Content area
Full text
The answer to such a question might seem obvious: no, we do not have any 16mm nitrate films in our vaults, simply because nitrate 16mm does not exist. Naturally, every generalization has its exceptions. The reference literature acknowledges that a small quantity of nitrate 16mm might have been manufactured in China and the Soviet Union J Nevertheless, the literature maintains that until proven otherwise, all 16mm films were produced on safety base, and therefore we can be pretty sure that, when we find a roll of film in this format, we are dealing with acetate or polyester stock.
However, our experience taught us that we should not be so sure: actually, we are now able to present what is probably one of the first proven cases of the existence of such materials. In fact, we have found a considerable number of nitrate 16mm reels in one of the collections deposited with the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin (Torino). Our assumptions almost let them pass unnoticed, to the point that they were ready to be stored together with the rest of the collection, which is on safety stock. Fortunately, our curiosity was stronger than our certainty, and they are now stored in the correct facility: the nitrate vault.
Before we tell the story behind these materials, it is necessary to note that they were originally manufactured as 16mm. This is important because it is rather common to find slit nitrate 35mm films that, at first glance, look like 16mm (fig. 1). In our case, the size of the perforations (fig. 2) and the style of the edge code (fig. 3) testify that these materials were actually born as 16mm.
Circumstances of discovery: the San Paolo Collection
The nitrate 16mm films we have found are part of the San Paolo Collection, deposited with the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in 2003. San Paolo Film is an Italian Catholic film company, which has been in the production and distribution business since the 1930s. Thanks to the Museum's interest in these materials, which led to a big investment of time and funds supported by Alberto Barbera, Director of the Museum, and Donata Pesenti Campagnoni, Head of Preservation, we were able to inspect, identify, and catalogue more than 6,600...