The Final Selections for the Berlinale Classics Section
The Final Selections for the Berlinale Classics Section – Classics by Woody Allen, James Cameron, James Ivory and George A. Romero on the Big Screen
Five of the seven restored versions screening in Berlinale Classics will be celebrating their world premiere in Berlin. In addition to the films from Germany, Israel and Mexico (see press release from December 12, 2016), the section will include four additional restored versions of international classics, by Woody Allen, James Cameron, James Ivory and George A. Romero.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back. In new, three-dimensional form, the T-800 returns to the big screen. DMG Entertainment and Studiocanal, working with James Cameron and his production company Lightstorm Entertainment, initiated the restoration and 3D conversion of Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D (USA, 1991/2017). In the science-fiction classic, an android played by Arnold Schwarzenegger travels back through time to save from assassination the future leader in the human battle against the machines. To create the new version, the original negative was scanned in 4K at Deluxe LA and then digitally processed by Technicolor Hollywood, while StereoD undertook the conversion to 3D. Studiocanal will release the new, digitally restored 3D version of the film, which won four Oscars in 1992, theatrically. All the restoration work was personally supervised by director James Cameron and his team.
“Famous for its one-liners, Terminator 2: Judgment Day set a new bar for special effects and became a cult film. We’re very pleased to be celebrating the release of the new 3D version of the classic here in Berlin”, says Rainer Rother, head of the Retrospective section and artistic director of the Deutsche Kinemathek.
George A. Romero’s black-and-white film Night of the Living Dead (USA, 1968) is considered a milestone and a classic of the horror genre. The film is about a group of diverse personalities who barricade themselves into a secluded house in Pennsylvania to fend off an attack by a growing number of zombies. The impetus for the restoration was when the film’s Image Ten partners, Gary and Russell Streiner, donated the original camera negative to The Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was scanned in 4K by Cineric for digital processing and audio restoration was done by Audio Mechanics in Burbank. Night of the Living Dead was restored under the aegis of The Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation and the Celeste Bartos Preservation Fund.
Maurice (UK, 1987) won three awards at the 1987 Venice Film Festival – for director James Ivory, and the lead actors James Wilby and Hugh Grant. The film is based on the eponymous book by E.M. Forster and tells the story of a homosexual attraction. At the centre of the tale is young Cambridge graduate Maurice Hall, who must fight to realise his dreams in the puritanical England of the early 20th century. The restoration, by the Cohen Media Group, used a 4K scan of the original camera negative. Director James Ivory gave the nod to the digitally restored version of his film, and cinematographer Pierre Lhomme supervised the colour correction.
Annie Hall (USA, 1977), Woody Allen’s world-renowned comedy, which won four Oscars, is now available in a digitally restored theatrical version. In this semi-autobiographical tale, Allen plays the neurotic stand-up comedian Alvy Singer who occasionally talks directly to the audience as he relates the story of his relationship with the title character, using flashbacks and moving around in time. The film was restored by Park Circus and MGM at Deluxe, Culver City. The 4K restoration, using the original camera negative, was supervised by Grover Crisp in co-operation with the office of Woody Allen.
The full programme of the Berlinale Classics section:
Annie Hall
By Woody Allen, USA 1977
World premiere of the digitally restored version
In 4K DCP
Avanti Popolo
By Rafi Bukaee, Israel 1986
International premiere of the digitally restored version
In 2K DCP
Canoa
By Felipe Cazals, Mexico 1976
World premiere of the digitally restored version
In 2K DCP
Maurice
By James Ivory, UK 1987
World premiere of the digitally restored version
In 4K DCP
Night of the Living Dead
By George A. Romero, USA 1968
International premiere of the digitally restored version
In 4K DCP
Schwarzer Kies (Black Gravel)
By Helmut Käutner, West Germany 1961
World premiere of the digital version
In 2K DCP
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D
By James Cameron
World premiere of the digitally restored version
In 2K DCP
