Preserved Films from the Motion Picture CollectionThe Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., was founded by act of Congress on April 24, 1800, and is America's oldest publicly funded cultural institution. In celebration of this milestone birthday, PFA presents a series of films preserved by the Library's Motion Picture Conservation Center. The Library of Congress has been collecting motion pictures since October 6, 1893, when it received for copyright registration a series of "Edison Kinetoscopic Records" from W. K. L. Dickson, the young Edison assistant primarily responsible for inventing the first practical motion picture camera. Today the Library's motion picture holdings number more than 300,000 titles and are part of a comprehensive collection that includes television, radio, and recorded sound materials which are conserved on behalf of the American people.In 1970 the Library established its Motion Picture Conservation Center, which has preserved over 15,000 feature films and short subjects in their original 35mm theatrical format. In recognition of the Library's leadership in the field, in 1988 the U.S. Congress passed the National Film Preservation Act, legislation that created the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board and the National Film Registry. The purpose of the Board and the Registry is to promote public awareness of the need to conserve America's film heritage, which embraces not only classical Hollywood cinema but also home movies, avant-garde films, newsreels, movies made for ethnic audiences, educational films, etc.PFA's series showcases a small selection of films preserved by the Library from the unparalleled collection of original camera negatives and other "best surviving" nitrate elements stored in its conservation vaults. It presents an opportunity for audiences to see well-known films they may have seen before in video or in less than preservation-quality 35mm prints, as well a variety of forgotten films that haven't been seen in a theatrical venue for a half century or more.Patrick Loughney Guest CuratorDr. Patrick L. Loughney, Head of Moving Image Section, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress, will introduce three evenings of programs, July 14, 15, and 16. Sunday July 2, 2000
