Film Journal March 2018

A nitrate film strip: “The studios had this problem,” says Dryden director Bruce
Barnes. “The old film was highly flammable and was difficult and expensive to take
care of; they started disposing of that nitrate film in a variety of ways. So, there’s
a huge amount of lost film from, particularly, the early Hollywood years.”
Eastman
Museum’s
Dryden
Theatre
Is About
More
Than Just
Showing
Movies
sometimes prints were stranded—began
sending their unwanted negatives and
prints to the George Eastman Museum.
“Today,” adds Jared Case, head of collection
information, research and access,
Moving Image Department, “we have
28,000 titles; about 6,000 of those are
nitrate prints. We have the original nitrate
negatives for Gone with the Wind and The
Wizard of Oz, among many others. But the
ultimate goal of having a motion picture
collection is showing it. It’s about conservation
with a purpose.”
The Dryden shows about 400 different
titles a year—including shorts and features.
Every week, the theatre holds a Monday
matinee for seniors. On Tuesday through
Saturday, they program at 7:30 in the evening.
During the academic year, they tend
to show silent films on Tuesday evening.
The theatre also hosts special events and
several film festivals. All screenings are free
to those 17 years old and younger to encourage
moviegoing among the young.
“When we’re curating,” offers Jurij
Meden, curator of film exhibitions, “we try
to represent the breadth of perspectives
in film history. So, you’ll see silent films,
acknowledged classics, some documentaries
and foreign films. We try to make
our programs interesting and relevant, but
we’re shaping audience’s tastes—not just
catering to their expectations.”
When the Dryden was renovated in
2013, the number of seats was reduced to
500—250 in the balcony, 250 down below—all
padded, with no cupholders. No
food or drink is allowed; the theatre is considered
an exhibition space, free from the
MARCH 2018 / FILMJOURNAL.COM 33
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