The Nitrate Picture Show will kick off with a screening of a tinted nitrate print of D.W. Griffith’s silent masterpiece Intolerance (1916) on Thursday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m.
Intolerance is one of cinema’s first and greatest epics, spanning the course of 2,500 years, examining human failings and prejudices through dramatic set pieces depicting ancient Babylon, the story of Jesus Christ, 16th-century France, and “modern” America at the turn of the 20th century. Its innovative editing and narrative techniques influenced generations of filmmakers, starting with Erich von Stroheim and Sergei Eisenstein. Not surprisingly, it became one of the first motion pictures to be added to the National Film Registry.
This print has taken an epic journey as well. Originally created for the Museum of Modern Art in the 1930s (from the camera negative and, most likely, under Griffith’s personal supervision), it then traveled to Germany and survived World War II as well as the Cold War period, transferring to three different archives in East Germany and the unified state. The print, which is still in great condition despite its ninety years, comes to the George Eastman Museum from a loan by the Library of Congress.
A live musical performance will be provided by pianist Philip C. Carli, one of the world’s leading silent film accompanists. The full program of film titles to be shown this year will be announced the morning of Thursday, May 30.
Limited number of single screening tickets available for Intolerance (1916) on Thursday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m. Single tickets for other festival screenings will become available in the morning of Thursday, May 30, after the full program is announced.
General Admission: $25
Eastman Museum Members: $20
Students with ID: $20
Purchase tickets HERE.