Frozen time, a feature length film by bill morrison u. The confluence of a gold rush in the yukon and the birth of cinema in the waning days of the 19th century form the basis for this masterful, revelatory film, which uses film footage that was long feared lost to tell these interconnecting stories. Frozen time pieces together the bizarre true history of a collection of some 500 films dating from 1910s to 1920s, which were lost for over 50 years until being discovered buried in a subarctic swimming pool deep in the yukon territory, in dawson city, located about 350 miles south of the arctic circle. Rockefeller were gunned down by the colorado national guard.
About 500 film reels were unearthed in dawson city in 1978, and became. Frozen time 2016 won a critics choice award for most innovative documentary, and was named the. Filmmaker hopes to find more lost film reels buried in dawson city. The history of dawson city, the gold rush town that had a historical treasure of forgotten silent films buried in permafrost for decades until 1978. Frozen time is a sophisticated documentary and an astonishing feat of film editing that combines still images and previously lost footage from the silent film era. Frozen time is a rather clunky and uninspiring title for a film thats both revelatory and deeply fascinating. Is the coronavirus in bible prophecy facing uncertain times with david jeremiah duration. Located just south of the arctic circle, dawson city was settled in 1896 and became the center of the canadian gold rush that brought 100,000 prospectors to the area. Dawson city frozen time a treasure trove of silent film buried under the swimming pool of an exboomtown. Filmmaker bill morrison decasia deftly combines excerpts from this lm nd, including rarely seen hollywood features, with historical. Frozen time depicts the unique history of this canadian gold rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile. Frozen time is a 2016 american documentary film written, edited and directed by bill morrison and produced by morrison and madeleine molyneaux. Frozen time may sound like a time capsule on paper, but its something altogether more profound in motion. Frozen time makes a gargantuan effort to reinvigorate that memory, giving us a vivid account of the klondike gold rush of 1897 and tracing the.
Using archival footage to tell the story, the film depicts a unique history. It was screened in the orizzonti competition section at the 73rd venice international film festival. Frozen time, marjorie prime, lady macbeth, landline, and more jordan raup october 6, 2017 with a seemingly endless amount of streaming options not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves weve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit. Fashioned mainly from a cache of old films found frozen and forgotten in the once booming goldrust outpost in the yukon, the story of the town and cinema history unfold through. Newsreel footage is shown of the 1914 ludlow massacre in colorado where 24 of the 1200 miners on strike against the colorado fuel and iron company owned by john d. The first has to do with the accidental discovery of 35mm film reels buried in the yukon over one hundred years ago and miraculously preserved by the permafrost. The nowfamous dawson city collection was uncovered in 1978 when a bulldozer working its way through a parking lot dug up a horde of film cans. Frozen time, which has a domestic theatrical release in the year of 2016. Frozen time depicts the unique history of this canadian gold rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile, burial, rediscovery, and. The second is the incredible boomandbustandboomandbust saga of dawson city itself, where the movies were discovered.
Winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comic con sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Frozen time uses film from the dawson city archive, including this footage of the 1919 world serieswhen members of. Frozen time 2016, explores the discovery of those 500 reels but also the history of dawson city and its long connection with hollywood. This meditation on cinemas past from decasia director bill morrison pieces together the bizarre true history of a longlost collection of 533 nitrate film prints from the early 1900s. Frozen time depicts the unique history of this canadian gold rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile, burial, rediscovery, and salvation. Frozen time on bluray 738329225476 from kino lorber. The documentary has no narration and only a couple of. Located just south of the arctic circle, dawson city was settled in 1896 and. For classic hollywood films, this is the best and worst of. How bill morrison makes magic with found footage the chicagoborn filmmakers astonishing documentary dawson city.
Staring chris mad dog russo, bill ofarrell, sam kula and michael gates. Continually on my mind in that context since i saw it at the venice film festival last month is bill morrisons wondrous, almost indescribable documentary dawson city. Frozen time is a 2016 american documentary film written, edited and directed by bill morrison and produced by morrison and madeleine. With kathy jonesgates, michael gates, sam kula, bill ofarrell. Using archival footage to tell the story, dawson city. There is currently one video available for the film, of which one and only one is a trailer, as listed below.
Frozen time 2016 its estimated that about 90% of all films made prior to 1929 are lost and many of those are very likely gone forever. Frozen time could have benefited from judicious trimming of its twohour running time, and there are times when its wandering focus proves irritating. A more evocatively poetic title, say gold and silver, might suggest the extraordinary double helix of north american history and movie lore that bill morrisons foundfootage documentary contains the film owes its existence, first of all, to the. Frozen time pieces together the bizarre true history of a collection of some 500 films dating from 1910s1920s. He is a director and editor, known for dawson city.
Frozen time pieces together the bizarre true history of a longlost collection of 533 nitrate film prints dating from the early 1900s. Swimming tank nyff54 by film society of lincoln center on youtube. Frozen time trailer 2016 trailer for the documentary dawson city. Frozen time is a complete astonishment from beginning to end. Frozen time begins with a brightly colored, completely intact clip from a television show about baseball in which mr. To attempt to describe it as a documentary is to limit the extent of its creativity. Alex somers mines musical gold for documentary dawson. Frozen time tells the story of one of the greatest film finds in history by using the.
Part fever dream, part historical record, dawson city. The discovery of the dawson city find is legendary and this acclaimed documentary tells the story of a town through the footage that was discovered there. Frozen time, despite a title evoking either a 1980s apple ii adventure or a wevelostcount blockbuster sequel, proves to be morrisons best film in yearsa bona fide adventure through history, hopscotching across the turn of the 19th century. The chicagoborn filmmakers astonishing documentary dawson city. How bill morrison makes magic with found footage movie. Frozen time 120 min, 2016, usa north american premiere at the 54th new york film festival. With those kinds of odds, its no wonder that classic film fans get so excited over news that a print of a thoughttobelost film has been found. Frozen time depicts the unique history of this canadian gold rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection. Bill morrisons wondrous, almost indescribable documentary dawson city. It concerns the history of dawson city, canada, deep in the yukon, from its creation during the klondike gold rush and culminating in the. Frozen time 2016, the great flood 20, the miners hymns 2011, spark of being 2010, light is calling 2004 and decasia 2002. Using archival footage to tell the story, and accompanied by an.
Frozen time tells the bizarre true story of some 533 silent lm reels, buried for almost 50 years in a subarctic swimming pool, deep in the yukon permafrost. Frozen time is a meditation on cinemas past, the bizarre true history of a longlost collection of 533 nitrate film prints from the early 1900s. Like his elegant decasia 2002 and the great flood 2012, dawson city is a hypnotic mashup of narrative cinema filtered through bill morrisons fascination with the history of decomposing nitrate celluloid. When dawson city swelled to more than 40,000 inhabitants in a matter. Frozen time monday, april 16, 2018 bill morrison decasia, the great flood pieces together the bizarre history of a collection of 500 films from the 1910s and 20s, lost until they were unearthed from a subarctic swimming pool deep in the yukon territory in 1978. Scott, new york times, on the 2016 new york film festival the latest from bill morrison decasia, the great flood is this haunting experience about cinema lost and found. It does document the ebb and flow of life in a yukon territory gold rush town, but with a paint brush instead of a pencil. Frozen time, pieces together the bizarre true history of a collection of some 500 films dating from 1910s 1920s, which were lost for over 50 years until being discovered buried in a subarctic swimming pool deep in the yukon territory, in dawson city, located about 350. Dawson city tracks the true history of over 500 film reels from the 191020s that were lost for over 50. Director bill morrisons new documentary dawson city.
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