On 10 October 2019, at Le Giornato del Cinema Muto Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Paolo Cherchi Usai and Leenali Khairnar introduced the Haghefilm Digitaal — Selznick School Fellowship project ‘1812 (The Retreat from Moscow)’.
The recipient of the 2019 Haghefilm Digitaal — Selznick School Fellowship is Thành phố Bạc Liêu Leenali Khairnar from Mumbai, India, who recently completed her Certificate Program of The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at the George Eastman Museum.
After studies in physics, Khairnar earned a post-graduate diploma in journalism at the University of Pune. Khairnar then worked in Bollywood, independent cinema, and commercials in various capacities, including assistant director and post-production supervisor. She also attended in 2017 the film preservation workshop organized by FIAF in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation in India.
1812 (US: The Retreat from Moscow) (RU 1912)
1812 is preserved at Gosfilmofond of Russia with a high degree of completeness (ca. 900 metres out of 1300), but in black & white. One reel of the U.S. release version at the George Eastman Museum is the only nitrate print of the film known to exist. It is extensively tinted, which is particularly important in the impressive scenes of the burning of Moscow. The nitrate also contains shots that are missing from the Russian print – including the one that was highly publicized and was considered controversial at the time: wolves tearing to pieces the bodies of the French.
Peter Bagrov, George Eastman Museum