16mm feature films for sale

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Special Insert: Classic theatrical films on standard 8mm (not super 8mm!); prints by Blackhawk

The Birth of a Nation ( standard 8mm, Blackhawk** print )   Directed by D.W. Griffith. The 1915 classic in very good condition and full-length. An ideal possession of a film society or film study department which can be trotted out every other year, studied and discussed. It is an important film in many aspects. $150 + S&H  or  $159 shipped via UPS in contiguous U.S. (the lower 48)

Orphans of the Storm ( standard 8mm, Blackhawk** print ) (silent, B&W, 1922, 156 minutes) w/ The Gish Sisters; directed by D.W. Griffith. the full length classic!    $137 + S&H or $148 shipped via UPS in continuous U.S. (the lower 48)

End of Classic theatrical films on 8mm

Special Films: Catholic Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII:

Coronation of Pope Pius XII (16mm, silent, B & W) 400 ft. / 10+ minutes, mint condition, (Castle Film production of newsreel - News Parade). $25 + S&H

Pope Pius XI (16mm, B & W, silent) 400 ft. / 10 minutes, mint condition. (Excel Films). $25 + S&H  Shipped to IN at 1:13 pm Sept. 22, 06 expect delivery on or about Tuesday, Sept. 26th.

End of Catholic Special Films listing [These films are held by us, as a favor to a fellow cinephile.] 36'/minute]

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An Editorial from an Old Exhibitor, Projectionist, Film Archivist

  Given proper care, projection prints (8mm, 16mm, 35mm, etc.) can last an indefinite period if the film base is safety film (cellulose acetate, tri-acetate,  or polyester). The manufacture of 35mm. nitrate film (cellulose nitrate) ended in 1951 in the U.S.  Nitrate film deteriorates over time and its rate of deterioration cannot be controlled.  [Films discovered in the far North, e.g. in Alaska have remained stable for very long times. However, this kind of accident storage is rare. Most nitrate film has been stored for many years at room temperature (68 degrees F.). All U.S. manufactured 16mm film was made of the safety base developed by Kodak around 1923 for amateur use.

  Safety stock lasts very long although cellulose acetate and the tri-acetate films will do some curling and distortion due to shrinkage and decay at the molecular level. Film buffs often comment on a "vinegar smell" (a.k.a. "VS") about their films, particularly on the imbibition dye-transfer color prints produced by the Technicolor® process, "IB Tech" as known among some fanatics. The cellulose acetate and tri-acetate bases break down into volatile acetic acid and as these decay products evaporate, the shrinkage occurs. Thus, the film will usually curl. Newer polyester base film (developed in the 1950's) are resistant to this kind of shrinkage. Though these polyester bases (Cronar®, Estar®, etc. ... trade names) were more expensive and required tape splices rather than acetone based splicing fluid - adhesive, they are more stable and long-lasting.

  However, the greatest threat to film is mishandling and poor storage.

  Here are some tips to prolong the useful life of your prints, which you may be using for both enjoyment, education, and commercial use. And, as a last-resort, an archival original.

Keep your projector clean: Wipe out the gate, sprockets, and rollers or contact shoes after each reel. Use a toothbrush, dustless cloth, and light oil or silicone lubricant. This film handler (the writer) uses "Silicone Spray - Food Grade" which is formulated for anti-rust; as a lubricant; and as a release agent in food processing machinery. It comes in a pressurized spray can. Restaurant suppliers handle it.  Spray some on a clean, dust-free cloth and wipe the film as you rewind it. Don't use a metal knife of chisel on the film gate since it will scratch it. For tough build-up of film or emulsion, use a wooden chisel (You can carve one out of a popsicle stick) and use a solvent, e.g. acetate.

Keep the film clean: Wipe film after each use and inspect. (I use hand rewinds to maintain good control and feel for defects, tears, nicks, and bad splices.)

Repair torn film immediately and preferably with commercial tape splices.

Store film is a cool place with humidity at around 40%. Many basements are surprisingly dry, but check the humidity with a humidity meter ... borrow one from one of the heating and ventilating folks.

Store film in cans or, at the very least, wrapped in plastic to keep the dirt out.

Organize your storage and keep a good inventory record. This writer has overlaid a grid on the archival storage facility by  using the alphabet between joists (South to North) and distance (in feet, West to East).

When loaning film out, keep a record by noting it in your inventory folder. Loan film only to people that you know very well and that you are sure that they know how to handle film. [Even then, you may not get your film back ... it happens!]

On Handling and the Use of Leaders: "Leaders" are the pieces of film that are attached to both ends of a reel of film. The "head end" leader is often, or ought to be marked clearly with "H" and the number of the reel, e.g., "H1" would be the head end of Reel One. The "tail end" leaders should be marked with "T" and the reel number, e.g., "T3" for the tail end leader of Reel Three. 

Not one amateur projectionist in fifty handles leaders properly and this mishandling causes a lot of wear and damage to both ends of each reel of film.

Leader should never be allowed to be dropped on the floor; it gets stepped upon and picks up abrasive dust and dirt. This dirt gets into the film gate and produces visible scratches in the picture.

Leader should be run through the projector to ensure that the threading is proper, rather than dropped upon the floor or rolled upon the takeup reel, just to save a few seconds.

When leader is damaged, it should be promptly repaired or, better yet, replaced. It is the leader that should take the damage when starting, ending, or rewinding film, not the image and sound track part.

Anecdotes:      A corporation loaned a promotional film out of its main office and got less than fifty (50) uses or exhibitions. The film was turned into scrap in that short time. When they turned the loan operation over to a film rental library, the life of prints became indefinite. The library cleaned and repaired each print after each loan-out.                           When Universal Pictures informed us that It's a Gift was the only print in existence and that it was in bad shape, we became quite concerned. After inspection, wiping it clean, and fixing one splice, the print ran perfectly for a four-day weekend run. The print was between 30 and 50 years old, at least.

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16mm Non-Theatrical & Documentary Films  (Look to C 18 for silent shorts)

Arctic Thrills (Adventure Parade)   B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

Bali (The World Parade)  B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

The Big Bad Wolf (cartoon)  B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

Camera Thrills in Wildest Africa (Adventure Parade)   B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

Bryce-Zion, Grand Canyon   B & W, Silent, Castle Films World Parade, 400 ft., good condition, in original box which is in fair-poor condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25  postpaid in U.S.

The Chimp's Jamboree  B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 375 ft., approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.  $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

Framer Alfalfa in Old Dog Tray (Terry-Toons)  B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

Fishing Thrills - B & W, Silent, Sport Parade/Castle Films, 400 ft. $1 + S&H  or  $2.25 postpaid in U. S.

Knockout Thrills    B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

The Lost World (Encyclopaedia Britannica Films)   B & W, Silent,  Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

The News Parade of 1939  B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

Puddy the Pup - Down in the Deep B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

Tiger vs. Boa Constrictor B & W, Sound, Official Films, 400 ft., mint condition in metal can (from a collector's archive; offered on consignment). $25 postpaid in U.S.

Tiger Fangs with Frank Buck   B & W, Sound, Official Films, 400 ft., mint condition in metal can (from a collector's archive; offered on consignment). $25 postpaid in U.S.

Yellowstone (The World Parade)  B & W, Silent, Castle Film for home exhibition, 400 ft. approx., good condition,  in original box which is in fair condition.   $2 +S&H  or $5.25 postpaid in U.S.

8mm and Super 8mm Non-Theatrical, some Theatrical,  & Documentary Films

Cameos of Comedy (1909 - 1922) Highlights from Mr. Flip, Goodness Gracious, Tillie Wakes Up, The Butcher Boy, & The Counter Jumper.  B & W, Silent,  Standard 8mm, 22 minutes, 300 ft., $5 + S&H  or  $7.25 postpaid in the U.S.

Deadly Turning  A chapter from The Perils of Pauline, A racing car chase. 15 minutes, 200 ft.,  Standard 8mm,  $4 + S&H  or  $6.25 postpaid in the U.S.

Dempsey vs. Tunney -Both the 1926 and 1927 Bouts in one Film, 9 minutes, 165 ft. Super 8mm,  $4 + S&H  or  $6.25 postpaid in the U.S.

The New York Hat (12 minutes, Standard 8mm) Mary Pickford's last film with Biograph; opposite Lionel Barrymore. $14 postpaid in the U.S.

The Tragic Plunge  (1914) A chapter from The Perils of Pauline, A woman spy is out to capture inside information on U.S. submarines. B & W, Silent,  33 minutes, 450 ft., Standard 8mm, $5 + S&H  or  $7.25 postpaid in the U.S.

Theatrical Posters:

The Gentleman from Nowhere a lobby card (11" x 14")in fair condition. a Columbia 1948 "B" picture with Warner Baxter; in color although the film was in black and white $1.50 + S&H  (We will not ship this item rolled up; via 1st class USPS, it will probably take $1.06 for postage)  E 10 ovh

The Adventures of Quentin Durward a "one-sheet" (27" wide x 41" tall) in excellent, near-mint condition. The film starred Robert Taylor, Kay Kendall, Robert Morley; color & CinemaScope; an excellent film (based upon the Sir Walter Scott story) and hard to come by in DVD's or videos. [This writer showed the film twice as a projectionist and the title was simply "Quentin Durward". Some publicist may have thought that "The Adventures of" was needed. The poster may be rare, but I doubt it. - hcl]  $5 shipped postpaid anywhere in the U.S.   E 10 ovh

The League of Frightened Men w/Walter Connolly as Nero Wolf  (reduction b&w reproduction; lobby card) $1.50 postpaid   E 10 ovh

Shipping and Handling: Since the items on this web page vary in size and weight and will be sent various distances, a $2  handling (packaging and moving to a shipper i.e., USPS or UPS) plus whatever shipping fee is required. For single items, we estimate the shipping by USPS and may place an alternate price "Postpaid in U.S.".  "Postpaid" means that we have included the handling and shipping (by U.S. Mail/USPS) in the quoted price.

We always ship feature films via United parcel Service (UPS), insured, unless another method of shipping is specified by the customer.

To determine the actual shipping cost, drop us an e-mail and we will find out, based upon your preference of transport, and provide your ZIP code.

vwxficoa@milwpc.com*  

*Do not click on this e-mail address since it has some gibberish attached to confound the "SPAM ROBOTS" which march across the Internet vacuuming up e-mail addresses; Use it as you see it (write it down & then use it).

MovieStuff A web page dedicated to that intrepid band of movie buffs, moviemakers, and film students that have equipment and materials that they want to sell or give away or things that they are looking for.

*  As the motion picture industry moved into the 1920s, the camera speeds increased progressively to about 24 frames per second. There was no standard camera or projector speed until the advent of sound which is standardized at 24 frames per second (fps). Research conducted in the 1970s which focused on the music composed for the major silent films revealed that the projection speeds (based upon camera speeds) were, indeed, 24 frames per second or very close to it. Between 1920 and 1925, the picture taking speed moved from about 20 fps to 24 fps as the studio cameras were converted to electric motor drive. [There may have been some moves, among the major production studios, towards standardization, although this is speculation.]

   Early films and those made into the late nineteen teens were photographed at speeds of about 16 frames per second ... remember, there was no standardization at that time .  The silent projection speed standard of 16 fps was set (as a widely accepted standard) in the 1920s to provide an economical film consumption rate for amateur movie makers and for silent industrial film production. The silent film speed standard continued well into the 1950s in specialized industrial motion picture operations, particularly in work analysis and measurement ... time and motion study. The silent projection speed standard was useful since the 16 fps equaled 960 frames per minute or roughly equal to one one thousandths (.001) of a minute per frame. The time study folks could then assume .001 minutes per frame. Not exact, but good enough.

[Incidentally, the use of silent projection speed in time study films, particularly in the MTM system, has caused no end of confusion. The films were often run at sound speed and later when some of these, copied illegally, were put on video tape produced displays of excessively fast work motions. The camera speed was at 16 fps (for economy sake) while the projection speed (for transfer to video via "film chain") was at 24 fps.]

That is why every sound movie projector has the two-speed feature while practically no one uses the silent speed setting.

About reels and running times: The term "reel" indicates a 1,000 foot long piece of 35mm. film, which if in actual full length of 1,000 feet will run 11 minutes. Most reels, as they come out of the camera, have less than 1,000 feet of exposed negative. The usual rule is that one reel is about 10 minutes of screen time at sound speed and about 15 minutes at silent speed. Most reels are less than 1,000 feet. A 16mm. reel of 400 feet is equivalent to the 35mm. 1,000 foot reel and at sound speed will run 10 minutes; 15 minutes at silent speed.

**Blackhawk print: For those too young to remember, a company known as "Blackhawk Films (The Eastin - Phelan Corporation) of Davenport, Iowa sold 8mm. and  16mm. prints (and slides) of railroad films, theatrical shorts, and classic theatrical movies. Blackhawk prints are usually regarded by collectors as the top-of-the-line, in quality, prints. Blackhawk prints were not inexpensive, but were not, on the other hand, over-priced. Occasionally, they would offer films on sale [probably remainders, i.e. excess production and not sold out during the expected time] and at very reasonable prices ... these would be bargains. So, if a print is marked "Blackhawk", it is usually the mark of top quality.

Blackhawk (of Davenport, Iowa) is now out of business now, although the trade name still exists and can be found on the world wide web. This writer is not familiar with the new organization or its products.

January 08