Purportedly Lost Silent French film found in Chile

[feaito]

I haven't found a link to these news in English, which were published yesterday on El Mercurio, the oldest Chilean newspaper.

Around 800 titles -some Silents among them- have been recovered by the Cineteca of the Universidad de Chile, including the first nitrate copy of one the best known of Chilean Silents "El Húsar de la Muerte" (The Hussar of Death) (1925). Many other rare films have been found including the only extant copy of Jean Epstein's "The Mongol Lion" (Le Lion des Mogols) (1924) which stars Ivan Mosjoukine.

I am not really sure about this film being really lost until now, since there's a review of it at us.imdb.com written in 2007, which I know isn't anything to trust.

Here's the link to the story in case anyone interested can read in Spanish:

http://tinyurl.com/m8fp2e

[charliechaplinfan]

I can't read Spanish Fernando but I know good news when I hear it. I think it is great that these films have been found.

[feaito]

I hope that they'll find other rare films Alison, although I'm not quite sure about the knowledge of the people handling all these prints, since today I asked Christine if she knew if this film was really lost until now and she told me that there's a complete 35 mm print of "The Lion Mongol " in the French Cinemathéque in Paris; thus, I don't know how these people in my country are claiming to have the only extant print of the movie and stating it to the newspapers Shame, shame....

[charliechaplinfan]

Sounds like they might just be excited to have found the film and have spoken too soon. Hopefully they know what they are doing re preservation, perhaps they have other lost films.

[feaito]

Hopefully they know what they are doing re preservation, perhaps they have other lost films.

I hope so too!

[feaito]

Just and update concerning this "discovery", yesterday I read on the newspaper that the copy of "The Mongol Lion" is specifically the only colorized copy extant in the world.

[MichiganJ]

This is very exciting news.
Jean Epstein's The Fall of the House of Usher is a particular favorite, but the only film of Epstein's I've seen. Hopefully this will be restored and made available sometime soon.

[feaito]

I hope so Michigan, but for that I think they are going to need foreign financing.