I learned about Michael Zahs at Teslacon, a steampunk convention which itself could be worthy of a “something wonderful” post. I almost missed his movie showing, and I’m very glad I didn’t. Listed on the con’s schedule was this simple entry: “An Afternoon with Michael Zahs & the Films of the Britton [sic] Collection. PART II. Join Film restoration expert Michael Zahs as he takes us into the world of the first films. After years of locating, finding and finally restoring these priceless films he once again shows them to a base of fans that will enjoy every minute of fantasy and adventure they offer.” That doesn’t begin to describe the experience of listening to Zahs talk about the Brintons and the films in their collection. Fortunately, I ran into a friend prior to the showing, and she urged me to attend. It was my favorite part of the convention.
Zahs began his presentation by telling us a bit about W. Frank and Indiana Putman Brinton. From the late 1800s through the early 1900s, Frank and his wife, Indiana, traveled from Texas to Minnesota, entertaining people with magic lantern shows and some of the earliest movies. They were meticulous record keepers who saved everything, such as film catalogs (including possibly the only English translations of a Georges Méliès catalog) and old films. When Zahs ran across the Brintons’ collection at an estate sale, he knew he’d found a treasure. For more than 30 years, he has worked to archive what he found, including digitizing old films.
Although Zahs’ finds included more than films, they are the jewels of the collection. Among the movies the Brintons saved were two Méliès films that have never been found anywhere else: The Wonderful Rose Tree and The Triple-Headed Lady. The former is a very short story, in which a magician, assisted by a woman who loves him, grows a magic rose tree. When the roses are gathered, they become a woman who entrances the magician, to the disappointment of his assistant. When he pursues the magical woman, she turns back into roses, and the tree disappears, leaving the magician alone. The Triple-Headed Lady involves a favorite Méliès special effect: the removal of heads.
In addition to the two missing films, the Brintons saved more Méliès films, at least one film by Thomas Edison, some early color films (hand-painted), footage of San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake, the first film footage of a president (Woodrow Wilson), and many more movies made between 1895 and 1908. Zahs showed several at Teslacon, accompanying them with humorous narration. (He pointed out that silent films were never, in fact, silent. Theaters always would provide music or narration.) I would love to be able to embed just one of the short films we saw in this post, but if any of them are available online, I can’t locate them. And even if I could find them, Zahs’ narration added something that cannot be replaced.
Because of his dedication to preserving this rare collection of some of the earliest films in existence, Zahs has recently been made the subject of a documentary: Saving Brinton. Unfortunately, since I was completely unaware of Zahs or the Brintons until a few days ago, I didn’t know to look for the movie, which has already been to my city. If you are in New York, it will premiere there on Nov. 13 and 14. The rest of us will have to wait until it is released on video. (Perhaps it will be shown in more theaters if it wins an Oscar?)
Zahs is a different kind of hero, but I think historians and film buffs will agree that he is just that. Do all you can to learn about the collection he’s preserving.