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Film reel «mystery» solved after 36 years

American owner revealed the content before yesterday's screening in Voss, Norway. – No hidden gold, dead bodies or adult films, he tells NRK.

Mystisk filmrull på Hotel Jarl

SOLVED: NRK's article reached the owner of the film reels, an American who used to work at the Hotel Jarl.

Foto: Kjell Erik Ruud

The original article about the three film reels left in Hotel Jarl in 1980 has received international attention, with e-mails pouring in from the US and other countries.

The story ultimately reached the man who was both the sender and recipient of the parcel, David Jon Long.

David Long

AMAZED: David Jon Long had completely forgotten about the film reels.

Foto: Privat

– I received a message from my sister-in-law. Then I got a call from another friend, who sent me the link for the article, he tells NRK.

– Completely taken off guard

It turns out the American was working at the Hotel Jarl in Norway in the early 80s, and also as a ski instructor at the local ski school.

He had completely forgotten about the film reels, until now.

– I was visiting the US in the summer of 1980 and toured the famous ski resorts of the Rocky Mountains. I asked for promotional films to take back to Voss. I sent them by post to myself, but they were forgotten. So I never saw them, Long says.

He claims to have been taken completly off guard by all the fuzz.

But he had no objections to the film reels being publicly screened in an artist's studio in Voss on Tuesday night, and was also in contact with the artist prior to the screening.

– It's good PR, but the true story isn't as exciting as some would like it to be, Long says.

– Extremely 70s-style

The local artist who discovered the film reels, and responsible for last night's screening, is still pretty stunned about the whole story.

– This goes to show how amazing social media is and how small the world is today. It's amazing that he got in touch, just a week after NRK published their article, Kjell-Erik Ruud says.

As for the promotional films, Ruud says he and the audience got a bit of a chuckle from the almost 40 year old footage.

– It was extremely 70s-style, and the soundtrack was quite groovy. The scenery was quite similar to Voss, though, Ruud says.

Filmvisning av 36 år gamle filmrullar på voss

SCREENED LAST NIGHT: Quite a few people showed up to witness the screening of the three film reels in Voss, Norway, Tuesday night.

Foto: Kjell-Erik Ruud