Off Topic Discussions From Another World • Saber of London Restoration Effort

At the heart of the Film is Fabulous! initiative is a love for film, both as a medium, and for what it represents in terms of nostalgia. The desire to preserve vulnerable film treasures is part of this affinity.

Within the private film collection of the late David Moore is an episode of b&w television in urgent need of restoration. The print is the sole surviving copy of a programme missing from the archives:

Saber of London: Four Against Three (Broadcast: 11th November 1959)

The programme, Saber of London, was one of several British-made shows produced by American-born brothers, Edward J. and Harry Lee Danziger. It starred Donald Gray, a South African actor who had lost his left arm during World War II. Indeed, Saber Of London was one of the first mainstream British television shows to feature a disabled character in a positive leading role. A total of 91 episodes of the popular detective drama were made at the Danzigers’ Elstree Studios between 1957 and 1959.

The 30 minute episode is among a number within David Moore’s collection being catalogued at De Montfort University in Leicester. It’s composed of three 35mm negatives (for the visuals), and three matching 35mm optical soundtracks (for the audio). Each of these is suffering from severe vinegar syndrome, and requires urgent professional restoration. The restoration work will be undertaken by R3Store Studios in London. It will entail the following actions, across each of the six component parts:

    Film preparation
    Cleaning (inc. ultrasound liquid bath)
    4K scan 35mm negatives
    Audio scan 35mm optical soundtracks
    Transcode to 4K Pro Res
    Data transfer to hard-drive

The estimated cost for the above is £2,000 plus VAT.

Support our project via GoFundMe

While the Film is Fabulous! team appreciate it’s a challenging time, financially, please consider donating via GoFundMe. If you can’t donate money, please interact with our posts on Facebook and Twitter, and share the details of this project as widely as possible.

As a conclusion to the project, we intend to screen the restored episode of Saber of London, together with three other recovered episodes of vintage television, at a special film festival. This will be held in Leicester, in 2025 (the full details of the event will be announced shortly).

Those who donate £100 or more via GoFundMe will receive a VIP Ticket to the festival, will have access to the ‘Green Room’, and their names will be shown on the screen at the conclusion of the episode. They will also be acknowledged in the souvenir brochure. All other donors will receive a concession on the price of entry. Their names will also be published in the souvenir brochure.

Please note, if funds are raised beyond the £3,000 GoFundMe target, these will be used in an identical manner, to restore other films. Indeed, there are a number of 35mm prints with vinegar syndrome that would benefit from the professional restoration offered by R3Store Studios.

The Film is Fabulous! team are very grateful for any support you can give, to help restore and preserve this missing, and culturally important, episode of television.

statistics: Posted by Dr Acula — 3:08 PM - 1 day ago — Replies 0 — Views 147