Archivists must choose heaven or hell for old films

For a movie negative, heaven may look like this

April 1, 1998
Web posted at: 2:20 p.m. EST (1920 GMT)

From Correspondent Dennis Michael

HOLLYWOOD (CNN) -- Many movies may be glamorous and have their own staying power in viewers' minds, but film reels are far from immortal. When a film's time passing through the bright light has ended, its makers face a theological choice: Should the reel go to movie heaven or movie hell?

For a movie negative, heaven might look like the interior of the multimillion-dollar Hollywood Vaults center, located on a quiet street in the movie capital. There, in Swiss-made storage vaults, Hollywood legends are laid to rest in peaceful slumber.

"The temperature and humidity are controlled at 45 degrees and 25 percent, which are the ideal conditions to keep the material from deteriorating, keep the color from fading, keep the base material from deteriorating and keep the film in good shape," said David Wexler, Hollywood Vaults president.

Producers and directors can visit the vaults at any time of day or night, seven days a week. But this Elysian Field of film is guarded with extra-tight security to prevent damage, theft or unauthorized duplication. And the most valuable reels are reserved in a special corner.

"If you have a film that is culturally significant, that you would like to have preserved for generations to come, we package it in special packaging, with molecular sieve desiccants inside the bags, and put it in the freezers. Come back in several generations and the film would still be in good shape," Wexler said.

Shredded films born again as plastic products

On the other hand, reels might pray for celluloid salvation at Transfilm, the place where tons of worn-out movie reels are sent to oblivion every week.

Tons of unwanted movie reels are shredded and recycled into other products

"There's a release every Friday of about 3,000 to 4,000 prints," said Transfilm's Larry Zide. "Multiply that by the number of studios there are, there's a tremendous amount of tonnage at the end of the month of film that they've got to do something with."

A lucky few are judged to be worth saving, sometimes for international box offices. But the rest, tons and tons, are taken to the shredder.

Chopped into chunks smaller than a guitar pick, the mutilated movies get one last order of "roll 'em" in a bath where the emulsion is rinsed off the polyester backing.

The emulsion is reused in ceramic processes, while the polyester backing is recycled into injection-molded products.

In mortal terms, that means the water bottle sitting on your desk might once have been part of "Waterworld" -- in a previous life.

Related story:

• Film restoration more than 'Rear Window'-dressing - December 11, 1997

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