Film Restoration Methods at Test: Scratches Cleaning - Text 1
If all technical or curatorial interventions on preserved films – be it title card engineering, film stretching or prints merging – raise ethical issues, in this part a very common yet questionable method will be closely scrutinized: scratches cleaning. Predictably enough, scratches are a matter of major concern in film preservation. They are the symbols of what makes silent cinema look so decrepit, with film archives and museums trying hard to get rid of the wrinkles through cosmetic or plastic surgery.
Scratches are tiny grooves carved onto the skin of the film, on both sides (emulsion or base) of the print or negative, provoked by intermittent or continuous friction with particles of dust, or with some components of the projection or printing equipment. If very deep, scratches on the base can accumulate dirt over time. A cross-cut view of this is schematically shown in this diagram:
