THOSE AWFUL HATS
Scen.: David W. Griffith. F.: G.W. Bitzer. Int.: Linda Arvidson, John R. Cumpson, Flora Finch, George Gebhardt, Robert Harron, Anita Hendrie, Charles Inslee, Arthur V. Johnson (spectators). Prod.: American Mutoscope & Biograph DCP. D.: 4’. Bn.
Film Notes
A “trick film” intended to replace the Ladies, Please Remove Your Hats slides often seen in early Nickelodeons. It features a comic theatre scene where oversized hats disrupt the audience. A 1975 MoMA version, which circulated widely for 50 years, included speculative edits and the anachronistic use of a traveling matte.
In 2024, the Film Preservation Society produced a new 4K restoration from both MoMA’s 35mm elements and a paper print preserved at the Library of Congress. The latter allowed a better understanding of the film’s original structure and the inclusion of otherwise decomposed scenes. This research was conducted by myself and Benjamin Solovey, who led the restoration.
Tracey Goessel
Restored in 4K in 2024 by Film Preservation Society
in collaboration with MoMA – The Museum of Modern Art and Library of Congress at Film Preservation Society and Blackhawk Films laboratories,
from a paper print preserved by Library of Congress and a 35mm positive fine grain struck from the camera negative preserved by MoMA.
Funding provided by The Mayer Foundation.