The Chaplin Project

The Cineteca di Bologna has been assigned the delicate and complex task of restoring the entire cinematographic work of Charlie Chaplin in collaboration with the laboratory L’Immagine Ritrovata and the filmmaker’s heirs. The restoration work is based on philological reconstruction of each film: the best existing material will be collected, and Chaplin’s definitive version of each film will be restored to the best possible quality. Another essential part of the  work will be conservation of the “variants”: afterthoughts and successive changes made to the films, numerous and particularly significant in Chaplin’s work, which constitute precious documentation on the director’s methods. After restoration of The Kid in 1999 and Modern Times in 2000, it is now time for Monsieur Verdoux. The film was restored starting from a comparison between different existing materials and by identifying, through laboratory tests, the best sources for image and sound restoration. While photochemical procedures were used for the image, digital procedures were applied for the sound restoration. The Chaplin archives hold a largely unexplored treasure of documents: stories and scripts, notes, drawings, photographs, production and promotional materials. The Cineteca di Bologna is committed to guaranteeing conservation of this heritage, creating a complete inventory of the materials and an electronic catalogue to be partially accessible online to scholars and enthusiasts. The materials will be made available to a wider public through a series of events and exhibits to be defined by an international committee of experts.

MK2

I am very proud that Charlie Chaplin’s heirs have entrusted the worldwide sales of his films to the MK2 group.  We plan to promote them in  theatrical retrospectives, and video, DVD and book publications, so that new generations and old may discover or rediscover the universality and modernity of his work.  As well as this prestigious library, MK2 handles a catalogue of over 250 titles including movies by François Truffaut, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Claude Chabrol, Abbas Kiarostami, Alain Resnais, Jacques Doillon, David Lynch, Emir Kusturica. I am also very happy about the collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna which enabled us to present this year in Cannes the restored print of Monsieur Verdoux.

Marin Karmitz, Press Contact : MK2 – Monica Donati