Film Forum

(1974, Jorge Semprún) The origins, course, and conclusion of the Spanish Civil War – the pivotal event of Semprún’s young life – using vintage stills, newsreels, conversations with survivors, and all-star narrators: Yves Montand, Maria Casares, Costa-Gavras, et al. 35mm print courtesy La Cinémathèque Française. Approx. 141 min.

For many years, La Cinémathèque Française posessed the only known print of Les Deux Mémoires. To give the film new visibility, La Cinémathèque Française began restoration efforts in 2010 with support from La Filmoteca de Catalunya, La Filmoteca Española and Jorge Semprún. The laboratory work on the 16mm negatives was originally performed by Tirage 16 and was transferred to 35mm by L.T.C. The sound mix and the magnetic tapes came from Antégor. Although whole original negatives of the interviews were not available, original negatives for the edited interviews, a 35mm internegative, and the optic sound for the theatrical version were preserved by L.T.C laboratories. Through analysis of the negatives, two different edits of the film were discovered. The Cinémathèque Française’s print was composed of reels from these two edits. In 2012, thanks to the Cinémathèque’s conservation efforts, Eclair Laboratories was able to develop new prints that better reflect what French audiences saw in February 1974.