BACKGROUND INFO:
I am not a 'film enthusiast' and my past working life has revolved around electronics (many fields including communications, industrial and audio) and "The Arts", more specifically, creative arts such as handcrafted fine china, ceramics and landscape artworks.
An associate has asked me to help find new owners for HIS large collection of photographic and film items ... this is yet another one of those items. I am frequently asked "THE QUESTION"
So how many films do you have, Russ?
My response is ... boxes and boxes of them, perhaps 350+ films are now left for me to look through ... plus a few projectors
Another question I am often asked "Can I come and have a browse through the films?" Sorry, but the answer has to be a flat NO!
ALL film stock is safely away in my storage units, nice n cool and out of harms way, each day (or so) I will retrieve a few films, take a look (and smell!) at each film ... absolutely NO ONE can just casually "browse" the collection. My associate wouldn't like that and neither do I.
There is a lot of detail on this page plus even more HERE ... I strongly suggest anyone who is interested in this film to read everything carefully, including looking at the link. To not do so is at your own peril!
Vinegar Syndrome "smell test" ☑= Negative
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Blackhawk Films (USA)
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925)
5x 400 Feet light Grey unbranded reels
5x individual 400' Black unbranded hinged cases, clear (empty) front.
Leader film is fitted to reels 1,2,3 & 5 but NOT reel 4 (no idea why)
NO film clips fitted to any of the reels
Black & White
Silent (On-screen text in)
This is the original silent film release (print of course) of this very well known horror - love story set around the Paris Opera House and the "ghost" who resides there.
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED
CLEAN
The five unbranded, hinged Black/Clear library cases are all in great shape. The same cannot be said for the labelling! What a pain these were ... Reel 1 case has the film title and RL1, the remaining 4 Reels just have RL2, RL3, RL4, & RL5 marked on the case using Red dynatape. None of the reels have any other identification at all.
These were in a box with a number of other similar films, all marked the same e.g RL2, RL3, RL4 and some with a couple of RL5 & RL6! To work out which reel went with which film I was forced to play every single reel. I can reassure the new owner that the five reels I am providing relate are all The Phantom Of The Opera.
NO reels are cracked or damaged and the majority of reels are full except the last reel which seems to have only around 300 feet loaded (estimated)
NO personal writing on any of the film reels or the library cases
TESTING:
Test machine: ELMO 1200ST
The projector film path has been completely cleaned prior to running this film through the machine. I now have a "running sheet", my maintenance schedule if you like - I record when each maintenance is performed because I am running a lot of films through the machine.
Film stock on the reels, including the sprocket holes, appears to be physically undamaged - I have played each of the first four reels for just the first five to ten minutes of each reel with the exception of reel 5 which I played to the end because I wanted to make sure this reel was truly the end of the film and I wanted to see how it all ended.
I can tell you (in my judgment) this last reel is where all the action is! Drowning by water, being roasted by fire, Phantom has secret trap doors everywhere and culminating in a "stage coach" chase! Sad ending for the Phantom, those locals really didn't like him!
The contrast in the picture is good, in fact it is quite good but I do notice some light Yellowish caste over the screen on a couple of reels, but this is truly not an issue. I didn't notice lines running down the screen or the "snow effect" that I observed in parts with "Hunchback Of Notre Dame".
A lot of information (from Blackhawk I guess) about the history behind this motion picture, Lon Chaney and his other well known movie, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. All reels begin on screen with the reel number (except reel 4 which has no leader, perhaps the beginning of the film also was chopped off?) but even with the reel number, no film title is mentioned - not so useful to me!
NOTE: I don't know what has happened to Reel 4 but this is the one with no leader film fitted AND the film continues VERY quickly at the beginning of the reel - I can see just 3~4cm of Black film and then the frames. It may be a good idea to fit another leader to this reel.
Another "strange thing" I noticed, especially on the last reel where there are a lot of scenes of people running around (chasing The Phantom) ... they are moving "fast and jerky", I think my projector is running at 24fps, perhaps it should have been 18fps - I didn't actually try this.
Of course being silent there is no music, no dialogue, no sound effects. You will see frequent text boxes come up on the screen, in English,
These five reels, in their cases, are now stored in a cool, low humidity environment while this interesting film awaits a new owner to consider bringing to their home ...
