18 at 7:30 pm. This Technicolor drama—considered one of the most visually stunning films ever made—stars Deborah Kerr in a story of spiritual devotion and earthly temptation set in the Himalayan mountains.
Nitrate was the first motion picture film substrate, creating sharp, luminous, high-contrast imagery. Yet because of its extreme flammability, nitrate film production ended in the 1950s, replaced by acetate or safety film. While many movies shot on nitrate film have not survived, some prints remain available through special nitrate preservation services, such as those provided by PRO-TEK.
Today, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian in Los Angeles is one of very few theaters certified to project nitrate movies.
Nitrate Nights is supported by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Turner Classic Movies and The Film Foundation in partnership with the American Cinematheque and the Academy Film Archive.
For more information on the event, click here.