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Archive Treasures

Film is a collective memory, preserved with skill and dedication by the archivists' art.

In addition to promoting the new, the London Film Festival champions the old. Restorations of rarities, classics or films long believed lost are showcased every year. Here is a taster of some of the titles rescued from oblivion by the work of the BFI National Archive and other organisations. Film is a notoriously fragile and unstable medium; it is easily damaged - sometimes beyond repair – and degrades over time. So careful conservation and restoration are essential to our enjoyment and understanding of the medium's history and the archivists' art.

The Battles of Coronel and Falkland IslandsThe Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands

War1927106 minsSilentDirector: Walter Summers

This dramatic reconstruction of two decisive naval battles from the First World War is one of the finest films of the British silent era.

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La Belle et la BêteLa Belle et la Bête

Fantasy194695 minsDirector: Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau’s ravishingly restored 1946 film is a cinematic classic. “Five stars. [This] magical exploration of the fairytale is a compelling and bizarre masterpiece” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

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UndergroundUnderground

Romance192893 minsSilentDirector: Anthony Asquith

The BFI National Archive restoration of one of Anthony Asquith's finest silent films set in London's Underground, with a new score.

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Journey to ItalyJourney to Italy

Drama195486 minsDirector: Roberto Rossellini

Roberto Rossellini's acerbic but finally very moving masterpiece about marital crisis boasts great performances from Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders