# Developing old movie film **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-old-movie-film/115575 "2002-06-23T16:52:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mudcrutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@mudcrutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mudcrutch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-old-movie-film/115575/1 "2002-06-23T16:52:36Z")
I have an exposed roll of film that I found in my grandmother’s house. It is sealed in a metal canister and has apparently never been developed. The film type is [Kodachrome 40](http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/store/catalog/Product.jhtml?PRODID=6148&CATID=6147) and it has “Process before MAY 79” stamped on the side of the box. Is there any point in trying to get this developed? The film was used shortly before my granddad died and I’m hoping he might be on there somewhere. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-old-movie-film/115575/2 "2002-06-23T17:07:49Z")
Contact KODAK (in Rochester NY) directly. I’m pretty sure that they get requests like this all the time. If it is developeable (?) they can probably do it better than anyone. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-old-movie-film/115575/3 "2002-06-24T01:57:39Z")
Judging from the fact that your link to Kodak is current, I don’t think that Kodachrome processing has changed in the last 23 years. Your Super 8 film is the same as Kodachrome slide film for cameras, and must be processed by either Kodak or an authorized Kodak lab. ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-old-movie-film/115575/4 "2002-06-24T04:27:52Z")
You’re probably out of luck. At the very best, it’s going to be poor quality. First, color film that’s that old, particularly if not stored correctly, requires special treatment, and even then, it’s liable to fail. I took some old film to a company that specialized in developing old film, and they failed. I’m completely guessing, but I think it’s bad luck the film is Kodachrome, because its processing is very complicated, and the tolerances are very small. At a guess, they’d have to reconfigure a whole batch of processing just to try and improve your results. But there’s no reason not to try and have it developed. If by some chance it spent most of the time in freezing conditions, it might still be viewable. ---
**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-old-movie-film/115575/5 "2002-06-24T12:40:59Z")
google “developing exposed old kodachrome film” : [http://www.rockymountainfilm.com/PMAmarch.htm](http://www.rockymountainfilm.com/PMAmarch.htm) > [@](#): > > “Bring me any Kodak product from the '50s, '60s or '70s and I usually can get an image for you,” Dock says. “If we do a run of 100 rolls of Kodacolor from all over the world and a variety of storage conditions, 30 rolls will look as good as if they were developed in the 1960s. Twenty or 30 more will have fair-to-good images.” This looks like the service you are looking for: [http://www.rockymountainfilm.com/K14movie.htm](http://www.rockymountainfilm.com/K14movie.htm) ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/developing-old-movie-film/115575/6 "2002-06-24T14:43:32Z")
Ok, that sounds very promising. I wish I’d known about this service. However they also say > [@](#): > > The biggest factors which determine outcome are heat and moisture. If a film has been exposed to extreme heat, warm temperatures for a long time, or soaked in moisture, the chances of getting pictures is reduced, but never eliminated. If the film has been exposed properly and has been kept in a refrigerator or freezer, the chances very good (90% or better) that we will be able to get an image regardless of the age of the film. If it has been kept in a closet or drawer, chances are reduced slightly. If it has been kept in a hot attic or soaked with moisture, the chances are greatly reduced.