Film Restoration Innovator John Lowry Dies
Lowry To Be Honored By Academy
John D. Lowry, the innovative film restoration executive whose technology has been used to restore classic films from “Casablanca” to “Star Wars,” died on January 21st at the age of 79. Lowry, shown here with the Star Wars writer/producer/director George Lucas, was the founder of Lowry Digital Images. Of Lowry, Lucas said that “his passion for cinema and expertise in technology were essential in preserving the work of filmmakers for future generations to enjoy.”
The Burbank-based Lowry Digital Images is renowned in the entertainment technology industry for its work restoring some of the most important films in history for their release on DVD and Blu-ray. Lowry’s proprietary film digitization and restoration technologies have been used to preserve classics such as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Sunset Boulevard,” and “Gone With the Wind.” Timeless Disney films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Bambi” were also given the Lowry treatment, as were thrillers such as the “Indiana Jones” and “James Bond” films.
Lucas went on to say that Lowry’s innovations had “rescued many movies from irreparable decay, making it possible to enjoy them forever as the artists envisioned, without the damage of time.” Lowry’s career took shape in 1971 when he launched a company called Image Transform. This company developed a system for NASA to clean up live images being broadcast from the moon. Lowry later developed a new system for reducing visual “noise” in motion pictures. This process became the centerpiece of Lowry Digital Images, which Lowry launched in 1998 with engineer Ian Cavén. The film digitization and de-noising process allowed restorers to sharpen images, remove dirt, repair scratches, and reduce visible flicker in films. The process is not only intended for old films – new ones can be improved as well. Recent films such as “Avatar” and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” also benefited from improved image quality after being treated by the Lowry System.
Less than two weeks before Lowry’s death, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Lowry and his partners would be honored at this year’s Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony, held on February 11th, for the invention of the Lowry System.


















