A Mad Mad Mad Mad Q&A with Film Preservationist Robert Harris

I can't begin to tell you how exciting it was not only to be one of the first civilians to
see newly discovered footage from one of my all-time favorite films, but to be in the company of two individuals who are involved in film preservation. I was able to hang out with Robert Harris  and Ken Horowitz. Ken Horowitz was involved with the restoration of My Fair Lady on DVD. He was a studio and marketing representative who convinced CBS to budget the million+ that was needed to be done on the MFL preservation. Since he was a kid, Ken had interest in movies and did internship at George Eastman house and UCLA's film archives.

I had the opportunity to sit with Mr. Harris and talk to him about his involvement in

putting together a restored roadshow version of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.

[Ron Epstein]: Mr. Harris, what originally brought you to IAMMMMW, wanting to restore

the film to its full roadshow glory? Was it a personal favorite of yours?

[Robert Harris]: It has always been a personal favorite. I think it's one of the funniest films
ever made. You have the entire history of silent to early sound cinema's greatest comics that have survived into the 60s -- and so many are in there. And then there's the other part of it, the lore -- when truth becomes legend, print the legend, and that concept about the missing footage that no-one had ever seen or heard. After Josh Bermann got hold of the 70mm trims and I was able to bring in material from Australia and England and combined that with the newly discovered audio tracks, I realized it was potentially something that could be done. It would also give the studio a rationale for creating new interpositives and preservation elements.

[Ron Epstein]: How long ago did you contact MGM and let them know you were interested in doing a new restoration of IAMMMMW, especially for the fact that the studio was planning on putting out a DVD release which they finally did in 2001.

[Robert Harris]: I contacted them in 1996-1997. In 1998, Gray Ainsworth, MGM's Sr. VP of asset protection was giving me inventory and whatever else he had. So it was beginning to potentially come together.

[Ron Epstein]: So as of now, MGM has not commissioned you to go ahead and officially restore this film. You are actually putting all this material together on your own and then go to MGM with a budget and see how much money would have to be raised for restoration.

[Robert Harris]: Well, they would have to finance this one themselves -- and isn't going to be a horrific budget. It will come to a bit over a million dollars or thereabouts, and I am trying to get the budget down to a point at which it becomes viable, so its an interesting situation. Basically what MGM has done is say here is our negative, here is our separations, here is our inventory, here's everything we have -- take it and let us know what you come up with.

[Ron Epstein]: Is there a deadline as far as you getting all this material together? Because obviously, there is still material still missing -- we don't know when or if it is going to come in -- and time is of the essence to recover that material.

[Robert Harris]: Jim Kroeper is going to England next month, we determined that some of the 70mm prints that were brought into England were cut at Pinewood studios, so is it possible that the missing trims are sitting in cans at Pinewood? Sure! The other situation is that I still have to have a chat with the folks at Technicolor to make sure the trims are not sitting in cans there. Are they sitting in in some other facility? Are the trims sitting in the place sitting behind a load of furniture someplace?  We don't know any of this. So what I need is a go-ahead from MGM to start on the project, which would basically mean working with the original negative to make sure it will print and then color-correcting that negative to the point where we can make an interpositive which is a duplicating element. At least

then we have 154 minutes done and put everything else off as long as we can. If there is nothing at  Pinewood, and know there are no separation master trims in either Pittsburgh or Technicolor, we then go check all the obvious places like the Academy, UCLA, George Eastmann house -- everywhere. After that we just start inputting the 70mm trims and go from there. We get the mag off them and then just start inputting and outputting, always with the hope you will find something down the line.

[Ron Epstein]: The deluxe laserdisc release that MGM put out back in the 90's was not a true representation of the roadshow release. It had just about everything found thrown into it.

[Robert Harris]: It didn't represent the roadshow version and had the things that were found thrown into it that the people at MGM/UA wanted to put in it. They also had other problems including bits of connective tissue that are still missing. They were using cutaways -- taking scenes from other places which included closeups of people, cutting it all together to make it work. They also used things that weren't in the roadshow version but in the preview cuts that Kramer never meant to be seen.

[Ron Epstein]: What are you using as your road map to put this film back together, as there is no blueprint left from Stanley Kramer on how the film should be reconstructed back to its roadshow version?

[Robert Harris]: We work from partial editing notes re: the 154 minute cut and the knowledge and interrelationships between various trims and corresponding reel lengths for different versions. A matter of deduction

[Ron Epstein]: What sequences, that immediately come to mind, that appeared on the laserdisc release will NOT be appearing on your roadshow restoration because they were never intended to be seen?

[Robert Harris]: Trims that were never meant to be in the roadshow would include those of

Arnold Stang in the rafters of the gas station trying to avoid Mr. Winters; part of the Winters/Provine tow truck scene during which he discusses why he wants the money -- to help this little old lady...

[Ron Epstein]: What does MGM need to do in order to save the additional material found for "IAMMMMW"?

[Robert Harris]: They have to do their internal due diligence so that they are secure that the numbers to come out of saving the film is worth the financial effort.

[Ron Epstein]: Is MGM expressing interest in doing a new restoration?

[Robert Harris]: They have been extremely cooperative. Its now up to the numbers.

[Ron Epstein]: You have a grand idea to present to MGM on how to properly release this film to DVD.  You suggest a deluxe 3-disc Special Edition release. Explain this 3 disc Special Edition.

[Robert Harris]: If I were to issue the film my way on DVD, it would be inclusive of the following:

1. High bit-depth transfer of the film at (probably) 2.55 aspect ratio anamorphic.

2. A second disc with the film in full 2.76 aspect ratio, but in the process used by

Dave Strohmeir for his superb Cinerama documentary "Cinerama Adventure." -- "Smilebox."

As per the Cinerama Adventure literature --

"In order to create the impression that the video transfer is seen on a curved screen, the "Smilebox" technique was developed. It imparts substantial deliberate distortion ... to the image... so that it closely approximates the way the image is seen in a theatre. The sides of the picture are slightly squeezed and stretched vertically."

The resulting image is striking. There is increased sensation of depth and a major benefit of the technique is that it provides a substantial increase in image detail since there is an increase in useable screen area of nearly 50% over standard letterboxing. We would request Mr. Strohmeir's input to make this a viable release.

A third DVD would include all additional material.

[Ron Epstein]: What extra material is available for the 3rd bonus disc?

[Robert Harris]: Besides the normal trailers, featurettes, etc. is premier footage, footage of Mr. Dunn explaining his special effects in a layer by layer example of their design, potential tv footage from the period, ie., The Jonathan Winters Show, Jerry Lewis Show, etc. plus the extant documentary which could be updated. As far as paper materials, continuities, stills, and other elements.

[Ron Epstein]: What was the original length of "IAMMMMW" as filmed by Stanley Kramer?

[Robert Harris]: From what I have been told, about 5 hours.

[Ron Epstein]: As premiered in its roadshow version?

[Robert Harris]: 195 minutes.

[Ron Epstein]: As cut down to later theatrical and video?

[Robert Harris]: 154 minutes.

[Ron Epstein]: How much of the original roadshow footage do you have?

[Robert Harris]: We're up around 188 minutes of bona fide roadshow footage.

[Ron Epstein]: Missing minutes of audio?

[Robert Harris]: 3-4 minutes

[Ron Epstein]: Missing minutes of visual?

[Robert Harris]: 6-7 minutes, some of which could be newly shot.

[Ron Epstein]: Thank You, Mr. Harris

My final thoughts. It is the utmost hope of all fans of IAMMMMW that MGM gives the go-ahead to properly have this film restored. In addition, it is our hope that MGM recognizes the greatness of  this film, and does something extraordinary with its restored roadshow release. I personally like Robert Harris's idea of making this a 3-disc set that contains not only the roadshow version, but with a "smilebox" version that shows the film in an aspect ratio never before dreamed. I also feel any missing visual footage should be reshot, if it can be done convincingly. This is the one film left in MGM's library that is worthy of something extraordinarily special.

The purpose of this article, however, was not just to draw attention to Mad World. There are

hundreds of films that are forever lost every year because of neglect caused by studio politics. Even just as bad, there are just too many movies that have been restored to laserdisc and DVD that have been done through cost-cutting, and have resulted in transfers that look nothing like the original film intended to look.

It is the belief of one film preservationist that there is a system that can effectively allow more of our greatest films to be transferred cost effectively, with a monetary recoup for the studio. But are studios willing to put away politics and unite in a common cause to save film history? The future looks bleak, but perhaps, it can happen.