The Berlinale Classics section, curated by Rainer Rother, will salute “100 years of Fellini” with Il bidone (The Swindle), and will show two of the earliest narrative films about the Holocaust, Ostatni etap (The Last Stage) and Daleká cesta (Distant Journey), 75 years after the end of World War II. In cooperation with the section’s strong partners, the series will also include festival winner Bushido zankoku monogatari (Cruel Tale of Bushido) by Japanese master Tadashi Imai, the all-star smash hit A Fish Called Wanda, featuring Monty Python veterans, and the silent film classic Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (Waxworks), newly restored by the Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek.
The Berlinale Classics 2020:
Il bidone (The Swindle)
Italy / France 1955
by Federico Fellini
with Broderick Crawford, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Franco Fabrizi, Sue Ellen Blake, Irene Cefaro
World premiere of the digitally restored version (DCP 4K)
Il bidone might be the closest Fellini came to creating a genuine genre film, but what begins as a caper movie turns into a tragic, existential drama. Set in post-war Italy and tracing the glaring contrast between rich and poor, Il bidone is considered Federico Fellini’s last neo-realistic film with a touch of Kafka. The world premiere screening of the digitally restored version is in honour of the director, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday on January 20, 2020, and of the 30th anniversary of Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation.
The 35mm camera and sound negatives, as well as the original fine-grain were used to restore the full-length version of Il bidone that was presented by Fellini at the Venice Film Festival in 1955. The restoration was undertaken by the Cineteca di Bologna and The Film Foundation in collaboration with Titanus, with funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation. Restoration works were carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata in 2019.
Bushido zankoku monogatari (Cruel Tale of Bushido)
Japan 1963
by Tadashi Imai
with Kinnosuke Nakamura (in 7 roles), Satomi Oka, Kyoko Kishida, Misako Watanabe, Yoshiko Mita
World premiere of the digitally restored version (DCP 2K)
Historical episodes from generations of a samurai family graphically reveal the barbarity of the feudal system in medieval Japan, exposing parallels to the modern achievement-oriented society. Imai’s film won the Golden Bear in 1963. The digital restoration was funded by the Toei Company, Ltd. on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Berlinale, and carried out by the Toei Lab Company; Toei will also be celebrating its 70th anniversary next year. The primary element used for the restoration was the original 35mm negative.
Daleká cesta (Distant Journey)
Czechoslovakia 1949
by Alfréd Radok
with Blanka Waleská, Otomar Krejča, Viktor Očásek, Zdeňka Baldová, Eduard Kohout
World premiere of the digitally restored version 2019 (DCP 4K)
The film traces the path of Czech Jews to Germany’s extermination camps, using the fictional narrative of a family from Prague. The narrative scenes are combined with clips from Nazi propaganda films, newsreels and Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph des Willes (Triumph of the Will) from 1935. Director Alfréd Radok, who was himself interned in a work camp and lost close relatives to the concentration camps, created an artistically effectual portrayal of the horrors of the Holocaust. The digital restoration was supervised by Národní filmový archiv, Prague and carried out at Universal Productions Partners (UPP). Both sound and image were digitised from the duplicate positive preserved by Národní filmový archiv, Prague. Missing parts of the image were retrieved from a nitrate print from the collection of La Cinémathèque de Toulouse, which was preserved at CNC.
A Fish Called Wanda
United Kingdom / USA 1988
by Charles Crichton
with John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken
World premiere of the digitally restored version 2017–2019 (DCP 2K)
A fast and furious romance in Britain’s best comedy tradition. A London barrister is seduced by an American jewel thief who hopes she can use him to find out where his client hid the loot from their heist. At the 2020 Berlin Film Festival, Park Circus will be presenting the world premiere of a new 2K restoration of the MGM Studios’ production A Fish Called Wanda. The restoration was carried out by Arrow Films; the original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution on a pin-registered Northlight Scanner at Pinewood Studios.
Ostatni etap (The Last Stage)
Poland 1948
by Wanda Jakubowska
with Wanda Bartówna, Huguette Faget, Tatjana Górecka, Antonina Górecka, Maria Winogradowa, Barbara Drapińska, Aleksandra Śląska
World premiere of the digitally restored version 2019 (DCP 4K)
Ostatni etap was one of the earliest films to tackle the subject of the Holocaust and was shot partially on location at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The director realistically depicts the everyday horrors of forced labour and mass extermination, but also resistance by the women prisoners. The restoration by Poland’s National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute, Warsaw, in cooperation with Tor Film Production, was based on a duplicate negative, since the original camera negative was lost. The restoration was funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (Waxworks)
Germany 1924
by Paul Leni
with Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, Wilhelm Dieterle, Olga Belajeff
World premiere of the digitally restored version 2015–2019 (DCP 2K) — with audio description
Harun al-Rashid, Ivan the Terrible, and Jack the Ripper feature in this fantastical three-part omnibus film directed by Paul Leni. It was a magic moment in silent filmmaking, between an art adventure and fun fair. The screening is a cooperative venture of the Berlin International Film Festival and the Deutsche Kinemathek, working with ZDF and ARTE. The film will be shown on February 21 at 5.30 pm with live musical accompaniment by the Ensemble Musikfabrik from North Rhine-Westphalia, conducted by Elena Schwarz. The new music, composed in 2019 by Bernd Schultheis, Olav Lervik, and Jan Kohl, was commissioned by ZDF/ARTE. The digital restoration was funded by the German Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). (See Press release November 19, 2020)
Advance ticket sales for Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (Waxworks) start on February 17, 2020, at 10 am at berlinale.de.
LOUIS XIII Cognac, The Film Foundation, the American Cinematheque & Filmmaker David O. Russell, co-hosted the Los Angeles premiere screening of Maurice Tourneur's silent film THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY on December 13 at the iconic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Guests were treated to a live musical accompaniment by instructors from the Young Musicians Foundation. The screening was followed by a Q&A and private dinner co-hosted by Oscar nominated writer and director (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, The Fighter) David O. Russell at The Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood. The guests included industry's most sought-after names in film, fashion, culture, and journalism including: Casey Graf (Actor, "Fired Up"), Eli Roth (Writer, Actor, Director), Jack Huston (Actor), Jana Savage (Actor, "The Perfect Match"), Keegan Key (Actor/Comedian, "Key & Peele/The Lion King"), Laure Hériard Dubreuil (Founder and Creative Director, The Webster), Mathieu Demy (Actor), Rachel Roy (Designer), Rajendra Roy (Chief Film Curator, Film, MoMA), Shannon Click (Model), Stosh Mintek (CEO, Ghetto Film School), Todd Newman (Writer, Producer, Director) and Ludovic du Plessis.
David O. Russell and Louis XIII Global Executive Director Ludovic du Plessis at the LA Premiere of the Restored 1919 Classic THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY in Los Angeles on December 13 (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
David O. Russell and Louis XIII Global Executive Director Ludovic du Plessis at the LA Premiere of the Restored 1919 Classic THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY in Los Angeles on December 13 (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
David O. Russell and Louis XIII Global Executive Director Ludovic du Plessis at the LA Premiere of the Restored 1919 Classic THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY in Los Angeles on December 13 (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
Ron Newmam, Heather Voss, Dr. Raj Kanodia (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
Rachel Roy, Ludovic Du Plessis (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
David O. Russell (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
Jack Huston, Shannan Click (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
Mathieu Demy and Caroline Sarrot (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
Vittoria Buraschi, Eli Roth (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
Eli Roth (PRNewsfoto/LOUIS XIII)
"To see a pristine print of this beautiful 1919 film is to make history alive with vitality by traveling through time to see it for ourselves – this is only one of the reasons it is a treasure to preserve and restore these remarkable cinematic artifacts," David O. Russell, filmmaker.
"I'm grateful for The Film Foundation's partnership with LOUIS XIII. For many years, they have provided generous support for the foundation's preservation, exhibition, and education programs. LOUIS XIII is passionate about its own legacy, and it's gratifying to know they are equally committed to protecting the world's cinematic heritage and sharing these great works of art with audiences for decades to come," said Martin Scorsese, Founder & Chair of The Film Foundation.
"Thanks to The Film Foundation and Martin Scorsese, THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY can be experienced once again one century later. Restoring this piece of memory is for us, at LOUIS XIII, a real pleasure and honour. Time is our raw material," said Ludovic du Plessis, Global Executive Director of LOUIS XIII.
In continuance of "100 Years," a series of artistic projects curated by LOUIS XIII, THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY was originally completed in 1919 to be rediscovered 100 years later, thanks to a meticulous restoration by Scorsese's The Film Foundation, supported by LOUIS XIII. A hauntingly beautiful film by director Maurice Tourneur, THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY tells the eternal story of love lost and found; of emotions and memories that shape a lifetime. The Los Angeles screening is the third in a series of events by LOUIS XIII and TFF to showcase the artistic project.
The movie THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY is available as of December 14th, 2019 on The Film Foundation website: www.film-foundation.org
Photography provided by Owen Kolasinski / BFA on behalf of Louis XIII and is available here.
THE UNIQUE STYLE OF A SILENT ARTIST
Maurice Tourneur (1876-1961) began his film career in France in 1912. Over two years, he made numerous films about fiery young spirits, often orphans, seeking shelter and love. In 1914, he moved to New Jersey, and then Hollywood, and spent the next 14 years directing more than 50 silent films. Renowned in America for his mastery of lighting, design, and atmosphere, his unique sense of stylization helped to shape the industry. Maurice Tourneur worked in many genres, but a recurring theme ran throughout his opus: the universal story of women and the ingenuity they often have to use to find happiness - a theme that continues to resonate today.
ABOUT THE FILM: THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY
Based on the novel Marcene by Penelope Knapp, THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY is about a young woman, Marcene Elliot, who one day while wandering through the woods, meets Darrell Thorne, a visiting composer looking for inspiration to write a symphony. Darrell finds his muse in Marcene and the two soon fall in love. Darrell writes a symphony named for Marcene and asks her to accompany him to New York for its premiere, but she refuses, fearing the reaction of her Aunt Zabie. After Marcene gives birth to a daughter, her aunt's anger and her own fears drive her to attempt suicide. Darrell returns to hear from a repentant Aunt Zabie that Marcene is dead. He travels to relieve his suffering and meets Marcene's sister on the Riviera where she is conducting his symphony. They marry and return to Marcene's home to discover Marcene still alive but dying of a broken heart. Darrell's love revived; he proposes to Marcene after his wife releases him. Marcene dies happy and Darrell and her sister resume their marriage, now with Marcene's child.
Restored in 2019 by The Film Foundation at L'Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory in association with La Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé. As a tribute to its longstanding relationship with time and dedication to preserving craftsmanship, LOUIS XIII COGNAC has partnered to restore this rarely seen movie to be rediscovered 100 years after. Restored from the 35mm nitrate duplicate negative from La Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé. 4K scanning, colour grading, digital image restoration and film recording by L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna, Italy.
ABOUT LOUIS XIII COGNAC
Think a century ahead. Each decanter is the life achievement of generations of cellar masters.
Since its origins in 1874, each generation of cellar master selects from our cellars the most precious eaux-de-vie for LOUIS XIII. Today, Cellar Master Baptiste Loiseau is setting aside our finest eaux-de-vie as a legacy to his successors for the coming century. LOUIS XIII is an exquisite blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie sourced from Grande Champagne, the first cru of the Cognac region. The legendary decanters have been made of fine crystal for generations, mouth-blown by some of the most skilled master craftsmen. LOUIS XIII features exceptional aromas evoking myrrh, honey, dried roses, plum, honeysuckle, cigar box, leather, figs and passion fruit.
ABOUT THE FILM FOUNDATION
Created in 1990 by Martin Scorsese, The Film Foundation is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has helped to restore over 850 films, presenting them at festivals, museums, and theatres around the world. To date, TFF's World Cinema Project has enabled the restoration of 40 films from 24 countries, representing the rich diversity of global cinema. The foundation is also teaching young people about film through The Story of Movies, an innovative curriculum used by over 100,000 educators across the U.S. Joining Scorsese on the board of directors are Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Alexander Payne, Robert Redford, and Steven Spielberg. The Film Foundation is aligned with the Directors Guild of America.
This sidebar to our ongoing Martin Scorsese retrospective pays tribute to The Film Foundation, the organization Scorsese founded in 1990 to preserve and restore our global cinematic heritage, and to educate new generations about its importance.
Of all filmmakers who double as devout cinephiles, Martin Scorsese has done the most by far to turn his passion for cinema's history into a tenacious vocation with his establishment of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organization that has helped to restore and exhibit nearly 1,000 films, including numerous titles that we have screened at both the Festival and TIFF Cinematheque over the past 30 years.
Our tribute is designed to showcase the wide variety of the Foundations estimable work: from low-rent American noir (Detour) to sweeping Algerian historical epic (Chronicle of the Years of Fire); from a rare Ernst Lubitsch silent, miraculously preserved and restored against daunting odds, to classics of Japanese and Mexican cinema and major works of the Indian and Taiwanese New Waves; from a cinematic Holy Grail (the original Armenian version of Sergei Parajanov’s masterpiece The Color of Pomegranates) to a dynamite double bill of the two Hollywood versions of Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers. (And that’s not to mention the Film Foundation restorations of Winchester ’73 and Destry Rides Again playing in this season’s James Stewart series). That we could have chosen almost a hundred programmes of similar riches attests to the enduring accomplishment of The Film Foundation.
Last night, LOUIS XIII Cognac, The Film Foundation and the British Film Institutehosted the UK premiere screening of silent film THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY at BFI Southbank in London. Guests were treated to a live musical accompaniment from esteemed British-based pianist John Sweeny who has accompanied silent films at venues including BFI Southbank and the Barbican Centre. The screening was followed by an exclusive Q&A session and private dinner with filmmaker Joanna Hogg, recently nominated for 3 BIFA awards for her film THE SOUVENIR.
Jamie Redknapp and Professor Green attend attends an after party for the screening of “The Broken Butterfly” hosted by Louis XIII Cognac and The Film Foundation at The Arts Club in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The guest list consisted of a hand-picked selection of the industry’s most sought-after names in film, fashion, culture, sports and journalism including: Terry Gilliam, Joanna Hogg, Ludovic du Plessis. The collaboration between LOUIS XIII, TFF and the BFI was further celebrated at a private dinner and after party held at The Arts Club nightclub Leo’s, animated by music from Manny Norté and attended by Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Ella Eyre, Laurence Okolie, Daps, Gwilym Lee, Michael Dappah, Harris Dickinson, Hope Ikpohu, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Kola Bokkini, Lethal Bizzle, Chip, Nell Hudson, Young T & Bugsey, Ms Banks.
Global Executive Director LOUIS XIII Cognac Ludovic du Plessis, Joanna Hogg and Terry Gilliam attend the screening of “The Broken Butterfly” hosted by Louis XIII Cognac and The Film Foundation in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
In continuance of “100 Years,” a series of artistic projects curated by LOUIS XIII, THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY was originally completed in 1919 to be rediscovered 100 years later, thanks to a meticulous restoration by Scorsese’s The Film Foundation, supported by LOUIS XIII. A hauntingly beautiful film by director Maurice Tourneur, THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY tells the eternal story of love lost and found; of emotions and memories that shape a lifetime. The London screening is the second in a series of events by LOUIS XIII and TFF to showcase the artistic project.
LOUIS XIII Cognac,The Film Foundation and the British Film Institute unite for the silent film THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY
Professor Green, Tinie Tempah and Ella Eyre attend an after party for the screening of “The Broken Butterfly” hosted by Louis XIII Cognac and The Film Foundation at The Arts Club in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“I’m grateful for The Film Foundation’s partnership with LOUIS XIII. For many years, they have provided generous support for the foundation’s preservation, exhibition, and education programs. LOUIS XIII is passionate about its own legacy, and it’s gratifying to know they are equally committed to protecting the world’s cinematic heritage and sharing these great works of art with audiences for decades to come,” said Martin Scorsese, Founder & Chair of The Film Foundation.
Daps aka Oladapo Fagbenle, Gwilym Lee and Tom York attend an after party for the screening of “The Broken Butterfly” hosted by Louis XIII Cognac and The Film Foundation at The Arts Club in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“Thanks to The Film Foundation and Martin Scorsese, THE BROKEN BUTTERFLY can be experienced once again one century later*. Restoring this piece of memory is for us, at LOUIS XIII, a real pleasure and honour. Time is our raw material,” said Ludovic du Plessis, Global Executive Director of LOUIS XIII.
LOUIS XIII is an exquisite blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie sourced from Grande Champagne, the first cru of the Cognac region. The legendary decanters have been made of fine crystal for generations, mouth-blown by some of the most skilled master craftsmen. LOUIS XIII features exceptional aromas evoking myrrh, honey, dried roses, plum, honeysuckle, cigar box, leather, figs and passion fruit.
