LOS ANGELES — By some estimates, as many as 50 percent of American films made before 1950, and 90 percent made before 1929, have been lost forever due to deterioration, or just lost in the sands of time.


What You Need To Know

  • Estimates are that as many as 50 percent of American films made before 1950, and 90 percent made before 1929, have been lost forever

  • Independent filmmakers often struggle with film preservation without the backing and resources of a major studio

  • Filmmaker Coscarelli said film can last 500 years if stored properly

  • The Beastmaster is a fan favorite in the genre, and also was the first American film photographed by legendary cinematographer John Alcott, famous for his work with Stanley Kubrick

Although awareness of film preservation has grown in the digital age, without the resources of a large studio to take care of the archiving films, keeping film materials safe can be a challenge for many independent filmmakers.

Don Coscarelli is the writer and director of the epic fantasy The Beastmaster (1982). He has many keepsakes from his films like a replica of the sword used by the Beastmaster (Marc Singer) himself.

 

Unfortunately, one thing he does not have is the original film negative.

The Beastmaster was part of a renaissance of sword and sorcery fantasy films in the early 1980s. The film was not a huge hit upon its release, but cable and home video over the years have made it a cult favorite with a loyal fan base.

Coscarelli and his writing and producing partner, Paul Pepperman, went looking for the The Beastmaster film negative after being contacted about doing a restored re-release.

“What we were looking for is what's called an original camera negative,” explained Coscarelli. “This is the negative that went through the camera when the film was shot.”

To their dismay, the filmmakers discovered the negative was missing from storage. It was checked out by someone who worked for the rights holder of the film and most likely left in a garage somewhere in the San Fernando Valley.

“I was shocked because here we have a movie that, of course, I spent years of my life working on and with a fan base worldwide. The fact that these materials could just be so callously disregarded, especially considering the fact that the film was shot by a great cinematographer John Alcott,” said Coscarelli.

John Alcott is celebrated for his work with Stanley Kubrick on films like A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Barry Lyndon (for which he won an Oscar).

The Beastmaster was his entry into American filmmaking.

“I just had a wonderful, wonderful experience working with [Kubrick], learning so much.” said Pepperman. “And at lunchtime, if we could, [we’d] sit around hearing Stanley Kubrick stories.”

Preserving a film – be in celluloid or digital – can be a struggle for filmmakers. Doing it properly is expensive, and there are usually many elements to keep track of.

“There are so many independent films out there that don't have the protection of a movie studio backing them, who are collating and curating their negatives. And a lot of times they wind up in somebody's garage,” said Coscarelli. 

“When we tweeted out what had happened, one of the first people that came back was Guillermo del Toro. He wanted to know which lab had lost the negative! All these filmmakers make movies and then move on and expect them to be taken care of.”

Proper care includes vaulted storage in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment. Over time, it gets costly.  

“Film is a really good, stable medium – if it's taken care of,” said Coscarelli.

Now, the team has made a call out to the public, on the www.whereisthebeastmaster.com website, which explains their story and asks for information that could help them track the film negative.

“I don't know if we're going find The Beastmaster negative, but I hope that we can raise the awareness,” said Coscarelli.

Coscarelli and Pepperman remain upbeat.

The screenplay rights for the film have just reverted back to the filmmaking team, so a Beastmaster reboot might be on the horizon, but for Coscarelli and Pepperman (and fans the world over) there will never be anything like the original.