"THE DROP OF WATER" BY MARIO BAVA: UNSURPASSABLE IN 16 MM AND SUPER 8

In 2024, the international film scene was enriched by the emergence of Ultra 8, a unique distribution company led by acclaimed television director Rubén Torrejón. Its mission: to offer 16 mm and Super 8 prints of film classics for private use, with a purist approach that truly sets it apart.

Contrary to what one might expect—using kinescopes via Cinevator or similar technology (film positives derived from digital sources)—Ultra 8 adheres to rigorously classical methods. Using restored 35 mm negatives, Rubén produces new 16 mm negatives, from which both 16 mm and Super 8 positives are generated. The entire process is carried out at Europe’s finest lab, using the latest generation Kodak film stock.

In terms of sound, the bar is also set high: magnetic audio in five languages, applied by a prestigious Italian laboratory. A European-North American collaboration, led from a Spaniard, that recalls the golden era when cinema was a true symphony of international efforts.

Me with two Spaniard film collectors

The world premiere of Ultra 8's first prints took place in December 2024, during the 8th edition of the SELLIER FILM FESTIVAL in La Coruña (click here to read report of VIII edition). There, we projected all of Ultra 8’s new Super 8 releases using a xenon Fumeo projector, and the audience was blown away: many claimed the projection looked like 35 mm! The quality even surpassed the legendary standard of Derann Films, and even the mythical anamorphic edition of El Cid by Lone Wolf.

But let’s turn to today’s main topic: the 16 mm screening of “The Drop of Water,” directed by master Mario Bava and part of the classic Black Sabbath (Le tre facce della paura). The visual experience was simply hypnotic. Deep blacks, colors evoking the purest Technicolor, skin textures reminiscent of legendary Kodachrome... all qualities impossible to replicate in prints derived from digital sources. Projected on a Fumeo 9135, with a 500 W xenon lamp and adjustable format gate, the image was so striking I thought I might faint. And the sound was no less remarkable: the original 1960s dub was used, with the sole exception of a few brief scenes censored at the time, for which the 1980s dub was substituted. The treatment is so flawless that the thunderclaps from outside the Victorian mansion activated the room’s subwoofer.

Under these conditions, “The Drop of Water” isn’t just a collector’s gem: it’s an essential piece for any serious film archive. And the best is yet to come: Rubén is already working on restoring the film’s other two segments—“The Telephone” and “The Wurdulak,” in its European version.

Let’s hope his work receives the recognition and support it deserves, so we can experience the full feature in 16 mm and Super 8 as it has never been seen before.

To contact Ultra 8 regarding any of their 16 mm and Super 8 prints, email: info@ultra8.es. The staff speaks Spanish, English, Italian, and Catalan.