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Digital Cinerama Widescreen Weekend DDigitaligital CineramaCinerama - D150D150 CCinemaScopeinemaScope 5555 - Ultra-Ultra- PPanavisionanavision aandnd muchmuch muchmuch moremore MMarkark TTrompetelerrompeteler aatt thethe BradfordBradford WWidescreenidescreen WWeekendeekend The 14th. Annual Widescreen Weekend One of the most important and memorable was held from 19th. – 23rd. March at the moments in the history of film projection is National Museum of Media, in Bradford. “the Cinerama reveal” at the beginning of One hundred and five delegates travelled this film, when the curtains pull back from from all over the world to the Pictureville the small standard academy aspect ratio Cinema, based in the museum, for this black and white screen image to slowly annual event that celebrates and showcases reveal the giant colour widescreen aspect all aspects of widescreen cinema. Attendees ratio of the Cinerama image and also herald had travelled from as far away as Australia its fabulous accompanying magnetic track and New Zealand, China, America and sound. Even after all these years seeing this Canada, as well as from many countries at Bradford for the first, or a repeated time, both in Eastern and Western Europe, the is still a thrilling moment. (pictures below). Scandinavian countries and of course many parts of the UK and Ireland. The Dave Strohmaier and Randy Gitsch annual event has for many years been co- from Los Angeles (right) are amongst the programmed by Bill Lawrence and Thomas world’s leading experts, chroniclers and Hauerslev. This year the contribution documentary film makers on Cinerama of Duncan McGregor, the museum’s and its place in cinema history. They Projection Team Manager to the weekend’s attended this year for the fourth time. programming and organisation, alongside As before, they brought with them prints Bill’s and Thomas’, was far more evident and important up-to-date information on than before, not least in his and the Cinerama preservations and developments. museum’s securing sponsorship for quite a Something that drew a lot of interest was number of the screenings. their bringing of a 4K digital file of the restored version of “How The West Was image on the large curved screen was, Cinerama Memories Won” from Los Angeles. In his introduction though its resolution and sharpness in no The Pictureville Cinema is the last to the screening through a 2K digital way compared to the image quality that remaining cinema in the world that projector of HTWWW onto the big curved you see on screen with the museum’s regularly programmes the screening of Cinerama screen, Dave told delegates that three strip print. Again, as with many Cinerama films in the original three strip the film did not need extensive restoration digital versions the process photography / three projector process onto a deeply as the original camera negatives had in and back projection sequences ( the river curved screen. This fact draws many fact only ever been used seven times. The raft sequence) transfer particularly poorly Cinerama enthusiasts to the Widescreen restoration and production of digital files to digital files, they almost exaggerate the Weekend each year, despite the extreme involved acquiring and manipulating a total poor quality of the back projection. It was scarcity of Cinerama three strip prints to of 80 terabytes of digital information, the refreshing however to see the pristine screen, and the repeated showing of the production of a restored digital master, the cleanliness of the image on the screen museum’s prints of “This is Cinerama” and recent release on DVD and Blu-ray and the and the almost complete elimination of “How The West Was Won”. This year was archiving of a 16:9 High Definition master the join lines. This would be an advantage no exception with the screening of “This Is for possible future HDTV broadcasting. I considered and enjoyed by many modern Cinerama” again early on in the weekend. was surprised at how good the 2K projected viewers. The digital file also had very good Page 66 Widescreen Weekend sound quality compared to the original night for a great screening of “West Side magnetic sound. Story”, with an accompanying blowing of handkerchiefs and dabbing of moist eyes at Dave also introduced attendees to a the end. screening of an 18 minute segment of Cinerama’s “Russian Adventure”, another Other restorations featured during the of their travelogues, which involved Bing weekend were a new 70mm. print of “The Crosby, not least in the narration. Dave had Bible: In the Beginning” shot in Dimension found the three strip prints decaying in a 150 and projected onto the curved screen Los Angeles apartment block. They looked with DTS Special Venue 6 track Todd-AO in surprisingly good condition projected, layout sound. The print was particularly though largely faded to entirely magenta. dark at the beginning of the film. Also a new (Picture top right). Dave and Randy also 70mm. Ultra-Panavision print of “Khartoum” announced that they had just started a was projected onto the curved screen with 6 project that should see the release of “This track DTS sound. The amount of “squeeze” Is Cinerama” and “Windjammer” on DVD in the print necessitated the projection team in the next year or two. adding an additional anamorphic lens to the projector. Dion Hanson had carefully drilled Restoration Splendour and tapped the lens mounting, fitting 4mm Vintage Nostalgia My own personal favourite component set screws in tapped holes, and then he Every year the weekend features the of the widescreen weekend is the optically centred the anamorphic before the screening of vintage prints often dating opportunity to see recently restored films show. (picture right). back to around the original release of the in very recent prints in 70mm. and other film, or one of its revivals or re-releases. widescreen formats, projected up onto A particularly interesting restoration was Whilst these often appear to be quite clean a good sized large screen, and heard a screening of a new 70mm. print of a prints and enjoyable in terms of clarity, through an excellent sound system. The former three camera / three projector / contrast and content they frequently have widescreen weekend has yet to disappoint multi screen “expo” film, “This Is New suffered so much colour fading that only me in this respect. This year three classic Zealand”. Produced by the National Film the magenta dye remains in the print. musicals were a significant part of the Unit of New Zealand for the world expo Again this year a number of otherwise programme. The only two films ever shot in 1970 in Japan, it was a basic multi excellent vintage prints were screened in in Fox’s Cinemascope 55 process were screen presentation designed to showcase “magentavision”. A Richard Burton theme featured – “The King and I” and “Carousel”. New Zealand to the world at a time when in the programme was evident and the To maintain the wider aspect ratio of the UK was becoming more interested in films included “Taming of the Shrew” in Cinemascope 55 on the Pictureville’s Europe, the commonwealth was becoming a 70mm. blow up print on the flat screen ‘scope screen the films were projected with less potent and New Zealand was having with 6 track magnetic stereo sound, small black bars at the top and bottom of to find its more independent world voice. “Where Eagles Dare” in a 70mm. blow the screen. Both the prints shown were This excellent restoration of the original up print with 6 track magnetic stereo and 35mm. reduction prints shown on the flat film based three screen presentation was “Becket” in another 70mm. blow up print screen with 6 track Dolby Digital sound. On introduced by Bob Jessop of the quaintly on the flat screen with 6 track magnetic the Saturday night additional local Bradford named New Zealand Film Buffs Association. stereo sound. cinemagoers booked every available The magnificent short film presentation remaining seat for a showing of a glorious admirably demonstrated the sheer power A truly outstanding vintage print was 70mm. restored recently made print of of these audio visual non speech based one shown on the Monday of the long “West Side Story” on the curved screen multi screen presentations. It particularly weekend. A vintage print of the 1985 with a 5.1 DTS soundtrack. (It was originally showcases the power of combining great Michael Cimino film “Year of the Dragon” shot in 65mm.) The original 6 magnetic images with great classical music - as aerial with this year’s best actor Oscar nominee track still has some restoration work to be shots of beautiful New Zealand mountains Mickey Rourke in the lead role, was the completed. and landscapes were combined with the best 70 mm. blow up print I have ever stirring music of Sibelius’s Intermezzo from seen. Projected onto the flat screen with It was wonderful to see these three musicals the Karelia Suite. The film presentation 6 track magnetic Dolby stereo it had all represented through gloriously restored (thumbnail pictures below) was a great its colour intact. The print was of superb recent prints. The prints were pristine, it success at Expo 70 and was seen extensively quality with amazingly sharp images, so was difficult to spot a mark on them, with in New Zealand in the immediate ensuing much so that at first I thought it was also their rich saturated colours and sharpness years, the Sibelius music being used for the originally shot in 70mm.. This must say they displayed their superb quality opening night of New Zealand Television something for the quality of the original particularly in close ups. It was wonderful One in 1975. camera lenses and the quality of the to see a packed cinema on a Saturday laboratory blow up.
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