Highlights
- The only known surviving copy of Charlie Chaplin-starrer Zepped, a film made to dispel the fear due to the Zeppelin bombings over England and France during the First World War, will hit the auction block here later this month.
- The copy is the highlight of Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia auction on June 29.
- In 2009, Morace Park bought a battered cinema reel tin from an online auction site. Once he eventually opened the tin it revealed a roll of film entitled Charlie Chaplin in Zepped. Unable to find any record or mention of the film during his subsequent research, Park began a worldwide investigation to find out if he had discovered the last copy of a forgotten Chaplin film.
The only known surviving copy ofCharlie Chaplin-starrer
Zepped, a film made to dispel thefear due to the Zeppelin bombings over England and Franceduring the First World War, will hit the auction block herelater this month.
The copy is the highlight of Bonhams EntertainmentMemorabilia auction on June 29.
In 2009, Morace Park bought a battered cinema reel tinfrom an online auction site. Once he eventually opened the tinit revealed a roll of film entitled
Charlie Chaplin inZepped. Unable to find any record or mention of the filmduring his subsequent research, Park began a worldwideinvestigation to find out if he had discovered the last copyof a forgotten Chaplin film.
"At first I had no idea what I had. However, it soonbecame clear that
Zepped is a very special film. I visitedfilm experts in Europe and the USA and lost count of thesuperlatives that they came out with, but one comment wascommon - none of them had ever seen this type of film before,"says Park.
On extremely fragile 35mm nitrate film and almost 7minutes long, the movie features some of the earliest knownanimation in film history, the auction house said.
The reel shows scenes of a Zeppelin raid over Londonwhilst Chaplin acts in his trademark comic style.
During his research Park found a record of it havingbeen classified by the British Board of Film Classification in1917 and stumbled upon an advertisement for a trade viewing ofthe film at Victoria Street, Manchester in the publicationManchester Film Renter - the advertisement is the last knownreference to the film.
A footnote in the records show that the film was givenan export license, and the beginning of the film hascensorship frames indicating that it was to be sent on amorale-boosting mission to troops in Egypt.
"The fact that this fragile and flammable nitrate filmhas survived from 1916, features the most iconic filmstar ofthe period and has never previously been seen by the widerpublic, is incredible and it will no doubt become asignificant contribution to the history of early film," saysStephanie Connell, head of Entertainment Memorabilia atBonhams.