Moving image review (1988]-)

Northeast Historic Fil m MOVING IMAGE REVIEW Dedicated to the Preservation of Northern New England Motion Picture i u ?n ?n e r Executive Director's Report p.2 Why not Project Fragile Film? p.2 by Pamela VC'mlle, Smithsonian Institution. Human Studies Film Archives TV Film Preservation Project Boosted hy Major Contributions p. 3 Grants in Action Manic Arts (.ommission Maine Library (Commission Meet the NHF Board of Directors p.4 The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum p.5 Unii/Hc Exploration Film at Bou-doin Calendar of Events p.6 New England Ice Industry Films p.8 P._ M Moving Image Review is a semiannual publication of Northeast Historic Film, Blue Hill Falls, Maine 04615. David S. Weiss, executive director, Karan Sheldon, editor. Northeast Historic Film and the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film of New York are cooperating on a project to reconstruct the English intertitles from Henry King's silent feature, The Seventh Day, a romantic comedy filmed on the Maine coast in 1921. Soon, audiences will be able to enjoy the film with new intertitles, and an original score assembled by the Bagaduce Music Lending Library. The film, which is preserved at the Museum of Modern Art, contains Czech intertitles. This is because in the 1920s The Seventh Day was distributed in eastern Europe where American film, particularly comedy, was very popular. The only copy to survive that era was a print found at the Czech Film Archives. With partial funding from the Maine Arts Commission, a translation was undertaken and English speakers will no longer be faced with "Jak krasna lod!" Scholars agree that The Seventh Day is not well known and suffers when compared with the film which made Henry King's reputation , Tol'able David. However, the two films share some significant qualities, particularly a love for the American landscape. The Seventh Day was shot on the central Maine coast in the fishing village of New Harbor. Beautiful scenes of sailing schooners, a 190 ft. steam yacht, the town and its surroundings are the perfect setting for a romantic comedy. The story is about a yachting party of city people who, in their encounters with a small Maine town, discover innocence and godliness. When the New York Times reviewed The Seventh Day in 1922, its overt moralizing was severely criticized. Today, however, audiences are captivated by a certain charm, as NHF's July 1987 screening in Bristol, Maine, proved. Shown without music or English intertitles, The Seventh Day entranced its audience with spectacular scenery and frivolous flappers. However enthusiastic this audience may have been, NHF was certain that with English intertitles and musical accompaniment future screenings would be even more pleasurable. To date no one has been able to locate a 1920s score or cue sheets. (See Further Reading, page 7.) The lack of original music proved an irresistible opportunity for a new score. This past winter Tony Downer and photo: Museum of Modem Art I film Stt/h Archive Mary Cheyney Gould of the Bagaduce Music Lending Library, Blue Hill, Maine, searched die library's collection of period parlor music, silent film themes and Maine-composed popular songs for music to enhance the film's mood and action. The result is an evocative early 1920s experience. With readable titles and a wellcrafted accompaniment, the film is certain to take its place as a Maine classic. The Seventh Day will be available on 16mm and 35mm film at silent speed under the auspices of Northeast Historic Film and the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film . Contact either organization for information. The first public exhibition will be August 18 and 19, 7:30 p.m., at the Midcoast Arts & Media Center, Main Street, Waldoboro, Maine. To reserve tickets, please call 207 832-6373. • Page I