September, 2008

Specialty DVD Supplier Flicker Alley Announces the Brand-New Restoration of Abel Gance’s J’Accuse

A new French-titled edition, painstakingly matched to the original 1919 release, makes its home video debut September 16th.

(Los Angeles, CA) Flicker Alley, LLC, a specialty supplier of fine silent films and classic cinema programming, in association with Lobster Films, Paris and Turner Entertainment Networks, today announced that the company will release J’Accuse by Abel Gance (Napoleon, La Roue) from a recent restoration completed by the Nederlands Filmmuseum and Lobster Films.

Gance’s extraordinary breakthrough work, J’Accuse is a World War I drama considered one of the most technically advanced films of the era and the first major pacifist film, referred to by Gance as, “A human cry against the bellicose din of armies.” This influential cinematic achievement stars Marise Dauvray as Edith, a young woman who is unhappily married an older man, François (Séverin-Mars), though she’s actually in love with a young poet, Jean Diaz (Romuald Joubé).

Both Jean and François end up on the front lines of World War I while Edith is captured by German forces and suffers atrocities at the hands of the soldiers. Gance weaves individual human suffering against the larger horrors of war, depicted with stark realism. For the famous “March of the Dead” sequence at film’s end, Gance used real soldiers home on leave, many of whom returned directly to the front.

J’Accuse introduced such technical advances as rapid-cut editing style and highly expressive camerawork and lighting. Gance, who had served briefly in the military, returned to active service in 1919 in order to film real battle scenes to include in the project.

The restoration of J’Accuse is a joint project of Lobster Film Studios, Paris and the Netherlands Filmmuseum with invaluable support from film historians Kevin Brown¬low, David Shepard and Lenny Borger. The restoration process began by gathering and analyzing all existing film elements in an effort to duplicate the original version as closely as possible. The Nederlands Filmmuseum holds an original tinted and toned nitrate copy in its collection, the only known surviving color version of the film. This print was the source for the color information seen in the present reconstruction. Whenever possible, nitrate prints were the source for digital scanning, allowing for pristine photographic quality.

This 2-DVD set (which has a suggested retail price of $39.95) features a new symphonic score compiled, arranged and conducted by Robert Israel. This French-titled edition contains many original art cards with optional English subtitles.

There are many extras prepared exclusively for this release; the included booklet contains an extensive essay by celebrated author, director and film historian Kevin Brownlow who draws from his research and face to face interviews with Gance. Paired with Brownlow’s essay is an additional work from historian Leslie Hawkins, analyzing the potential influence J’Accuse had on the works of Virginia Wolfe as well as its lasting impact on artists today. The Nederlands Filmmuseum provides details on the film’s restoration.

Two short films are also included, courtesy of the Blackhawk Films and Lobster Films collections. 1915’s “Paris Pendant La Guerre” (Paris During the War) takes a comical look at Parisian life during wartime and features a newly-recorded Fotoplayer score. “Fighting the War” (1916), features amazing frontline photography of French soldiers, shot during the battle of Verdun by adventurer Donald C. Thompson.

J’Accuse is the Flicker Alley’s tenth home video release in an ongoing series designed to preserve and showcase rare and exceptional films.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWK FILMS COLLECTION
Blackhawk Films was founded in 1927 as a producer of film advertising for merchants and as a distributor of regional newsreels. The company made its mark as a nontheatrical distributor with the advent of 16mm sound film in 1933, establishing several regional offices before WWII. In 1947, Blackhawk expanded into sales of used film and soon thereafter began distributing new 8mm and 16mm prints of Laurel & Hardy comedies from Hal Roach Studios as well as titles from such other suppliers such as Fox Movietone, Killiam Shows, and National Telefilm Associates. David Shepard joined Blackhawk as Vice President (1973-1976) and after founding Film Preservation Associates in 1986, acquired the Blackhawk Films library which now comprises some 5,000 titles.

ABOUT LOBSTER FILMS
Lobster Films Studios was founded in 1985 by friends Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange out of their passion for movies and moving images. The Lobster Films Collection has grown over the years to represent more than 20,000 films – over 1200 hours of moving images – including feature films, silent films, newsreels and documentaries, much of it from the first few decades of motion pictures. Lobster has a visionary preservation program, saving and preserving film from nitrate deterioration. In 2008, the company spearheaded the launch of the European Film Treasures on-line archive and recently (along with Film Preservation Associates) has partnered with Flicker Alley on several highly regarded home video and broadcast projects.

ABOUT FLICKER ALLEY
Flicker Alley, LLC was founded in 2002 by Jeff Masino. Each Flicker Alley project is the culmination of hundreds of hours of research, digital restoration, and music production. Flicker Alley has partnered with Turner Classic Movies on several historic cable broadcasts including three previously unavailable silent films produced by Howard Hughes, three rarely seen Rudolph Valentino films and new digital editions of J’Accuse and La Roue, by Abel Gance. Flicker Alley is the proud recipient of the National Society of Film Critics’ 2008 Film Heritage Award and the 2008 Willy Haas Award. For more information, please visitwww.flickeralley.com.

Flicker Alley titles are available in North America directly through Flicker Alley (www.flickeralley.com) and through online retailers such as Amazon.com (www.amazon.com). Wholesale orders are handled by Emphasis Entertainment Group, Inc. (astrutz@aol.com). For institutional sales please contact Gartenberg Media Enterprises (gartmedia@nyc.rr.com).