At this year's TCM Classic Film Festival, which was held last week in L.A., the importance of rescuing films that are at risk of deteriorating was front and center.
Held at the Chinese Theater discussions centered around the efforts required to rescue decades-old films.
Steven Spielberg noted that Martin Scorsese had initiated The Film Foundation in 1990 to preserve motion pictures history in collaboration with the major studios.
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| Spielberg with Angie Dickinson at Festival |
Spielberg stated, "We all joined Scorsese in going around to all the studios to get them to finance this rescue operation to save our cultural heritage. Since that time, over 990 films have been rescued. We try to find the films, not the films that are our favorites, but films that tell a very unique story of this country and the people of this country. We're also rescuing international films."
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| Several attending Festival glitterati |
The importance of this work goes beyond just preserving cinematic history but of preserving memories.
The week-long Festival spotlighted Warner Bros. films in honor of the studio's 100th anniversary.
