Saving Brinton

Play trailer

2:02

Saving Brinton

Released Sep 17, 2017

1h 30m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

After finding a rare collection of film in a turn-of-the-century cinema, small-town Iowa collector and historian Michael Zahs attempts to restore and exhibit the newsreels, home movies and lost films.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

The old teacher - who stands six-foot-three and wears a gray beard that looks to be three-foot-six - is an affable eccentric full of information, but as he himself notes, he's more of a storyteller than a historian.

Apr 8, 2020

Full Review

Leonard Maltin

leonardmaltin.com

Iowa-based directors Tommy Haines and Andrew Sherburne celebrate their home state and provide us with a lovely slice of Americana in this entertaining feature.

Jun 26, 2018

Full Review

Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

Zahs, a genial obsessive, is a lot of fun, and so is the movie.

Rated: B+

Jun 15, 2018

Full Review

Phil Guie

Film-Forward.com

By the time of the finale, the film has lost most of whatever forward momentum it had, but at least Méliès's old works look appropriately stunning.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 25, 2019

Full Review

Douglas Davidson

Pretty Vacant One

Saving Brinton is for collectors, historians, cinephiles, and other preservationists.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 4, 2018

Full Review

Bobby LePire

Film Threat

aving Brinton loses focus a few times, but its noble heart will keep the viewer engaged. Zahs is an affable chap, and his love of history is remarkable.

Rated: 8/10

Nov 1, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

William L

A charming little documentary overall, that focuses on developing and celebrating the independent history enthusiast rather than dryly covering the Brinton Collection. However, I feel that at times the film delves too deeply into Zahs and his local community rather than the film history aspect that I imagined was the hook that brought in the majority of viewers, padding for time once in a while. (2.5/5)

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/20

Full Review

dave d

Sometimes being a saver (shy of hoarder) isn't a bad thing and that's what Mike Zahs proves in "Saving Brinton", a fulfilling documentary. Zahs came across a collection of some of the first motion pictures ever put to film and thanks to never giving up hope the world could enjoy them as much as he did, we have a film chronicling not only the films and other tokens from the Brinton Family, but also Zahs himself whose genuine nature comes through the screen and into your living room. If you need a quick pick me up, take a gander at this doc which moves quickly and has some sage advice sprinkled throughout. Final Score: 8.3/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An incredible story of film history and film preservation with a charming protagonist

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Amazing film. Love Mike!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Their journey will make you smile. A film for film geeks.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What a fabulous place, and a wonderful guide to historical treasure and cultures and the feelings of community.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Tommy Haines

Director

Andrew Sherburne

Director

Serge Bromberg

Actor

Kathryn Fuller-Seeley

Actor

George R. Willeman

Actor

Tommy Haines

Writer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Dawson City: Frozen Time

100%

70%

Dawson City: Frozen Time

Watchlist

The Opera House

71%

%

The Opera House

Watchlist

Searching for Mr. Rugoff

100%

%

Searching for Mr. Rugoff

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Searching for Mr. Rugoff

Shirkers

99%

80%

Shirkers

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Deadpool 2 Is Certified Fresh

Saving Brinton: Trailer 1

2:02

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

After finding a rare collection of film in a turn-of-the-century cinema, small-town Iowa collector and historian Michael Zahs attempts to restore and exhibit the newsreels, home movies and lost films.

Director: Tommy Haines, Andrew Sherburne
Producer: Andrew Sherburne
Screenwriter: Tommy Haines, Andrew Sherburne, John Richard
Distributor: Barn Owl
Production Co: Northland Films, Bocce Balls Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 2017, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 18, 2018
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 27, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.2K
Runtime: 1h 30m

Most Popular at Home Now