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Forbes
an hour ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Nitrate Film Adds Danger To The BFI FIlm Festival
The NFT1 at the BFI Southbank where the BFI Film on Film Festival will be running from 12th-15th ... More June 2025. If you enter the foyer of the BFI on the London Southbank from the 12th to 15th of June 2025, you'll be confronted with a mechanical machine sporting a large lens at one end and large round disks on the other. This, of course, will be a film projector, complete with platters that contained film—the material that, when light was passed through them, enabled the magic contained inside them to be projected onto the big screen. While most cinemagoers today would expect their films to be projected digitally, it was only around the 2010s that this became mainstream. For the first 120 years before this, all movies were projected from film, so there's an irony that for many, it will be the first time they will have seen a film projector. 'We thought it'd be fun, because people don't often get to see that kind of thing,' Dominic Simmons, the head of cinema technology, told me on a visit to the BFI Southbank ahead of the festival. Indeed, this is exactly why there is a space for the BFI to run its now bi-annual Film on Film festival (it first ran in 2023), enabling cineastes, or even regular folk, to see movies on a format that is now exceptional in every sense. The festival program includes screenings in various formats, from 8mm to 70mm, and 35mm nitrate, to black and white Cinemascope. As has been widely reported, headlining the festival are two showings of an original 1977 release print of Star Wars, sans the 'Episode: IV: A New Hope' subtitle that was only added in 1981, and, of course, the Special edition 'enhancements'. Furthermore, it's a high-quality dye transfer IB Technicolor print, an expensive format that offers the best image quality and the greatest durability, so something special for the lucky few that get to see it. Other highlights include a 35mm print of The Killing, Stanley Kubrick's first feature from Kubrick's personal print collection, and a showing of his masterwork, 2001: A Space Odyssey, on the greatest possible film format, IMAX 70mm. What's unique about the festival, though, is that it will provide the opportunity to see movies on nitrate, which was the film stock used from the beginnings of cinema in the 1890s up until 1951, when manufacturing ceased. It stopped making it for two good reasons. First, it is chemically unstable, which causes it to degrade over time, and second, it is highly flammable and can spontaneously combust. In the past, it has done so, causing extensive damage and even loss of life. Today, screenings of films on original nitrate stock are rare, but five films will be screened at the BFI during the festival. This includes the oldest nitrate film print ever screened to a UK audience, Un Chien Andalou, Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali's iconic 1929 surrealist classic, screening with Jean Renoir's Partie de campagne, which was released in 1946, but made in 1936. Today, the majority of films created on nitrate simply no longer exist, and those that do have to be carefully stored. However, thanks to the dedication of BFI staff such as Dominic Simmons, its head of cinema technology, the BFI is one of the few institutions that not only has an archive that carefully preserves Nitrate film but also has the capability of projecting it safely. The two projectors inside the booth at the NFT1, which, with its 1960s era dials and buttons, resembles an early TARDIS console room, are classics of their kind—two Philips DP70s, which can play both 35mm and 70mm film. A pair is essential, Simmons explained, so that reels can be swapped without recourse to having the entire film on platters, which, while easier for projectionists, require film reels to be spliced together, which can lead to damage. Dials, buttons and switches give the interior of the NFT1 booth a wonderfully 1960s feel. In 2021, the fire suppression equipment for nitrate film was reinstated after a change in projectors. This isn't because it's a legal requirement—you are allowed to show Nitrate movies without it, but Simmons says the BFI has 'that extra level of caution' in case the worst should happen. The equipment consists of canisters containing Novec 1230, an inert liquid, which, in the event of a fire, would flood the projectors, suppressing the flames, while shutters would also automatically drop down to isolate the booth from the auditorium. If, for some reason, this didn't happen automatically, the projectionists can also hit the large stop button on the projector to stop the film. Furthermore, there's the fact that the booth's walls are constructed of Durasteel. Ironically, as this was installed many years ago, asbestos, which is known for its fire-resistant properties. While this might be good in terms of fire protection, due to the serious health risk it poses, asbestos has been banned for new builds for many years. As Simmons explains, this is why nothing can ever be removed from the walls of the NFT1 booth, in case it disturbs the dangerous material underneath the Durasteel. This explains why the interior of the booth appears to be, much like a film print itself, locked in a moment in time. While some might worry about all the precautions needed to show nitrate, Simmons noted that the last time a nitrate film fire occurred at the BFI Southbank (then the National Film Theatre) was in 1968, and while the booth was damaged, no one was hurt. Indeed, I note that the report on the BFI website seems more concerned with the fact that in the same year at the NFT, Jean-Luc Godard started a punch-up. The two Philips DP70 projectors in situ in the BFI Southbank NFT1 booth. He admitted, however, that there was an element of stress in running a nitrate print with 450 people in the audience to worry about. This is why, to ensure things go smoothly, there is a team of twelve projectionists working in shifts over the four days of the festival. 'You've got to make sure you're in the right headspace to do it,' he says, 'because you need to be concentrating all the time.' When it comes to choosing which nitrate films to show in the festival program, a shortlist is drawn up by James Bell, senior curator at the BFI National Archive and programme director for Film on Film, and the wider team. Before this can be done, however, the BFI has to be sure that the print is suitable for exhibition. As most of the 43,000 nitrate prints stored in the BFI's master film store in Warwickshire have been in storage for decades, each possible selection must be manually checked first. As the BFI's curatorial archivist Sonia Genaitay explained to me, this is a complex and time-consuming process. Just as projecting nitrate is challenging, their delicate nature means that storing them safely in the archive is equally difficult. To protect them, they are stored at minus five degrees, and before a print can be examined, it must be acclimatized. To avoid the buildup of potentially damaging condensation, this must be done gradually by thawing it out over 24 hours. They are then transported to the Berkhamsted conservation center, where their condition is examined for deterioration. A key issue is shrinkage, as this could make it unsafe to project. If any strain is placed on the perforations, it could tear inside the projector. Genaitay says that on average, they look at 8-10 prints before finding one good enough to reach the next stage—testing on an actual projector. The candidate is then cleaned up using ultrasonic machines, and then image quality specialists are brought in to decide if it makes the grade, as what looks good on the bench might not when projected. A key aspect is the number of previous splices, as too many risk the film jumping inside the projector, which again could lead to a break. It's also only at this stage that the sound can be checked, which is another factor that might render it unusable. All in all, Genaitay says finding and getting the five prints for the festival was a six-month process. Speaking to Genaitay, it was clear that this was a labor of love, however, and she says that she'd watch all four of the nitrates 'over and over again'. Of the four, her favorite is Blanche Fury, describing it as 'one of the most amazing titles in the programme,' due to its 'just perfect,' rich, dye-transfer technicolor print. While she says that's the one to watch, Genaitay also encourages everyone to see a black and white nitrate title too, if they can, such as Dancing with Crime, starring Richard Attenborough. 'To see a nitrate which is silver-rich on the screen? It's quite incredible.' So, while battling dangers, whether they in a galaxy far, far away, or in the projection booth a few meters away, with every screening of each special print, the Film on Film Festival is, for a few fleeting moments, shining a flickering light onto a unique piece of our celluloid past.
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Violent Doctor Who scene 'put show at risk of being cancelled before it started'
For the last six decades, Doctor Who has had kids (and adults) around the world hiding behind the sofa, and it's easy to see why. While travelling through time and space, the titular Time Lord has battled devious Daleks, sinister Cybermen, and, who could forget, the wicked Weeping Angels. All of these monsters have served as nightmare fuel for fans, but according to one Doctor Who writer, there was one scene involving an iconic monster that took things a little too far. Robert Shearman is the writer in question, and he penned the fan favourite episode, Dalek, for the first season of the Doctor Who revival. Speaking at a recent BFI Southbank event held in partnership with the Doctor Who Appreciation Society (and reported on by Radio Times), the 55-year-old writer admitted in the early days he wasn't sure where to draw the line with onscreen violence. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. 'We weren't sure in the first couple of drafts if we could even kill people on-screen anymore,' he explained. 'It was that bizarre thing – I thought for a while we might have simply to stun people.' However, when Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies gave the all clear to start killing characters, Robert got a little carried away. '''I went away and that day I wrote the scene where Simmons gets suckered – but it was much, much worse,' he explained. 'It went over his head and his skin had burnt off and Russell wrote back to me saying, 'Please don't try and get the entire show cancelled before we start'.' Despite Russell making Robert tone down the violence, Dalek remains one of the revived series' darkest episodes, with the story exploring the Doctor's (Christopher Eccleston) bigotries and survivor's guilt. Robert did admit during the event that he was worried he'd made things too dark, especially after reading the relatively light and frothy Aliens of London and Rose, but Russell pushed him to take things further. Our Deputy TV Editor Tom Percival shares his picks for the 10 scariest Doctor Who (2005-2025) episodes ever… Blink – The grandaddy of Doctor Who scary episodes, this story introduced the world to the Weeping Angels and is in a two-horse race with Midnight for the title of 'scariest New Who' episode ever. – The grandaddy of Doctor Who scary episodes, this story introduced the world to the Weeping Angels and is in a two-horse race with Midnight for the title of 'scariest New Who' episode ever. Midnight – Speaking of which. Midnight is an absolutely terrifying tale about an invisible monster that turns the Doctor's greatest weapon, his gift for the gab, against him. – Speaking of which. Midnight is an absolutely terrifying tale about an invisible monster that turns the Doctor's greatest weapon, his gift for the gab, against him. Dalek – Doctor Who's most iconic villains had become something of a laughing stock before this episode aired, but after watching Dalek, I can guarantee those laughs turned to screams. – Doctor Who's most iconic villains had become something of a laughing stock before this episode aired, but after watching Dalek, I can guarantee those laughs turned to screams. The Waters of Mars – A Doctor Who episode that makes water scary… need I say more? – A Doctor Who episode that makes water scary… need I say more? Hide – Boasting one of the creepiest monster designs ever seen in the history of Who, Hide is an underrated banger. – Boasting one of the creepiest monster designs ever seen in the history of Who, Hide is an underrated banger. Heaven Sent – Heaven Sent sees the Doctor trapped in a labyrinthine castle and is rightly remembered as the best Peter Capaldi episode, but it's The Veil – the creature that haunts the castle's corridors – that earned it a spot on this list. – Heaven Sent sees the Doctor trapped in a labyrinthine castle and is rightly remembered as the best Peter Capaldi episode, but it's The Veil – the creature that haunts the castle's corridors – that earned it a spot on this list. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances – 'Are you my Mummy?' – 'Are you my Mummy?' The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit – A genuinely disturbing story about demonic possession and satanic worship in space. – A genuinely disturbing story about demonic possession and satanic worship in space. The Haunting of Villa Diodati – A brilliant haunted house story that reveals Frankenstein was inspired by the Cybermen. What more could a Doctor Who fan want? – A brilliant haunted house story that reveals Frankenstein was inspired by the Cybermen. What more could a Doctor Who fan want? Lux – Everyone seems to agree that Lux was the highlight of Ncuti Gatwa's second season, in part because of how downright creepy the villainous living cartoon at the centre of the story was. 'The scene where Chris meets the Dalek for the first time,' he revealed. 'I was holding off for ages, and it was Russell who was always saying, 'Just make it vicious', and so I was allowed to go as dark as I possibly could.' More Trending The latest season of Doctor Who recently came to a close with Ncuti Gatwa seemingly regenerating into Billie Piper. The decision to cast Billie as the 16th Doctor (if that is who she's playing) has split the fandom, with some decrying it as desperate stunt casting while others have hailed it as revitalising their interest in the show. Doctor Who is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: Legendary TV star 'busy' as he joins Casualty MORE: BBC drama scoring rave reviews hailed 'Queer as Folk for new generation' MORE: Gary Lineker agrees deal with new broadcaster after controversial BBC exit
Glasgow Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
New George Smiley novel will not be glamorous like Bond, says Nick Harkaway
The 52-year-old, from Cornwall, is the son of John le Carre, who died in 2020 aged 89, and wrote the original spy series about an intelligence officer who works for The Circus, Britain's overseas intelligence agency. Harkaway, whose real name is Nicholas Cornwell, published his first continuation novel, Karla's Choice, last year. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'Last time I was kind of deliberately unaware of how much pressure there actually was. 'I sort of sat down (to write) and didn't really think about it. And then, after I finished, and as the reviews started to come out and they were positive, I got retrospective terror. 'I realised… and particularly when you read the reviews, what you realise is that all of them begin with 'I really expected to hate this book, and I don't'. And I thought 'Gosh, that would have been really awful'.' He continued: 'There's a lot of reasons why it shouldn't work… So I think everybody had sort of legitimate fear, and I have great respect for that.' In the new novel, The Taper Man, George Smiley is sent, for the first time, on an operation to America to pursue an old communist network across the West Coast. 'We have Smiley going to America, to the United States, for the first time, into the kind of culmination of the Civil Rights decade,' said Harkaway. 'It's a period of massive, massive, tumultuous change, and not all of it peaceful, you know – there's some quite extraordinary acts of domestic terrorism in the early '60s, around desegregation. 'It's a deep dive, and I'm kind of daunted by it, but you do these things with respect, and you feel your way, and you learn,' he said. The novel is set in 1965, 18 months after Karla's Choice, and amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War as well as the Civil Rights era. 'I'm not just writing to the 1960s, I'm also writing to the world of George Smiley and he's not the guy who shows up at a Beatles concert,' said Harkaway. 'We're not going to see the kind of glamorous '60s that you see in a James Bond film from the period; we're going to be looking at, always, the shadows and the grey spaces and the places where things have potential to go seriously wrong. 'And looking for somebody who can potentially make them go right, and will that person be heard? It's always about ambiguity, rather than the kind of acid orange of the '60s.' It has also been announced that Harkaway's father's global best-selling thriller, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, is to be staged in London's West End for the first time in November. Harkaway told PA: 'I am excited about that… I have seen the play. I saw it at Chichester, and it runs on rails towards the kind of inevitable, staggering conclusion of the story… It's incredibly powerful.' Gary Oldman and John Le Carre arriving for the UK premiere of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy at the BFI Southbank in September 2011 (Ian West/PA) Le Carre, whose real name was David Cornwell, wrote best-selling novels including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager. Prior to his career as a writer, he worked in British intelligence throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Career intelligence officer Smiley became the author's best-known character and was made even more famous by Alec Guinness in the TV series of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which aired in the late 1970s. Film versions of Le Carre's novels include 2001's The Tailor Of Panama, starring Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis; 2005's The Constant Gardener, starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz; and 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy. Harkaway has written novels including The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker, Tigerman, Gnomon and The Price You Pay (as Aidan Truhen). – The Spy Who Came in From the Cold will play at Soho Place from November 17 2025 until February 21 2026.
South Wales Argus
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
New George Smiley novel will not be glamorous like Bond, says Nick Harkaway
The 52-year-old, from Cornwall, is the son of John le Carre, who died in 2020 aged 89, and wrote the original spy series about an intelligence officer who works for The Circus, Britain's overseas intelligence agency. Harkaway, whose real name is Nicholas Cornwell, published his first continuation novel, Karla's Choice, last year. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'Last time I was kind of deliberately unaware of how much pressure there actually was. 'I sort of sat down (to write) and didn't really think about it. And then, after I finished, and as the reviews started to come out and they were positive, I got retrospective terror. 'I realised… and particularly when you read the reviews, what you realise is that all of them begin with 'I really expected to hate this book, and I don't'. And I thought 'Gosh, that would have been really awful'.' He continued: 'There's a lot of reasons why it shouldn't work… So I think everybody had sort of legitimate fear, and I have great respect for that.' In the new novel, The Taper Man, George Smiley is sent, for the first time, on an operation to America to pursue an old communist network across the West Coast. 'We have Smiley going to America, to the United States, for the first time, into the kind of culmination of the Civil Rights decade,' said Harkaway. 'It's a period of massive, massive, tumultuous change, and not all of it peaceful, you know – there's some quite extraordinary acts of domestic terrorism in the early '60s, around desegregation. 'It's a deep dive, and I'm kind of daunted by it, but you do these things with respect, and you feel your way, and you learn,' he said. The novel is set in 1965, 18 months after Karla's Choice, and amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War as well as the Civil Rights era. 'I'm not just writing to the 1960s, I'm also writing to the world of George Smiley and he's not the guy who shows up at a Beatles concert,' said Harkaway. 'We're not going to see the kind of glamorous '60s that you see in a James Bond film from the period; we're going to be looking at, always, the shadows and the grey spaces and the places where things have potential to go seriously wrong. 'And looking for somebody who can potentially make them go right, and will that person be heard? It's always about ambiguity, rather than the kind of acid orange of the '60s.' It has also been announced that Harkaway's father's global best-selling thriller, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, is to be staged in London's West End for the first time in November. Harkaway told PA: 'I am excited about that… I have seen the play. I saw it at Chichester, and it runs on rails towards the kind of inevitable, staggering conclusion of the story… It's incredibly powerful.' Gary Oldman and John Le Carre arriving for the UK premiere of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy at the BFI Southbank in September 2011 (Ian West/PA) Le Carre, whose real name was David Cornwell, wrote best-selling novels including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager. Prior to his career as a writer, he worked in British intelligence throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Career intelligence officer Smiley became the author's best-known character and was made even more famous by Alec Guinness in the TV series of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which aired in the late 1970s. Film versions of Le Carre's novels include 2001's The Tailor Of Panama, starring Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis; 2005's The Constant Gardener, starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz; and 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy. Harkaway has written novels including The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker, Tigerman, Gnomon and The Price You Pay (as Aidan Truhen). – The Spy Who Came in From the Cold will play at Soho Place from November 17 2025 until February 21 2026.
Western Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
New George Smiley novel will not be glamorous like Bond, says Nick Harkaway
The 52-year-old, from Cornwall, is the son of John le Carre, who died in 2020 aged 89, and wrote the original spy series about an intelligence officer who works for The Circus, Britain's overseas intelligence agency. Harkaway, whose real name is Nicholas Cornwell, published his first continuation novel, Karla's Choice, last year. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'Last time I was kind of deliberately unaware of how much pressure there actually was. 'I sort of sat down (to write) and didn't really think about it. And then, after I finished, and as the reviews started to come out and they were positive, I got retrospective terror. 'I realised… and particularly when you read the reviews, what you realise is that all of them begin with 'I really expected to hate this book, and I don't'. And I thought 'Gosh, that would have been really awful'.' He continued: 'There's a lot of reasons why it shouldn't work… So I think everybody had sort of legitimate fear, and I have great respect for that.' In the new novel, The Taper Man, George Smiley is sent, for the first time, on an operation to America to pursue an old communist network across the West Coast. 'We have Smiley going to America, to the United States, for the first time, into the kind of culmination of the Civil Rights decade,' said Harkaway. 'It's a period of massive, massive, tumultuous change, and not all of it peaceful, you know – there's some quite extraordinary acts of domestic terrorism in the early '60s, around desegregation. 'It's a deep dive, and I'm kind of daunted by it, but you do these things with respect, and you feel your way, and you learn,' he said. The novel is set in 1965, 18 months after Karla's Choice, and amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War as well as the Civil Rights era. 'I'm not just writing to the 1960s, I'm also writing to the world of George Smiley and he's not the guy who shows up at a Beatles concert,' said Harkaway. 'We're not going to see the kind of glamorous '60s that you see in a James Bond film from the period; we're going to be looking at, always, the shadows and the grey spaces and the places where things have potential to go seriously wrong. 'And looking for somebody who can potentially make them go right, and will that person be heard? It's always about ambiguity, rather than the kind of acid orange of the '60s.' It has also been announced that Harkaway's father's global best-selling thriller, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, is to be staged in London's West End for the first time in November. Harkaway told PA: 'I am excited about that… I have seen the play. I saw it at Chichester, and it runs on rails towards the kind of inevitable, staggering conclusion of the story… It's incredibly powerful.' Gary Oldman and John Le Carre arriving for the UK premiere of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy at the BFI Southbank in September 2011 (Ian West/PA) Le Carre, whose real name was David Cornwell, wrote best-selling novels including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager. Prior to his career as a writer, he worked in British intelligence throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Career intelligence officer Smiley became the author's best-known character and was made even more famous by Alec Guinness in the TV series of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which aired in the late 1970s. Film versions of Le Carre's novels include 2001's The Tailor Of Panama, starring Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis; 2005's The Constant Gardener, starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz; and 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy. Harkaway has written novels including The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker, Tigerman, Gnomon and The Price You Pay (as Aidan Truhen). – The Spy Who Came in From the Cold will play at Soho Place from November 17 2025 until February 21 2026.
