Free Republic

American film historians recently came across a fascinating discovery when they found the Czech National Film Archive has the only surviving print of the 1929 US movie, the Mysterious Island. The archive in Prague stores around 500 films from Hollywood’s early days, proof that the global dominance of American cinema goes all the way back to the birth of the film industry.The epic American movie The Mysterious Island, loosely based on the French writer Jules Verne’s adventurous novel, was released in 1929. The Technicolor film starred, among others, the Oscar-winning actor Lionel Barrymore. But it became a financial and critical...

CAMARILLO Technicolor Inc. is moving 630 jobs from its Ventura County DVD manufacturing and distribution plant to Guadalajara, Mexico. About 120 workers were laid off Wednesday, Technicolor spokesman Tom Bracken said. Another 510 positions will be phased out over the next six to seven months, he said. When the layoffs are completed, Technicolor will still have up to 500 employees in Camarillo, down from a peak of nearly 2,000 several years ago. Some 300 jobs were eliminated in July. Bracken said the cuts were being made under pressure from movie studios to lower costs. Studios have been demanding that Technicolor...

Newlywed Gays Brave Critics in Search of Security Fri Mar 12, 3:43 PM ET By Teresa Carson PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - Daffodils line the walkway, a tricycle sits by the front door and family photos are proudly displayed on the shelves in the house where two-and-a-half year-old Avery is trying to finagle himself a cookie. This tranquil domestic scene belies the turmoil, including death threats, lawsuits, Bible thumping and a bitter national debate prompted by this family and others like it. Avery's parents, both women, just got married. Kelly Burke, 34, and Dolores Doyle, 38, have been together for 16...