9.0 Obsolete Film Formats
Description
This article is from the rec.arts.movies.tech FAQ, by Scott E. Norwood snorwood@nyx.nyx.net with numerous contributions by others.
9.0 Obsolete Film Formats
What was `Cinerama' (tm) ? How did it work? Why did it become obsolete?
[under construction]
Cinerama (tm) is arguably the most-discussed film format here on
rec.arts. movies.tech. It was the first of a series of film formats
developed in the 1950's and 1960's in an attempt to bring the audience
a larger, more-realistic, better-sounding film experience. The system
consited of a six-perf film format, run from three separate strips of
film (shot and projected with three cameras or projectors
simultaneously), photographed with wide-angle lenses and intended to
be projected on a large, curved screen, made up of several hundred
individual strips of screen material. Cinerama (tm) sound was
reproduced from a separate seven-track magnetic sound reproducer
running magnetic film (much like a standard film dubber). Cinerama
(tm) equipment utilized standard 35mm-width film, but the three strips
combined to feature an image area far larger than even 70mm prints
today. This format persisted through the early 1960's, before it was
deemed by the producers and distributors as a clunky format, which
could easily be replaced with such later (and inferior) formats as
CinemaScope (tm) and 70mm/Todd-AO. Nonetheless, many theaters were
designed with Cinerama (tm) presentations in mind, and featured the
name `Super Cinerama (tm) .'
The following features were shot in Cinerama (tm) :
(courtesy Ralph Daniel 104574.2404@compuserve.com)
CINERAMA MOTION PICTURES
There are three schools of thought regarding Cinerama motion
pictures. The first insists that only productions using three
interlocked films in both filming and projection qualify as
"true" Cinerama. The second believes that anything shown on a
Cinerama screen qualifies.
This third school is a list of features conforming to the
following criteria: Each was INTENDED BY ITS PRODUCERS to be
shown on a deeply-curved Cinerama screen, regardless of the
filming technique used.
YEAR STUDIO TITLE NEGATIVE CINEMATOGRAPH 1951 C'rama This Is Cinerama 3x35mm Cinerama 1955 C'rama Cinerama Holiday 3x35mm Cinerama 1956 C'rama 7 Wonders of the World 3x35mm Cinerama 1957 C'rama Search for Paradise 3x35mm Cinerama 1958 C'rama South Seas Adv. 3x35mm Cinerama 1958 C'miracle Windjammer 3x35mm Cinemiracle 1960 C'rama Renault Dauphin (ad) 3x35mm Cinerama 1962 MGM Wond World Bro's Grimm 3x35mm Cinerama 1963 MGM How the West Was Won 3x35mm Cinerama 1963 UA It's Mad (4) World 65mm U.P. 70 1964 C'rama Best of Cinerama 3x35mm Cinerama 1964 BMP Circus World 35mm(h) S.T. 70 1965 R-S Mediterranean Holiday ? ? 1965 UA Greatest Story Ever Told 65mm U.P. 70 1965 UA Hallelujah Trail 65mm U.P. 70 1965 WB Battle of the Bulge 65mm U.P. 70 1965 C'rama1 Golden Head 35mm(h) S.T. 70 1966 C'rama2 Russian Adventure 3x35mm 70mm composite 1966 UA Khartoum 65mm U.P. 70 1966 MGM Grand Prix 65mm S.P. 70 1968 Security Custer of the West 35mm(h) S.T. 70 1968 MGM 2001: A Space Odyssey 65mm S.P. 70 1968 MGM Ice Station Zebra 65mm S.P. 70 1969 ABC Krakatoa - East Java 65mm S.P. 70 1970 ABC Song of Norway 65mm S.P. 70 1972 MGM Great Waltz 65mm S.P. 70 1973 C'rama This Is Cinerama (reissue) 3x35mm 70mm composite 19?? C'rama (untitled--military nuclear test) 3x35mm Cinerama
codes:
MGM = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
UA = United Artists
ABC = American Broadcasting Company Productions
R-S = Reade-Sterling
BMP = Bronston-Midway-Paramount
C'rama1 = Cinerama-Hungarofilm
C'rama2 = Cinerama & Mosfilm (Soviet Kinopanorama)
3x35mm = three 35mm films run simultaneously
35mm(h) = 35mm film run horizontally (VistaVision)
U.P. = Ultra Panavision
S.P. = Super Panavision
S.T. = Super Technirama
And this interesting tidbit:
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 15:05:09 -0500 (EST)
From: VEYOUNG@aol.com
Subject: Mediterranean Holiday
Scott, I have some information I've dug up that you might want to add
to the FAQ. M.Holiday was shot in 65mm in a process called MCS-70
(that was either Modern Camera Systems or Modern Cinema Systems).
The exhibitor/distributor Walter Reade brought the rights to the
film, and converted it to a really bizarre 35mm process called
ARC-120 (renamed Wonderama), and it played at least one theatre in
North Jersey, but I can't remember which. It flopped. They revived
the 70mm print and ran it at the Manhattan Warner advertised "in
Cinerama." I've been debating with myself for years whether it
should be included in a list of Cinerama70 films since it was not
filmed with Cinerama70 projection in mind. Hope you find this
helpful. vince
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 13:41:57 EST
From: VEYOUNG <VEYOUNG@aol.com>
Subject: Mediterranean Holiday again
Hi, Scott
Some more stuff about Med Holiday. A while back I e-mailed you some
info about MH, but I couldn't remember the name of the theatre in New
Jersey where it had played. In Dan Sherlock's most recent listing of
errors in the Hayes/Carr book, he writes: "The first showing of
Mediterranean Holiday using the Wonderama name was March 5, 1964 (not
1965) at the Strand Theatre in Plainfield, NJ on a screen 61 feet
wide and 21 feet high." Vince
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