Film Restored – screening ‘Nature in Danger!’ (‘Natur in Gefahr!’)

USING NATURE

‘Nature in Danger!’ (‘Natur in Gefahr!’), FRG, 1952, directed by Eugen Schumacher

OV with EN subtitles 

Original format: 35 mm, 1:1,37, bw 

Screening print: DCP, 80 min, DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main 

This was the first film aimed at nature preservation com- missioned by the West German government and its log line make its mission clear: ‘An exhortation to preserve the landscape, to protect animals and plants.’ The film is divided into three segments. The first part portrays the original beauty of flora and fauna untouched by human hands. That is followed by the destruction wrought on that world by the brutal encroachment of humans and their technology. The third segment is conciliatory and lays out the efforts to preserve what remains of the natural world.

The original film negative was lost. The archive at the DFF film institute found release prints, which were already showing signs of vinegar syndrome. One of those was selected for the digitization. The 4K scan and digital pro- cessing were done at Studio Hamburg. The project was funded by the film heritage subsidy program FFE.

Introduction: Thomas Worschech (DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum)

→ Tickets: 8,50 €