Introduction Museum, archive, collection: unravelling definitions and concepts Collections and case studies Structure of the book The timeline of the pas-de-deux PART I: COLLECTIONS Chapter 1: Private Collectors Three collection strategies The Desmet Collection: a diorama in time The Uitkijk Collection: film as art Chapter 2: Blind Choices: Parameters and Repetitions Film titles and filmmakers: the film canon Production year: early film Production country: national films Chapter 3: Eyes Wide Open: Duplicates Aesthetic value From wonder to resonance Canonical selection Eclectic consequences PART II: PRESERVATIONS Chapter 4: Passive Preservation: An Historical Overview Nitrate and the paradigm of reproducibility Nitrate and perishability Nitrate films and uniqueness Chapter 5: Impressions: Restoration of the Film Image Black-and-white film art Colour restorations: impressions or imprints? Chapter 6: Reconstructions The director's version Shown versions Archival versions New versions Unity in parts Academics and the 'original' PART III: PRESENTATIONS Chapter 7: Interiors and Decorations: Film Museum Exhibition Spaces The art museum dispositif Two film museum traditions Towards a historical sensation Chapter 8: Framing Programmes Film as art or from 'the old box'? Transitions Educational discoveries Chapter 9: Performance: Authenticity or Artistry? Music and lectures Materiality and projection The musealisation of projection techniques CONCLUSION