Without John Ford, the history of western cinema would have been very different. The American director has shaped the development of the genre since the silent film era. In a career spanning around five decades, he has directed masterpieces such as Ringo, The Black Hawk and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
These titles are shown regularly on television, are available on streaming services and can be placed on the shelf as DVDs. But what about Ford’s early work? If we delve deeper into his filmography, some gaps become apparent even in the best-sorted film catalogue. Because many films are lost.
The Scarlet Drop: John Ford’s lost western found in a warehouse in Chile
Especially in the streaming age, it seems natural that a film is available anytime and anywhere. However, the further we go back in film history, the clearer it becomes that film is also a extremely fragile medium may be that does not last or only partially lasts. The Scarlet Drop from 1918 is a good example of this.
The Ford-directed western about a man who refuses to fight in the American Civil War and instead joins a group of marauders was long thought to be lost. Only 32 minutes existed in the Getty Images image archives. Now, after 106 years, the film has been shown in its entirety for the first time.
As the Spanish-language film website Cinetransit reports, the find was a stroke of luck: in one Warehouse in Santiago, Chile A collector who died over 40 years ago kept a copy of The Scarlet Drop. The film historian Jaime Cordova from the University of Vina del Mar was able to ensure this.
A last-minute rescue: the warehouse – and therefore its contents – were actually supposed to be razed to the ground. Shortly before the demolition, Cordova was contacted to examine the contents and ensure that no untold treasure was lost. No question, he did his job.
As of now there is a 4K scan of The Scarlet Drop, but the restoration is still pending
The material is said to be very damaged, which on the one hand is due to improper storage. On the other hand, Cordova concludes that the film very popular in his time and was therefore shown very often. However, given the circumstances, the poor condition of the copy should come as no surprise to anyone.
What’s important is that the film is now complete again – or at least as complete as it hasn’t been in decades. Cordova has already digitized the 50 minutes of The Scarlet Drop and cleaned the image. This resulted in a 4K scan that was shown at the Valparaiso Recovered Film Festival in September.
An extensive restoration is still pending. When and whether this will take place at all is currently unclear. We also don’t know whether the film will come to Germany or will only be shown at festivals for the time being. So you’ll have to be patient a little longer before you can complete your John Ford work show.