nitrate film

[ nahy-treyt film, -trit ]

noun

1. a formerly produced film stock using a base of nitrocellulose: extremely flammable and tending to erode at a relatively early age.
2. a motion picture made with or printed on this film:

   Preserving these nitrate films is difficult and hazardous, and projecting them requires a special license.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitrate film¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

There were tins of old photographs and negatives of nitrate film reels from the 1800s and 1900s.

From Los Angeles Times

George Willeman, who oversees the nitrate film vaults for the library, recalled being amazed when Stathes, then in his 20s, took a seat in the archive and identified reel after reel of unidentified cartoons made decades before he was even born.

From Seattle Times

But the director kept a copy, shot on highly unstable silver nitrate film, in his freezer.

From Los Angeles Times

As part of an investigation that found Johnson cold-calling people in Minnesota, digging through archives at the University of Iowa and salvaging corroded cans of nitrate film from a San Diego garage, Johnson confirmed her hunch.

From New York Times

“Ninety percent of all silent films have been lost because they were made on nitrate film, which is flammable and explodable,” Cleveland told The Associated Press.

From Seattle Times