The restoration of the cult Danse Macabre financed by unavid moviegoers
The film company Lyre, the Cinémathèque française and the CNC are appealing for donations to save the 1964 horror film by Antonio Margheriti and Sergio Corbucci, freely inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe.
The most courageous speak of horror films, other wiser moviegoers place them in the genre of fantastic films. But above all Dance of Death by Antonio Margheriti and Sergio Corbucci is one of those little gothic jewels that should not be allowed to disappear. The March 9 session at the Cinémathèque française, masterfully directed by the filmmaker Costa Gavraswhere the 4K restoration of the work was presented in front of a full and enthusiastic hall, was the best proof of this.
Read alsoCosta-Gavras: “To restore a film is to make it exist”
Alternately praised and decried when it was released in 1963, this adaptation, both free and explicit of the atmosphere of Edgar Allan Poe’s tales, quickly became cult by virtue, of course, of superb photography, the work of the talented Riccardo Pallottini, but also thanks to the magnetic presence of Barbara Steele, the English muse of the fantastic transalpine.
In 2021, the poor condition of the original elements prompted the film’s French rights holder to launch a restoration project which quickly interested the Center National du Cinéma and the Cinémathèque française, but also the publisher Artus Film and the distributor Les Acacias, which will be released on Blu-ray and in theaters respectively, the film.
Dance of Death (dance macabra Or Castle of Blood ) by Margheriti and Corbucci, after Edgar Allan Poe, with Barbara Steele, Georges Rivière…
This crowdfunding campaign, launched in 2022, was created to balance the budget which is currently short of 9476 €. Following the complete restoration of the French and Italian image and sound, a return to film will preserve this work for the long term, while the creation of an audio description for the visually impaired and subtitles adapted to the hearing impaired will make it accessible to all. More than one hundred contributors have already given their support and the campaign continues until March 16, 2023 with the objective of raising the remaining amount. Don’t be afraid to contribute, this Dance of Death Deserves that…
*To participate in the crowdfunding of the restoration of Dance of Death, click on this link
