Periscope Film LLC

01/15/2025

Periscope Film has always been based in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the movie business, and one of the greatest cities on Earth. This past week has been full of terrible developments, and great tragedy. In addition to the loss of human life and property, we've heard of multiple archives that were destroyed. Fortunately, none of our staff were affected by the fires, and our archive remains out of danger. We're grateful to everyone who checked in with us this week, and to a bunch of you who supported our fundraiser for fire victims on YouTube (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_53sZJ6rLw) We're raised over $3700 and hope to do much more, as the need is so great.

12/14/2024

This year we scanned and published over 700 vintage films on . Many of them are rare. Some of them completely unique and in danger of being lost forever. Our paid supporters made an enormous difference in 2024. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm

11/22/2024

Thanksgiving came a week early for us! Yesterday our channel passed 750k subscribers and 260 million views, something we could *never* have imagined or dreamed about. (When we uploaded our first historic film over 10 years ago, we had zero expectations, and just hoped for a few likes!) Today we give thanks to everyone who has supported our ongoing efforts ... preserving history one film at a time! Want to do even more? Become a channel member or -- take a deep dive on our submarine of filmic preservation at Patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm

11/18/2024

The Christmas season is almost here, and with it the disappointment of receiving another bland necktie. Avoid the winter blues by asking Santa for the new book "The Music for Victory at Sea" by our friend George J. Ferencz. This is an absolutely stunning, deep dive into this beloved TV series which, when it premiered in 1952, transfixed the American public. With its poetic scripts by Walter Karig, eloquent narration by Leonard Graves, and timeless score by Richard Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett, "Victory at Sea" is a classic. George's incredibly well researched tome isn't just about that magical soundtrack. It presents the story behind the show, the people who created it, and the impact that it had when it premiered. (November of '52 incidentally saw four episodes air: "The Pacific Boils Over", "Sealing the Breach", "Midway is East" and "Mediterranean Mosaic".) Pro tip for maximum enjoyment: put your RCA "extended play" vinyl record of the score on the turntable while you read.

This long-awaited study explores the creation of NBC-TV's landmark 1952-53 WWII documentary series, with particular attention to its evocative Rodgers-Bennet...

09/07/2024

We recently posted about a 16mm home movie we received from Joel, a fan who lives in Australia (thanks again!). The film was in somewhat rough shape due to being exposed to high heat, but Esteban was able to make a solid scan by using our "warp gate" and running the ScanStation at very slow speed. It's not a perfect result, but the content of the film is wonderful and 100% worth the extra effort. Based on the opening shot -- a Lockheed Constellation marked "Ross Smith" in Qantas livery -- the start of the film at least dates to 1960. A later portion showing a BOAC flying boat may be from later. We'd love your input on the contents! You can see it at: https://youtu.be/RalW1Ey7OT8

09/06/2024

We're lucky to count ourselves as friends of historian, filmmaker and author Ingo Bauernfeind. An expert on all things Pearl Harbor, he's one of the go-to people for the National Park Service and has worked on projects for both the USS Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri museum ship. Ingo's long-anticipated book "U.S. Battleships 1939-45" just arrived in our mailbox and is now being fought over by our staff. Seriously though, this is one beautifully researched and well-illustrated volume. It tells the story of the U.S. Navy's battleships and battlecruisers by class, including a look at the development of this mighty weapon of war and its role in WWII. The book includes a guided tour through the "Mighty Mo". Check it out at: https://amzn.to/3Z876Yk

09/02/2024

We have a number of wonderful industrial films made by a filmmaker named Richard Lyford in our collections. Recently, a previously unseen horror short "The Scalpel" — made by Lyford when he was just 19 — was discovered, and now it's being released in festivals around the USA. Join us at the famed Chinese Theater complex in Hollywood this Friday, September 6th at 2 p.m. for a special screening with composer Ed Hartmann. Tickets via https://www.siliconbeachfilmfestival.com/ Additional screening times, dates and locations at: https://edhartmanmusic.com/the-scalpel-1936-silent-film

08/31/2024

Just published the fifth in our series of five videos profiling interesting films in our collections. In this episode, we take a look at a mysterious 16mm print related to the Kennedy assassination! See it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx0xOgFDXFg

08/04/2024

Check out the wonderful documentary about the man behind the Bolex 16mm camera — directed by our friend Alyssa Bolsey.

And the reach of “Beyond the Bolex” continues to grow! The full 90 minute version of "Beyond the Bolex" is now streamable in the US and Canada on the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel!

Amazon
https://tinyurl.com/BeyondtheBolexAmazon

It can also be downloaded in the US and Canada on Amazon and Apple TV!

https://tinyurl.com/BeyondtheBolexAppleTV
https://tinyurl.com/BeyondtheBolexAmazon
Comcast Xfinity

We are celebrating this exciting moment with a 25% off sale on Blu-rays and DVDs for the month of August. To grab your DVD or Blu-ray, head over to our website
www.beyondthebolex.com

Use coupon code "btbcelebration"

08/03/2024

Just published another “Reel Discoveries” video — highlighting an incredible WWII film we recently discovered in a G.I. footlocker!

In this episode of "Reel Discovery", join the Periscope Film team as they explore the fascinating story behind a "lost" reel of WWII German footage.This shor...

07/28/2024

Traveling in Mexico City, Periscope Film’s Nick Spark took advantage of an invitation to visit the Cineteca Nacional, one of two major film archives in Mexico. Unfortunately in the 1980s, there was a major electrical / nitrate film fire that destroyed much of Mexico’s film heritage. The recovery process has been decades in the making and there are still a lot of films considered lost! If you’ve ever tried to watch Mexican films from the “classic” era on TV you may have been struck by their terrible visual quality. Despite having been shot on 35mm, with master prints and negs lost, the public really cannot see what many of these films really looked like. It’s a shame — and an old story similar to the ones we talk about with vault fires in the USA — because an entire generation has been deprived of seeing Mexico’s cinematic heritage.

Anyway, today the archive hosts 35mm and 16mm safety film, all stored in temperature controlled vaults. What nitrate there is, is off site. Due to the shifting of formats, they also have DVDs, videotapes, and even DCPs on the shelves … This is a government facility like the Library of Congress, and every film made in Mexico is obligated to send them a playable version, so there is new content arriving all the time.

When my family arrived at the Cineteca we were greeted by staff member Claudia Sofia Arevalo Gallardo, who showed us the entire facility — which includes 10 movie theaters that are more or less in constant use, a library, display area for physical items such as costumes, and paper / print restoration facility. (There is a cafe there which Wyatt discovered makes excellent chocolate filled churros!)

Like many arts institutions, funding is short at the Cineteca. In recent years the staff has been cut back, and they are struggling to obtain the funds to repair their Arri scanner so that they can continue scanning some of the most endangered Mexican films. (Incidentally, these include some nitrate films received post-fire, which unfortunately are apparently not well stored due to lack of funding and bureaucratic indifference. Will they never learn?!) The archive side of the organization also lacks resources — despite the fact that the Cineteca is an extremely popular place, and while they are even opening a satellite branch in another part of the city to service the demand, the archive isn’t benefitting from that. Shortsighted if you ask me!!

Anyway, we had a nice visit and saw the Mexican equivalent of an Oscar, and took a look at some of the rarer holdings including the glamorous Dolores Del Rio’s costumes and publicity materials.

So film friends — if any of you in your wanderings come across any Mexican 16mm features, make sure to research preservation status and keep this organization in mind if you discover you have a rarity!

07/05/2024

Coming up tomorrow, the premiere of the third in our series of five short "Reel Discovery" videos, showcasing particularly interesting films found in our vaults. This one finds Nick & Doug examining a dusty box of 16mm "gun camera" films. These show air-to-ground missions performed by P-47 Thunderbolt pilots in the skies of Occupied France after D-Day. One of the films, and the heroic pilot who shot it, is at the heart of this story. Enjoy!

In this episode of "Reel Discovery", join the Periscope Film team as they explore the fascinating story behind a "lost" reel of WWII gun camera footage.This ...

06/01/2024

Today -- in celebration of Marilyn Monroe's 98th birthday — something truly special that you'll want to share with friends.

BTW, this video is the second in our series of five "Reel Discovery" shorts about who we are, and what we do at Periscope Film.

Special thanks again to our USC film school buddy Greg Tillman, who directed these shorts, cinematographer Rogelio Abraldes, and editor John Squire for all the time and effort. We hope you enjoy these and if so — who knows? — maybe we'll make more!

In this episode of "Reel Discovery", join the Periscope Film team as they take a look at a home movie that might (or might not!) contain footage of Marilyn M...

05/05/2024

Just published the first in a series of short "Reel Discovery" videos showing behind-the-scenes at Periscope Film. Check it out at:

In this episode of "Reel Discovery", join the Periscope Film team as they explore the story behind a mysterious reel of film marked "hands off!"This short wa...