Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, November 3, 1995                   TAG: 9511030020
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FILM FESTIVAL'S NEW FORMAT WAS A HIT

With a more limited slate of titles, it was easier to get from one screening to another. A dedicated movie-goer could actually see more films this year. The combination of new and old titles was, as usual, eclectic, and the older films drew good crowds.

At least one of the new films, ``Closer to Home'' provoked a passionate positive response, with the audience staying up into the wee hours to discuss it. Other ``smaller'' films were hoping to use the festival to boost their theatrical release potential. Tim Reid's ``Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored'' appears to be headed for a limited run early next year, or it may go directly to home video and television. Actor/singer Ruben Blades admitted that ``Scorpion Spring,'' a film about miscommunication between Mexicans and Americans, is a hard sell. He and director Brian Cox were on hand to talk about it.

On Friday night, two representatives of the Turner Broadcasting System accepted an award from the festival for their work in film preservation. Robert Osborne, author of ``60 Years of The Oscars'' and a host on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, and senior vice president Pat Murphy said that Turner spends $3 million a year on the restoration of old films from the MGM, RKO and Warner studios.

It costs $60,000-$80,000 to restore most feature-length color films ($20,000 for black and white). Some special cases, such as ``Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,'' which is being restored now, can prove much more expensive. According to Murphy, fully 50 percent of all Hollywood films made before 1950 have been lost.

Over the past few years, restored films have become an important part of the festival, and this year's crop was first-rate. Where else in one weekend, could you see ``The Third Man,'' ``King Kong'' and ``An American in Paris''?

And these were superb prints, projected with care. ``An American in Paris'' is really rich with vivid colors and great sound that lose a lot on video. After all, it was made for the big screen, and that's where the festival really shines. Yes, it's fun to see movie stars up close and personal - particularly when they're as friendly as this year's guest, Fay Wray - but the films themselves are the point. Anyone who's seen ``King Kong'' only on television really hasn't seen it.

By dividing its focus between new films - some wonderful and challenging, some disappointing - and older films of proven worth, the Virginia Festival of American Film has found a comfortable niche. It's a formula that bodes well for next year.