Russia hands over 10 lost silent movies to USA
The Library of Congress said it was "a major gift from Russia" that would help the United States reclaim its silent-film heritage.
Vladimir Kozhin, head of the property and business administration of the Russian president, officially presented the films to Librarian of Congress James Billington in a special ceremony in the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building. The films constitute the first installment of an ongoing series of "lost" films produced by U.S. movie studios. They were digitally preserved by Gosfilmofond, the Russian State film archive, and donated via the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library in St. Petersburg.
"The Library of Congress very actively helped us create the Boris Yeltsin Library. They opened all doors to us and shared numerous technologies and know-how. Today we are responding with electronic digital copies," Kozhin told Tass.
He added the work will continue and both countries may also exchange original artifacts.
"The Library is committed to reclaiming America's cinematic patrimony," Billington said. "I am grateful to the dedicated staff of Gosfilmofond for their efforts to save these important artifacts of U.S. film history." He also thanked the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library "for collaboration and cooperation in making this cultural recovery effort possible."
Because of neglect and deterioration over time, more than 80 percent of U.S. movies from the silent era no longer exist in the United States. Preliminary research conducted by the Library of Congress indicates that up to 200 movies produced by U.S. movie studios of the silent and sound eras may survive only in the Gosfilmofond archive. Copies of these films will eventually be sent to the Library of Congress.
The presented films comprise The Arab (1924), Kick In (1922), The Conquest of Canaan (1921), The Eternal Struggle (1923), You're Fired (1919), Keep Smiling (1925), The Call of the Canyon (1923), Canyon of the Fools (1923), Circus Days (1923), and Valley of the Giants (1919).