Originally posted by: Mielr
I actually think that owning a 35mm print is illegal. Unless the laws have been changed here in the US, I think consumers are only allowed to own 8mm and 16mm prints. I remember hearing a story about how the actor Roddy McDowell had his home raided, and his collection of 35mm films confiscated.
Both of those things you just mentioned intrigued me greatly. Now I understand why so few 35mm films turn up for sale anywhere, and why nobody outside the industry seems to make transfers from them. And the story about Roddy McDowall is apparently true; I just looked it up and read about it with great interest. I suddenly feel a cameraderie for the late great Roddy that I never did before: he was one of us! Apparently he was very passionate about preserving lost films, or films in danger of being lost. I actually think that owning a 35mm print is illegal. Unless the laws have been changed here in the US, I think consumers are only allowed to own 8mm and 16mm prints. I remember hearing a story about how the actor Roddy McDowell had his home raided, and his collection of 35mm films confiscated.
It's hard to imagine now that there was a time when Joe Citizen just could not own a film collection, no matter how much money he had. The only place you got to see a film was in the theater. Now, we all have our own film collections (on videotape, laserdisc and DVD) and it's no big thing.
A bunch of the actual documents involved in Roddy's story can be found here.
--SKot