![]() While the workprint differs the most from original theatrical prints is in its far superior visual quality, the reasons why are interesting to me. Extra reaction shots of Torgo unique to the workprint now make some scenes even weirder. A few shots of the family driving did not appear in the workprint, and had to be reinstated from a vintage theatrical print. Some shots are a little shorter, some are a little longer. Through accident or design, there are slight differences between the two. SS: Aside from the crucial picture-quality issue, what are the differences between Manos as the public knows it, and as you knew it? You mention on your site that you discovered the original opening shot…?īS: The restoration is not entirely based on the film as we know it, but the workprint of the film as it was initially edited together. The real miracle is that enough elements survived to recreate the picture almost exactly, which is all thanks to the relative shelf-stability of film stock. Imagine someone has plunked a movie into your lap that’s been shot, but has no edits, VFX, audio mixing, color grading, or other polish. Fortunately, a surprising amount of that skill set translates over. Normally, I’m working as a cameraman, and as such I had no experience in film restoration, only some in film post-production. ![]() The subsequent sharing of that discovery online, and the enthusiasm I encountered there, led to the restoration. SS: What is your experience in film restoration? What lead to your determination to restore Manos? What lead to your discovery of the original workprint?īS: This all started with the discovery of original editorial materials from Manos among many old crates of film that I had bought, sight unseen. It is now much more obviously a time capsule, revealing all sorts of details about the time, place, and people that produced it. I may have watched Manos more than anyone else at this point, and I can honestly say that the ability to simply see it with a clearer picture has made the movie much more enjoyable. For many, Manos was their first exposure to the low end of the first real wave of independent “regional” films, movies that were manufactured far away from Hollywood from the 1950’s onward, played double bills and drive-ins, then usually forgotten.Ī few magical films did transcend their regional origins, the biggest one by far being Night of the Living Dead–this is the very opposite end of that spectrum. The exaggerated reactions it provoked on the show only added to the mystique of it being too awful to watch alone, whether that was true or not. Like most of the people who watched that episode, I was mesmerized by its strangeness, even in comparison to other films that they featured. SS: How did you hear about Manos for the first time? What were your first impressions of this singular film? How did your perceptions change as you watched and re-watched it?īS: For the longest time, the only easy way to see this film was in the context of its MST3K episode. However, I will say that Danger: Diabolik, which was also featured in a MST3K episode, is one of them. I’ve got too many favorite movies to really go through. Since then, I’ve been working with motion picture cameras of all types. ![]() I went to Florida State, majoring in Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts, and moved to Los Angeles interning at Panavision. In high school, I took up photography and became acquainted with the darkroom. The library in Chattanooga, Tennessee had a very good collection of films in that format, with many features from the silent era to the 50’s. Which movies were your favorites as you grew up, and why? Which were your favorites as you got older, and why?īenjamin Solovey: I started projecting 16mm film in elementary school after my mother, a teacher, gave me a projector the school was going to discard. Seattle Star: What is your background in film? Describe your childhood, your growing-up, and your learning to love film. He’ll be presenting the film at SIFF Cinema Uptown on the 7th. In Part Deux, he interviews two more artists involved in the remaking/representing of Manos: The Hands of Fate.įirst, Benjamin Solovey is the mastermind behind the restoration of Manos. In Manos: Part Un, Andrew Hamlin gave us some context for SIFF’s screening of Manos: The Hands of Fate, and interviewed one of the stars of the movie. Photo courtesy of Manos: Hands of Felt ()
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