SPLICE HERE: A Love Letter To Film Itself

SPLICE HERE: A PROJECTED ODYSSEY (DVD)

2022 / 128 min

FROM GRAVITAS VENTURES

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Bonnie😸

Just in case you don't get out much, most feature films these days are shot digitally. A majority of theaters worldwide have since replaced traditional film projectors - and the need for people skilled at using them - with high-tech machines not unlike those in elaborate home theater systems. When we go to the movies, we’re aren’t actually watching film anymore, but projected computerized data. And most of us don’t notice the difference. 

Rob Murphy does, though. A former projectionist himself, he’s the director, star and narrator of Splice Here, a charming, somewhat bittersweet documentary that’s part personal journey, part history lesson and part love letter to a bygone era. He travels all over (mostly America and his native Australia) to interview projectionists, filmmakers, historians and owners of independent theaters that still actually have film projectors, including the Hollywood Theatre in my hometown of Portland, Oregon (a wonderful place).

Splice Here also delves into the history of film itself, particularly its flammability and susceptibility to rapid deterioration, the latter being a chief reason so many older movies have been lost forever (and not just those from the silent era). Other historical innovations are also featured, such as the three-projector Cinerama process, which was short-lived but revolutionary for its time. Part of Murphy’s journey involves not-only trying to locate any remaining Cinerama projectors, but hoping to experience watching a film in that format. 

Then there’s the semi-underground movement of cinema purists and former projectionists who’ve collected and kept reels from old films, doing their best to preserve them. Though what they’re doing is technically illegal, Hollywood has long since stopped caring about such archaic technology, though studios have occasionally benefited from these people when seeking lost footage to preserve certain films. 

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Speaking of which, preservation is obviously a major theme, and ironically, saving older movies depends largely on the digital technology that rendered film obsolete. That’s an important aspect of Splice Here, because Murphy’s not a crusty old boomer lamenting about the good ol’ days, nor does he overtly champion celluloid over digital technology. The movie acknowledges digital filmmaking is not-only cinema’s future, it’s what will save its past.

What Splice Here does best is provide the strong argument for simply keeping film alive, as exemplified in the final act. When it’s announced that Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (which was shot on film) will be shown in selected theaters in 70mm Panavision, Murphy joins his old colleagues at an old Australian cinema to restore the projector, which includes the daunting search for an existing 70mm lens. In a surprisingly affecting climax, Tarantino himself shows up to present his film to an eager audience while expressing to gratitude to Morgan’s team. 

Though maybe a little overlong, Splice Here is an entertaining documentary that’s not only informative, it frequently connects with viewers on an emotional level. The total extinction of film is probably inevitable and it’s doubtful most of us will even notice, but meeting so many folks dedicated to keeping it alive (even as nostalgia) is genuinely heartwarming.