Does the longer version of SOUTH PACIFIC still exist? (1 Viewer)

[Thomas T]

Mr. Ellis, John Huston's film of Reflections In A Golden Eye was indeed originally released with a sepia filter which bathed the entire film in a golden glow with red the only color that stood out. Any reviews of the of the film upon release will substantiate this and this was how I saw the film in a 1967 first run engagement.

Shortly thereafter, Warners replaced the sepia prints with regular color prints which severely compromised the film. Hopefully any DVD release will be the original release print as Huston intended or at least both versions made available.

 

[Robert Harris]

I believe Reflections did not use filters, but rather used dye transfer color timing to overlay the "golden" look to the film.

I was working as an "executive trainee" at WB-7Arts in projection at the time while still in school and viewed the first print to come east. While it was quite beautiful, there were many people who couldn't get past the "golden" look, and it was (shortly thereafter) printed without the overlay.

As I recall, the negative is normally exposed, unlike South Pacific.

Mention has been made here of "correcting" the SP filtered scenes digitally. This should not be a problem.

RAH

 

[Greg_M]

Quote:

Mention has been made here of "correcting" the SP filtered scenes digitally. This should not be a problem.

Then FOX could re-market "South Pacific" on DVD with the tag line "Without Those Annoying Color-Filters" which so many people have complained about.

 

[Peter Kline]

ThomasT. I also saw the "sepia" "Reflections In A Golden Eye" in Los Angeles when released. I believe it was at the Egyptian.

Re: Carousel. They started filming in both 35mm and 55mm in Boothbay. Like most musicals, on location filming would be done there and then they would switch to the 20th soundstages. Because each scene would be shot twice, Frank Sinatra - who was signed to play Billy Bigelow, bolted the set at Boothbay never to return. He said at the time that he was signed to make one film, not two. In any event production was shut down for about a month, with Gordon MacRae brought in for the part. During that period 20th developed a way to reduce the 55mm original to 35mm so the scenes were filmed only once. Ironically, it doesn't appear that either Carousel or The King And I were ever shown theatrically in 55mm as they were shot. The prints used were reduced to 35mm. However, because of ther larger source negative the reduction prints were even better then standard 35mm. When the King & I was re-released to theatres in the 70s, they blew up the image to 70mm: They called it:



Much if this info comes from the American Wide Screen Museum and several books I read several years ago.

 

[Joe Caps]

Fox could hardly affors to shut down an expensive production for a month - so filming continued on location for all scenes that did not involve Macrae - Blow High blow Low and its accompanying dance scene, June is Bustin out All Over, Youre a Queer One Julie Jordan and Mr. Snow - Julie Jordan later cut and Mr snow reshot on soundstages - all of the clambake scenes - all also later reshot on soundstages.
Macrae recorded If I Loved You and teh Soliloquy over the Weekend and was flown to Mine the follwing Monday for shooting.
Outtake footage from boothbay later showed up In Pey ton Place which was also shot in Boothbay.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Joe,

Is it an urban legend that some of the beach-dancing scenes in Carousel were filmed on the beach near the Great Highway in San Francisco? Some of the on-line reviewers mention this, but the IMDB filming locations page doesn't mention it.

 

[Jefferson]

According to the documentary RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN THE SOUND OF MOVIES, the "soliloquy" was filmed at Malibu.

 

[Joe Caps]

The Soliloguoy was filmed just below Malibu at Zuma beach. Fox owned this beach and shot EVERYTHING there. The beach scenes in Jounrey to the Center of the Earth, TheRobe, Beloved Infidel, Prince Valiant - its all the same beach. Also the final shot of Billy supposedly walking up to heaven was shot at Zuma beach. Fox forgot that the movie is set in New England and the sun doesn't go down in the water there - it comes up!!!

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Details, details.

 

[Peter Kline]

Joe. You should have told them at the time! This is one of the famous "mistakes" in film history.

 

[SteveP]

The 70MM "Grandeur" release of THE KING AND I opened at the Rivoli Theatre on Broadway in April of 1961.

Although Fox did re-issue the film in about 1966, just prior to its sale to television, I don't believe it had any kind of broad theatrical release, in either 35 or 70MM, in the 1970's.

 

[Peter Kline]

SteveP

The Rivoli Theatre was a great venue.

 

[Joe Caps]

Carousel was not shown in 55mm but King and I was. They talk about this on the special edition laserdisc, which was excellently researched.

 

[Greg_M]

Quote:

Robert Harris - "Mention has been made here of "correcting" the SP filtered scenes digitally. This should not be a problem."

Even if this can be done digitally, weren't the scenes originally filmed with a filter? So even if they can further reduce the color wouldn't there always be some tint to the image?

 

[ScottR]

Does anyone know what causes a sudden jerk at the end of many shots in South Pacific? Is this the result of the remastering done in the early 1990's to cover up bad frames by repeating the previous frame? It occurs in many of the filtered scenes. It is very annoying.

 

[RolandL]

Joe,

What do they say on the laser disc about The King and I being released in 55mm? I have never heard of this. Marty Hart's WideScreen Museum web site - http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingcs6.htm claims that only 35mm prints were made for The King and I. I have movie theatre trade journal magazines that specifically say that only 35mm prints were made.

 

[Robert Harris]

The freeze frames in SP are held frames from damage, dirt, etc. This was an extremely poorly done transfer.

 

[David Olstein]

What do they say on the laser disc about The King and I being released in 55mm? I have never heard of this. Marty Hart's WideScreen Museum web site - http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingcs6.htm claims that only 35mm prints were made for The King and I. I have movie theatre trade journal magazines that specifically say that only 35mm prints were made.

I don't know if it is a re-release print or not, but the Bradford Film Museum has a 70mm print of The King and I. They screened it at the last Widescreen Weekend.

 

[RolandL]

The King and I was re-released in 1961 in 70mm "in Grandeur 70"

 

[MatthewA]

Time to revive this thread, since Fox is considering revisiting their R&H musicals on DVD.

In addition to SP needing a reconstruction, the ONs to Oklahoma (Todd-AO version), King & I, and Carousel are supposedly in terrible condition.