Out of the Past

[nightdog_barks]

I know at least a couple of you guys will be interested in this ...

Here's a short article (I wish it was longer) from The New Republic about a cache of silent films (dating from the 1910s to the '20s), discovered buried under a hockey rink (!) in Dawson City, Yukon Territory (!!!), Canada. A documentary has been made about the discovery and the films, and the trailer for that movie is included in the article (it looks terrific).

Link to the article and trailer

Comments

[silverjackal]

This is an incredible find, and the story of how the films came to be cached there is equally remarkable. I actually knew that the Yukon was a hub for early film/photography because I have seen exhibits before, but more discoveries (before they inevitably decay and are lost forever) are invaluable.

[nightdog_barks]

I liked how the article basically said that since Dawson City was the terminus of the film-showing line, nobody even bothered to send them back. :D

I'll have to look around for the documentary, because it sounds fascinating.

[taiga13]

How extraordinary! "Many early glass-plate negatives were discovered inside the walls of a local cabin"!

[nightdog_barks]

YES! What the heck were they doing there? They can't have been for insulation ...

[silverjackal]

Actually it might have been a stab at insulating, or at least blocking the wind with something solid that had gaps opposing those of the planking. Insulation was an unknown concept in older housing in these parts of the world. People used all sorts of ineffective things -- usually newspaper or straw. Often if they were poorer there was nothing. Free glass plates? I can see where someone seized on those to use.