One of the Scariest Films? It Falls Apart Right in Front of Your Eyes

The British Film Institute has a brilliant clip about preserving films. You see, the medium is succeptible to deterioration over time, and if these resources don’t receive special attention, we can lose them forever—as this combination of famous scenes of people walking, running, or driving away from unseen danger shows when that danger becomes the film itself, melting away.

The vast majority of silent films (by some estimates, 90 percent) have been lost forever. It’s a shame to lose so much of our culture in this way.

Take a look:

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If you feel it, go on over to BFI’s site (the American Film Institute has some of the same goals) and maybe help them preserve even more films. Your grandchidren—especially those who are film buffs—will thank you for it.