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Rich in detail, this is a study of the interrelationships between film historical discourse and archival practices. Exploring the history of several important collections from the EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam, Bregt Lameris shows how archival films and collections always carry the historical traces of selection policies, restoration philosophies, and exhibition strategies. The result is a compelling argument that film archives can never be viewed simply as innocent or neutral sources of film history.
List of contents
Introduction Museum, archive, collection: unravelling definitions and concepts Collections and case studies Structure of the book The timeline of the pas-de-deux PART I: COLLECTIONS Chapter 1: Private Collectors Three collection strategies The Desmet Collection: a diorama in time The Uitkijk Collection: film as art Chapter 2: Blind Choices: Parameters and Repetitions Film titles and filmmakers: the film canon Production year: early film Production country: national films Chapter 3: Eyes Wide Open: Duplicates Aesthetic value From wonder to resonance Canonical selection Eclectic consequences PART II: PRESERVATIONS Chapter 4: Passive Preservation: An Historical Overview Nitrate and the paradigm of reproducibility Nitrate and perishability Nitrate films and uniqueness Chapter 5: Impressions: Restoration of the Film Image Black-and-white film art Colour restorations: impressions or imprints? Chapter 6: Reconstructions The director's version Shown versions Archival versions New versions Unity in parts Academics and the 'original' PART III: PRESENTATIONS Chapter 7: Interiors and Decorations: Film Museum Exhibition Spaces The art museum dispositif Two film museum traditions Towards a historical sensation Chapter 8: Framing Programmes Film as art or from 'the old box'? Transitions Educational discoveries Chapter 9: Performance: Authenticity or Artistry? Music and lectures Materiality and projection The musealisation of projection techniques CONCLUSION.
About the author
Bregt Lameris is a post-doc at the University of Zürich, Switzerland.
