This Film Is Dangerous: A Celebration of Nitrate Film (review)

When I received my copy of This Film Is Dangerous: A Celebration of Nitrate Film, I was astounded by the physical weight (this is definitely not a text to lightly slip into your briefcase). It weighs in at 5.25 pounds and 720 pages; if the sheer weightiness is impressive, the book itself is even more so. Ten years in the making, This Film Is Dangerous is an anthology, perhaps the anthology, for nitrate film. Originally envisaged as a contribution to the centenary of cinema, its creation passed through several stages. First suggested by the editor, Roger Smither, to colleagues at the 1992 Annual Congress of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), it wasn't given the impetus it needed until 2000 when FIAF held a two-day symposium at the annual FIAF Congress, "The Last Nitrate Picture Show," from which many of the papers are taken (see review in The Moving Image 1, no.1 [spring 2001]). A collaborative effort, the text includes research papers, guest editorials, endorsements, transcripts, cartoons, lists, fictional short stories, epigraphs, illustrations, and articles from more than one hundred contributors and thirty-five countries. Authors include archivists, scholars, film historians, artists, poets, filmmakers, and so-called lovers of the cinema. Entries range from between one paragraph (or image) up to fifteen-page articles.

In moving image circles, the thought of nitrate-based film conjures up images of volatile, magical, and unprojectable film. In fact, between 1890 and 1950, most commercial films were produced on nitrate-based film stock. As one contributor notes, there was a time when film archivists didn't talk about nitrate much because that was all they knew; there was nothing to compare it to. Those who remember now talk of nitrate's magical quality and luminosity as well as its volatility. But that's not all; according to another author, celluloid was also used to produce false teeth, billiard balls, combs, dental plates, knife handles, shirt cuffs, collars, and "other trinkets." During a pool game it was said that "the violent contact of the balls could produce a mild explosion like a percussion guncap." Many today have never experienced the "delight of the indescribably awful odor" of nitrate film or the thrill of a nitrate-based print on the silver screen. One of the responsibilities of a profession is to pass on not only the facts and figures of a field to the younger generation, but also the stories that give a profession its life and breath, and this is one of the successes and joys of this book.

The first section of the book is a series of editorials and endorsements. The choice of individuals seems random, but the words, images, and thoughts are both interesting and entertaining. While the focus is on nitrate, the ensuing discussions provide an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics about archives, key individuals, and practices around the world. Three recurring themes that start in this section and continue throughout include comments on the volatility of nitrate film, the transcendent quality of image offered by nitrate in comparison to acetate and polyester, and expressions of sorrow for the generations to come who will never experience the dazzling beauty of a nitrate print on the big screen.

Section two of the book is comprised of papers given at one of the programs of the 2000 FIAF congress, "The Last Nitrate Picture Show." In most cases these are expanded versions or variations of the presentations given at the symposium. Archivists from around the world are represented, from Australia, Canada, the United States, Italy, and England, to mention only a few.

"The Silver Lining" is a collection of essays on nitrate-related topics that were not included in the "Last Nitrate Picture Show" and were offered directly to this publication. "Everyday Nitrate" includes original contributions, but also reprints material that focuses on how both professionals...