Film is Fabulous! and De Montfort University’s Cinema and Television History Institute (CATHI) are pleased to announce the discovery of a lost silent movie from October 1919 by Selznick Pictures. The extraordinary print, which is on 35mm nitrate film stock, is entitled: Sealed Hearts.

Records show that the Evening Star, Washington, D.C., reviewed the movie on 13th December 1919, stating Sealed Hearts was: ‘A colorful [sic] drama of youthful loves, elderly prejudices and clashing natures that is rich in beauty, forceful in development and thrilling in climax.’

The movie was directed by Ralph Ince, and starred Eugene O’Brien. No copies were known to exist, until a U.K. film collector volunteered to the Film is Fabulous! team that he was custodian of reels 1 to 4. The original distribution print lasted 50 minutes and was composed of 5 reels.

The tinted 35mm print is the British version, which was distributed by Walturdaw. Its importance is such that The George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, has arranged for the print to be returned for restoration.

The discovery, along with other finds, will be topics of discussion at the Film is Fabulous! event, which is being held at the Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre in Leicester on Sunday, 29th October 2023. Anyone with an interest in film and vintage television is encouraged to attend.

Film is Fabulous! Preserving film treasures for future generations.

24th October 2024