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How Did NBC Universal Restore Steven Spielberg’s Cult Classic The Sugarland Express On Its 50th Anniversary? DEETS Inside
Steven Spielberg’s film 1974 film The Sugarland Express had its newly restored version screened at this year's Cannes. At a recent film festival Universal Studio's VP opened up about the restoration process, check it out!
The 12th edition of the International Classic Film Market (MIFC) began in Lyon, France. Cassandra Moore, VP of Mastering and Archive at NBC Universal, discussed her company's mission to restore classic films. The film market, alongside the Lumière Film Festival, is a grand event celebrating heritage cinema.
This year’s festival had an impressive screening program of 150 films, among them Steven Spielberg’s cult classic The Sugarland Express. The film's newly restored version was screened at this year’s Cannes Classics. Speaking at the event, Moore took the audience through the restoration process.
After retrieving the original reels/footage from the vault, the team dissected and inspected the audio and visual clarity and jotted a report based on their observations. “Our artists – we have an incredible team – clean the dirt and scratches by hand,” she said. “Those are the most interesting and fun parts because you really let an artist figure out how to solve that problem,” she explained.
Although it’s challenging to grab a frame after the wear and tear, according to Morre, It’s always fixable. After the issues are fixed, the next step is to add color and sound, which was supervised by Spielberg himself. “Mr Spielberg said, ‘It’s the best it’s ever looked.’ That was the best accolade ever,” Moore shared.
She further admitted that at the Cannes premiere, the film looked and sounded great, credit to the collaborative efforts of her team. Moore also explained that restoring the 1974 crime adventure was an inevitable choice because it was approaching its 50th anniversary.
“We try to look at films that are not necessarily blockbusters. It needs to be an important film,” she said. It might not have the views or box office numbers, but it somehow left a significant mark on the legacy of cinema.
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