Robert A. Harris

American film preservationist

Robert A. Harris (born 1945) is an American film historian, archivist, and film preservationist.

Life

Robert A. Harris was born in 1945.^[1]

Harris is often working with James C. Katz and has restored such films as Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, Rear Window, and My Fair Lady.^[2]

He was also a producer of two films: The Grifters (1990) and Space Avenger (1990).^[3]

Restorations

Lawrence of Arabia (1962), restored 1989
Spartacus (1960), restored 1991
My Fair Lady (1964), restored 1994
Vertigo (1958), restored 1996
Rear Window (1954), restored 2000^[4]
Williamsburg: the Story of a Patriot (1956), restored 2004^[5]
The Godfather (1972), restored 2008
The Godfather Part II (1974), restored 2008^[6]
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), restored 2013^[7]
Triumph of the Will (1935), restored 2015^[8]

Published works

Harris, Robert & Belton, John (2000). "Getting It Right: Robert Harris on Colour Restoration". Film History. 12 (4, Color Film). Indiana University Press: 393–409. doi:10.2979/FIL.2000.12.3.393 (inactive June 30, 2024). JSTOR 3815347.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of June 2024 (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)(registration required)
Harris, Robert A. & Katz, James C. (December 1999). "Film Restoration on the eve of the Millennium: A View from the Trenches". In 70 mm: The 70 mm Newsletter (59). Retrieved February 5, 2020 – via in70mm.com.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Awards and legacy

Harris and James C. Katz received the King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the 2000 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.^[9]

In 2010, Harris was honored by the International Press Academy with its Nikola Tesla Award for Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology.^[10]

The Academy Film Archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is home to the Robert A. Harris Collection, which consists of film, video tape, and audio material related to Harris' restoration work; it includes over 1,100 items.^[11]

References

^ James M. Welsh, Gene D. Phillips, Rodney F. Hill: The Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia. Scarecrow Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-810-87651-4, p. 128.
^ "Film Restoration on the eve of the Millennium". in70mm.com.
^ "Robert A. Harris". AFI Catalog.
^ Belton, John (2000). "Getting It Right: Robert Harris on Color Restoration". Film History. 12 (4): 393–409. doi:10.2979/FIL.2000.12.3.344 (inactive June 30, 2024). JSTOR 3815347.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of June 2024 (link)
^ St. John Erickson, Mark (March 31, 2017). "A red-letter day for history's longest-running film -- "Story of a Patriot"". Daily Press. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
^ "The ASC -- American Cinematographer: Post Focus". theasc.com.
^ "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
^ "Triumph of the Will [Blu-ray – 2K Remastered Edition]". Synapse Films. October 2, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
^ History of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. In: slofilmfest.org, access date February 15, 2022.
^ "International Press Academy to Honor Motion Picture Preservationist". The Hollywood Reporter. November 30, 2010.
^ "Robert A. Harris Collection". Academy Film Archive. April 4, 2020.

External links

Robert A. Harris at IMDb
Yellow Layer Failure, Vinegar Syndrome and Miscellaneous Musings: Harris' column at The Digital Bits (2002–2009) Note, this is a site archive, and its hyperlinks have to be manually modified to allow viewing.

Nikola Tesla Satellite Award