What is the Gertie Project?
David L. Nathan (an artist and physician) conceived of the Gertie Project after seeing McCay's work and desperately wanting to peel back the layers of age that have accumulated in the ninety years since Gertie was produced. La Cinémathèque québécoise has generously offered to allow the use of their precious 35mm nitrate prints in the Gertie Project, making them the major collaborator in this restoration. The project enjoys the enthusiastic support of Patrick Loughney, Ph.D., head of the Moving Image Section at the U.S. Library of Congress. The Library of Congress and the National Film Preservation Board placed Gertie on the National Film Registry in 1991, making it one of the first seventy-five American films so honored and earmarking it as a motion picture to be preserved as a national treasure.
The commonly seen version of Gertie (with a live action
prologue) is largely complete, but the individual prints have all deteriorated over
time. Dust, scratches, fingerprints, and missing frames mar the film's original
beauty and Winsor McCay's intent. We have already found various prints of this
theatrical version that have frames missing from the original 35 mm nitrate film and some
frames with superior resolution... and we are searching for more.
While original drawings from Gertie show exceptionally smooth animation and careful rendering, surviving versions of the film show loss of quality through poor resolution (the result of repeated duplication of the film), flickering (a consequence of inconsistent shutter speed), jumping (the result of film tears) and excessive cropping of the borders of the film. The final major category of shortcoming in the theatrical cut of Gertie relates to one or more segments that were apparently lost upon its conversion from McCay's original vaudeville film. For example, at the end of the theatrical version of Gertie, the dinosaur walks off camera with McCay on her back. However, original drawings exist that show Gertie returning for a "Curtain Call". Hundreds of frames were apparently cut from the theatrical release.
This project will restore Gertie to the brilliance of McCay's original animation in three ways:
- Reconstructing a complete copy of Gertie by taking the best versions of individual frames from available prints and original drawings.
- Using computer enhancement to restore dirty or poorly exposed frames, leaving the original image intact.
What we will not do, to avoid altering McCay's original work:
- Produce new images not in the extant prints, with the possible exception of the careful replacement of severely damaged or missing frames based closely on surrounding extant frames.
- Insert missing objects or lines (note that stones and other details vanish and reappear in individual frames through human error in recopying the background).
- Reduce the movement in background lines between frames, as McCay claimed to have intended the vibrancy that is now seen.
Here is an example of a frame that shows the fantastic potential of restoring Gertie:
Frames will be individually restored from the best prints and original drawings available, through a combination of computer graphics, artistry, blood, sweat and tears. Fortunately, although McCay claimed to have produced 10,000 individual drawings for Gertie, a preliminary estimate suggests that the number was closer to 3,000 to 5,000. Approximately 300-400 drawings are extant, thanks largely to the foresight of early McCay admirers Irving Mendelsohn and Robert N. Brotherton.
Donald Crafton (professor of Film, Television and Theater, internationally recognized animation historian and author of Before Mickey: The Animated Film, 1898-1928) has called this restoration a "great project" and offered his support. Likewise, Russell Merritt (visiting professor of film studies at U.C. Berkeley, noted early film historian and author of the award-winning book Walt in Wonderland) described the Gertie Project as "long overdue." He has produced a live recreation of McCay's original vaudeville act and would like to see the restoration of Gertie completed.
Additional Pages:
The History of Gertie
Contributors to the Gertie Project
The Structure of Gertie
A Gertie Gallery
The Steps to Restoration
A Restored Clip from Gertie
Gertie Links
Contact Us