Preserving America's Film Heritage

From uncertain beginnings in the 1890s, the art of filmmaking enters its second century as a source of enjoyment, education, and shared experience for millions of Americans. We take as our central principle the notion that film, once preserved, must not be forever locked away in a remote vault or made available only on videotape or television screens. There is a cinema experience, and it requires the same level of technical expertise as other live arts such as opera, theater, and music. Films are preserved so that they can be made available for all time to the public.

• More than 80% of American films made during the first 25 years if cinema (ca. 1895-1920) are probably forever lost.

• For the first 55 years of American cinema (1895-1950), 50% of films are missing and presumed lost.

• Many films produced after 1950 have deteriorated into pale and lifeless imitations of the originals due to the ravages of color-fading, vinegar syndrome and a growing litany of other alarming ailments.

A great portion of the loss can be explained by understanding that motion pictures were once produced as ephemeral commercial products with, at best, a useful life of several months. From the beginning, film contained the seeds of its own destruction. Motion picture processes are not permanent, and film stocks possess qualities that insure eventual deterioration. Nitrate-based cellulose film stock, generally used before 1950, is given to chemical degradation and is highly flammable if not stored properly. Given the popular demand for current films and the hazards of storing nitrate stock, many films were melted down for their silver content as soon as their distribution runs ended.

Acetate, or "safety" film, is the stock on which most motion pictures have been produced since 1950. Once thought immune from decomposition, acetate film is susceptible to vinegar syndrome, a process of decay which owes its name to the strongly acidic small affected films give off and which can, if not stopped in time, can render the film material unwatchable.

"The moving image is not so much the art form as the language of the twentieth century. Future generations will wonder why so little of such a marvelously accessible and appealing record was ever preserved or seriously studied."

James H. Billington, The Librarian of Congress

Recognizing the educational and cultural value of American film and the critical need to save this legacy, Congress passed the National Film Preservation Act of 1992. This landmark legislation directs the Librarian of Congress, in consultation with his advisory group the National Film Preservation Board, to produce a comprehensive plan to effectively preserve the entire American film heritage. In 1994, Redefining Film Preservation was published, signaling a new era of cooperation among the industry, archives and educational community. The 1996 reauthorization of Act created the National Film Preservation Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to save orphan films, those works with no owners able to pay for their preservation.

"Preservation is often thought of as a process whereby great moments of lost footage are cannily reinserted just where the director wanted them. Preservation is far more complex: it requires great research and planning to locate and acquire film materials; inspect and analyze their condition; catalog historical and condition data; assemble materials for copying or restoration in labs and supervise the various stages of work; provide proper storage, handling and access; and make prints for public viewing. That is what preservation is all about."

Mary Lea Bandy, Chief Curator, Department of Film and Video, Museum of Modern Art

The Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress provides public access to the most comprehensive collection of American and foreign-produced film and television in the world. The Library has a congressional mandate to preserve the cultural record of American film and broadcast history, as well as lead the development of the country's moving image preservation policies. In addition to the Motion Picture Conservation Center, the Library also supports the Audio Visual Preservation Laboratory here in Washington. Since 1970 these facilities have preserved over 15,000 feature films, television programs and short subjects, making the Library the largest publicly funded motion picture preservation organization in the United States.

For a nation accustomed to overcoming far more daunting challenges, preserving American cinema should be an attainable goal. Far too many films have already been lost, and yet so very much of inestimable value remains and can still be saved. As the motion picture begins its second century, we hope you will join us in serving as custodians of our film heritage and complete the job of preserving American films and making them available to future generations.