Honoring David Shepard
by popegrutch
The news came out yesterday that film preservationist David Shepard had died of kidney failure, and many blogs devoted to silent film have mentioned his role in recovering and restoring the heritage of early film. I never met Mr. Shepard, although I rather hoped I might get the chance one day. All I know of him, then, I know because of the movies he was instrumental to preserving and making available. In his honor, here is a listing of the movies reviewed on this blog that we might not have today (or have as good versions to see) without his efforts:
Arrival of a Train (1897)
The Battle at Elderbush Gulch (1913)
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Card Party (1896)
Carmen (1915)
The Cheat (1915)
The Coward (1915)
Cyrano de Bergerac (1900)
Danse Serpentine (1900)
Flirting with Fate (1916)
The Great Train Robbery (1903)
His New Job (1915)
Intolerance (1916)
The Italian (1915)
Kobelkoff (1900)
La Marseillaise (1907)
Leaving the Factory (1896)
Les Vampires (1915)
The Matrimaniac (1916)
Over the Top (1915)
Regeneration (1915)
Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914)
Traffic in Souls (1913)
20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1916)
This list has been hastily compiled, but it gives some idea of the importance of David Shepard’s work. If you know of other movies he was involved with restoring, preserving, or making available that have been reviewed on this blog, please comment and I will add them.
Century Film Project 
David Shepard gave me my first job when I moved to LA to attend UCLA film school. He shared books and films with me – once I remember him screening Carl Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc and watching him smile when I was sobbing at the end. He was so thrilled the movie had affected me so deeply.
Thank you for sharing that, it’s a great story.
I am sorry to hear of David’s death. You are absolutely right about his important role in film preservation. Like you I have watched and enjoyed many of the titles on which he worked.