This Is Cinerama

[Johann]

Last night I attended the special event screening of Cinerama Adventure, a doc on that most important of subjects: the invention of cinerama.

It was hosted by a film technical symposium of archivists from around the world, and they were represented by people from all of the major studios, the Museum of Modern Art, UCLA (among other schools), the Library of Congress, and AMPAS.

I felt like I was attending a SERIOUS fucking event. It was ALL technical, and the editing job on this years-in-the-making doc was an impressive achievment. (At the Q & A after the screening I asked how long it took to edit- the reply was that the filmmaker edits "in his spare time all the time" and it still took over 3 years).

The Q & A was with the films' producer, and it began with a lady asking if she could get her money back from a poor screening of "How The West Was Won" back in the early 60's in Detroit.
The producer said: "You wouldn't have had that problem in Seattle". In case anyone wants to see How The West Was Won as it was originally intended, It's being shown at a cinerama festival in Seattle late Feb/early Mar. 2004. I may take the trip...

The doc on Cinerama was very informative. They showed clips from HTWWW, The Robe (Cinemascope- the answer to cinerama), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, 2001: A Space Odyssey, among others.

I was very impressed and learned more about cinema in 90 minutes than I have all year. Glad I went.
The producer also gave each audience member a cinerama envelope that contained 3 pieces of celluloid from a cinerama print! My envelope was from a water-skiing scene.

check out the website: www.cineramaadventure.com

[pmw]

Im a little confused about the technical process of cinerama. Are the multi-projected images overlayed or projected side by side? Ive got to get a hold of some of these. Is the effect lost without real projection?

Id be especially interested in the travelogues that I know were early vehicles for much of cinerama production.

Cant wait to see this documentary; hope it makes it to NY.
P

[tabuno]

The old Villa Theatre (while closed it still remains standing) in Salt Lake City Utah had been remodeled to accommodate Cinerama. The three screen process when it first came out was spectacular for epic movies with the gigantic, expanded screen. Nowadays however the screen size seems to have been duplicated in most respects with the widest screens out now and without that irritating two division lines that broke the screen into three panels.

[Johann]

Tabuno's right: the cinerama process, while revolutionary, had those incredibly annoying lines on either side of the center print. If you were sitting in the first 5 rows of the theatre you could clearly see it. (cinerama films were 3 seperate prints projected simutaneously).

They have improved the projection quality greatly.

Cinerama was the natural progression from Polyvision- the 3-screen process pioneered by Abel Gance. few people realize that without cinerama, we wouldn't have cinemascope- the current widescreen standard. (usually 2.35:1)

This doc is one of the best you'll ever see if you are a film buff.
It has it's own little invention: SMILEBOX. It is a way of presenting an image of an original cinerama film being viewed by an audience. It was original, and I was impressed with the filmmaker/editor who put it all together.


Cinerama Adventure should tour around North America. I'm certain it will play in New York sometime. Definitely check it out- it has so much information, you'll be glad you did.

[cinemabon]

Ok... I saw the original "This is Cinerama", rollercoaster ride and all back in the 1950's (stop doing the math). It was awesome then and still is... if done correctly.

It seems to me there was a town in Ohio that shows some screening of something in Cinerama every year. The reason they show "How the West was won" so often, is because it is one of the few films surviving intact. There were a number of films, including "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" whose music score was done by Bernard Herrmann.

Unfortunately, "2001: A Space Odessy" was never released in Cinerama, although the publicity posters boasted of the fact. The cost of the prints turned out to be prohibitive, so only one print was made and it was shown in Washington, D.C. under Kubrick's guidance. If any prints still exist, I can't imagine the shape they must be in... incomplete at best.

There were a number of other films, too. But I've suddenly got to run so I'll write more later.....