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January 1999, Week 4

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From:
Leo Enticknap <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Tue, 26 Jan 1999 23:32:47 +0000
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Re the 40-minute long silent version of DAS BLAUE LICHT:

Paul Malone's mention of the Pathescope logo clears up this little mystery.
Pathescope means 9.5mm - i.e. this was a cut-down version for rental and/or
sale to owners of home movie projectors - Pathescope was the trade name used
for 9.5mm cameras and projectors.  I doubt if the horrendous soundtrack is of
the same provenance as the print - although optical soundtracks were put on
9.5mm prints, this did not happen until the late 1930s.  Given that the
original film had sound (and therefore, if they were going to release this
domestic version with any sound at all, why not use the live dialogue) this
silent version was probably edited and intertitled especially for 9.5mm, and
some NTD or video distributor who picked up the rights was probably responsible
for the soundtrack at a much later date.

9.5mm was quite a popular domestic format in Britain and France, but as far as
I know did not really catch on in the US, which would explain the intertitles
in UK English.

L
__________________________________
Leo Enticknap
Postgraduate Common Room
School of English
University of Exeter
Queen's Building, The Queen's Drive
Exeter
Devon EX4 4QH
United Kingdom
email: [log in to unmask]

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