We announce the restoration of NEWLY DISCOVERED film footage of Edna Purviance. The films show Edna Purviance's PRIVATE LIFE during her happy marriage with pilot Capt. Jack Squire. We see Edna nearly 20 years after her film career, living in South America!
See this link for MORE DETAILS about this exciting project.
Note: These films will only be on a future DVD.
5 comments:
Amazing stuff.
Amazing discovery! I can't wait to see these films, and the Sea Gulls book.
Yes, I have to agree with both of you. I still can't believe it. Never thought this would happen. Even the family is amazed,just really seeing them for the first time, and most not knowing what was on them.
We are now learning about the locations, etc. in the films. They cover the USA, but mostly South America. But Jack took some great location shots and aerial views from the cockpit over South America. It is fun tracking down the names and locations. It is like taking a time trip and seeing that era during Edna's and Jack's days.
I had an Edna fan from the UK asking about the conditions of the films. Most people would think (I did) that all movie film before 1950 was on nitrate base. Not true.
All of Jack's 16mm films are on acetate base (a plastic stock introduced in the 1920s). Called Safety Film, it became popular with the public. And Jack, loving to take pictures, snapped it up.
These films have been in safe storage for years, because they were thought to be nitrate base. But because they were on acetate, there was no 'falling apart' of the film. Except for scratches and dust (mainly from Jack showing reels to Edna and friends) all the films are in excellent shape, for their age. The colour is in very good shape, with the images of Edna looking like it was taken yesterday, except for dress and cars.
It is great to see Edna as herself, far from Hollywood... Can't wait to share with you and all of Edna's fans!
You characterize it as time-travel, which is so accurate. It also must be very poignant, to see high-quality, long-forgotten images of such vibrant people taken in a time so long ago, and in places so completely changed.
The early films that Jack took in Buenos Aires (before he met Edna) really shows a city that has changed nearly completely. I would love to go back and see 'Jack's Buenos Aires' because that city looks very interesting to visit.
But the scene of Edna's and Jack's home (especially the color outside scenes) look quite modern (to my eye). It's a very nice neighborhood of homes, all nicely landscaped, and except for the Squire's car and some of the clothes, it could have been taken yesterday. The neighborhood doesn't look dated and very well kept.
Would be very interesting to see that neighborhood today.
I do have Edna fans that visit from South America, so would be an interesting assignment for them to find that neighborhood and photograph what it looks like today. (I think I need to try to see if that can happen.)
I have to tell you, when I first saw the color footage of Edna outside her home, except for what I mentioned above, it was very modern looking, to me. The fact the color held up so good, really helped too. To me, Jack's footage of Edna from the early 1940s makes my family 8mm films look really old.
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