Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Dawson City: Frozen Time Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 24, 2017

Cineastes will surely respond to “Dawson City: Frozen Time” with utter joy, as it details a film distribution discovery previously thought impossible. The tale takes place in Dawson City, a remote Canadian town near the Yukon River, where, in the mid-1970s, a routine excavation project managed to unearth 533 film reels from the permafrost, exposing cans of nitrate film to the sun after 50 years, gifting the National Archive of Canada a treasure trove of lost cinema and footage of history. While the discovery occurred 40 years ago, director Bill Morrison endeavors to summarize not only the unearthing and ensuing restoration effort, but the very history of Dawson City itself, turning what initially seems to be a picture about a film preservation miracle into an offering of history captured in the moment.

“Dawson City: Frozen Time” is being sold on the strangeness of the 533-reel unearthing (known as the “Dawson Film Find”), but actual time with the discovery is limited, with most of the documentary charting the rise of Dawson City, which began life as a gold rush town, welcoming all sorts of miners and opportunists as a community was established, including the construction of casinos and dancehalls, which provided a sizeable nightlife. Entertainment needs soon evolved, requiring the creation of a movie theater to meet modern interests in big screen escapism, keeping reel rentals continuous. However, considering that Dawson City was a long haul for many of these shipments, returns weren’t a priority, leaving the locals with a surplus of reels that were stored and, when the time came to reassess such a collection, some were used to help fill in a pool inside a popular rec center, while the rest was tossed into the Yukon, along with the rest of the community’s garbage.

The rise and fall of Dawson City isn’t as hypnotic as Morrison imagines, with the documentary spending a lot of screen time on development and disaster, with the town subjected to a plethora of fires, testing the spirit of the locals. More compelling is the footage, which is threaded throughout the picture, showcasing a diverse assortment of dramatic and newsreel clips, showcasing creative achievements from top directors of the day and pivotal moments in history, including images from the infamous “Black Sox Scandal” World Series of 1919. Morrison also highlights various visitors and residents of Dawson City who went on to great success, including Sid Grauman, Alexander Pantages, Robert Service, and William Desmond Taylor. The overall movement of social and political change is a major focal point for “Dawson City: Frozen Time,” which examines sections of the Dawson Film Find that cover world events and seemingly average days of unrest that would go on to have a great impact on history. Morrison also takes a moment to examine the history of documentary technique, with an early offering of Canadian observation introducing the wonders of panning and zooming on archival elements, influencing future journalistic titans such as Ken Burns.

Dawson City: Frozen Time Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.32:1 aspect ratio) presentation is largely made up of Dawson Film Find selections, which has been restored as much as possible, with most offerings still suffering from pronounced damage. Clarity on the footage and archival photographs reaches as far as it can, providing a dimensional look at documentary and dramatic offerings, permitting pauseable moments. Images are also filmic. Color is sparse but precise, and delineation is sharp.

Dawson City: Frozen Time Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is only bookended by narration and interview footage, and voice come through defined. The majority of the listening experience is spent with scoring efforts from Alex Somers, delivering precise instrumentation and a heavier presence as dramatic movement reach intensity. Surrounds help to fill the room, but separation isn't utilized.

Dawson City: Frozen Time Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (22 pages) contains essays by Lawrence Weschler and Alberto Zambenedetti.

• Postscript (9:54, HD) follows the Dawson Film Find as it's subjected to the preservation process, with decayed, moldy reels subjected to baths and inspection at the National Archive of Canada. Footage from an archive explosion is included, along with additional footage from the 1979 premiere of the footage in Dawson. Returning to the town, director Bill Morrison offers a fresh look at the remains of Dawson's century-old presence, with most buildings either torn down or left in ruin.

• Interview (8:49, HD) with Morrison details how the director found the story he wanted to tell with "Dawson City," and he shares the history behind some of the footage presented in the film.

• Original Dawson City Film Reels (all HD) include "British Canadian Pathe News 81A, 1919" (9:35), "International News Vol. 1 - Issue 52, 1919" (11:29), "The Montreal Herald – Screen Magazine, 1919" (9:34), "Pathe's Weekly #17, 1914" (9:13), "The Butler and the Maid – Thomas A. Edison, Inc., 1912" (3:07), "Brutality – D.W. Griffith, Biograph Company, 1912" (8:05), "The Exquisite Thief – Tod Browning, Universal Film Manufacturing Company Inc., 1919" (8:33), and "The Girl of the Northern Woods – Thanhouser, 1910" (6:35).

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:13, HD) is included.

Dawson City: Frozen Time Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The nitty gritty on the Dawson Film Find isn't a priority to Morrison, who bookends the documentary with information about the excavation and general processing of the collection, which took some expert observations before the uniqueness of what was pulled out of the permafrost was defined. This may be a source of frustration for some viewers looking for a more procedural documentary on the salvaging of damaged footage and identification of the rarity of the find. Outside of a lengthy study of the dangers of nitrate film, "Dawson City: Frozen Time" remains on the surface when it comes to behind the scenes examination and negotiation. However, a lack of geekery is understandable, with Morrison investing more in history and the slow crawl of time to understand what the Dawson Film Find was all about, taking in the nuances of a burgeoning community and its fight for survival as fortunes were collected and lost, and the power of cinema became a shared experience for those in need of comfort, wonder, and nationwide connection.