3D HOUSE OF WAX 3D Official! (1 Viewer)

[RolandL]

Claude, WarnerPhonic Stereo utilized a full-coat 35mm magnetic track for the left, center and right speakers behind the screen and a mono optical track for the surround channel. The 35mm full-coat audio was on a separate roll that was interlocked with the two projectors that ran the left/right 3-D images, and the surround track was on the right print of the feature. The left print contained a mono optical composite track of the entire four channels and served as an emergency audio back-up in case the dubber went out of sync with the picture.
The tragedy of this stereo audio not surviving is the fact that it was an important element in the original presentation of the 3-D film. With fully directional sound and voices/effects that emanated from the sides and rear of the auditorium (during the fire in the wax museum, for instance) it helped to immerse the viewer in the action, adding an important element to the superb realism of the dimensional photography. At one point when Phylis Kirk discovers the body in wax, Vincent Price says from the back of the theater, "You shouldn't have done that, my dear." People in the audience were startled, to say the least.
As an example of the important role of sound in this presentation, the New York Paramount installed 25 surround speakers throughout the huge auditorium for the premiere.

From the picture above, it looks like the left and right speakers are to the sides of the screen, not behind it. Did some theatres have the left/right speakers behind the screen and others to the sides of the screen?
When you say "Vincent Price says from the back of the theater, "You shouldn't have done that, my dear." Would'nt that come from the surround channel which would be the speakers on the side walls and back wall of the auditorium? Or, could the surround channel be directed by someone to a specific group of speakers?

I haven't heard the new mix for CHARGE so I can't compare. The new WAX stereo mix utilized some existing dialogue, music and effect stems for the front channels.

So, if there are three stems for dialogue. music and effects, can't you mix them for something close to the original? Have the dialog come out of the speaker closest to the actor on the screen? Have the effect sound that you see on or off the screen come from where you see it or where it's supposed to be coming from?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

I imagine the three stage speakers could be placed in any position behind the screen. However, there would be masking and/or curtains on the sides so I would bet most theaters had the speakers behind the perforated screen.
Yes, I should have said his voice came from the sides and back of the theater.
If all of the original dialogue and effect tracks survive, they could most certainly approximate the original, highly directional mix.

 

[RolandL]

I imagine the three stage speakers could be placed in any position behind the screen. However, there would be masking and/or curtains on the sides so I would bet most theaters had the speakers behind the perforated screen.
Yes, I should have said his voice came from the sides and back of the theater.
If all of the original dialogue and effect tracks survive, they could most certainly approximate the original, highly directional mix.

For those of us like myself that have a front projector with speakers below the screen I guess the directional dialog could work fine if WB did that on the Blu-ray. If your speakers are far to the sides of your set, it might bother some people as the picture will be in the center (if WB released it full screen 1.37:1) of their 1.77:1 set

 

[JohnS]

Hey Bob, there does appear to be a need for a definitive book on 3D movies.  So I will second Mr. Nelson's thought on perhaps you can tackle the subject sometime. 

Especially a nice coffee table type of book.
I for one would buy this.

 

[moviebear1]

I was going through my files on House Of Wax and found this World Premere Ad.

 

[Gromilini]

Just in case someone isn't already hip to this, House of Wax 3D is on the 2013 Warner Bros. Calendar of Events for the third quarter (follow link, about halfway down the page...)
Warner Bros. 2013 Calendar of Events

 

[Richard--W]

Circa August-September 2013. Warner Brothers waits too damn long to release these titles.

I was going through my files on House Of Wax and found this World Premere Ad.

Hey, Matt Spero!
You designed the posters for the World 3-D Expos and all the other stuff. You were the guy who had the video crew shining bright lights in our faces all the time so that we were half-blind when the movies started. Do post here more often.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

If it takes a year for Warner to do House of Wax right, I'll happily wait.

 

[Matt Hough]

Don't you think they're also gauging the sales of Dial 'M' for Murder? If it underperforms, they may cancel those plans. It's happened before.

 

[Richard--W]

No, I don't think that's the reason at all.
House of Wax is a perpetually popular title and it will sell regardless of how Dial M For Murder does -- which, incidentally, is also a perpetually popular title and the 3-D edition is going to sell very well.
Traditionally, House of Wax sells. Period. Warner Brothers knows better than anyone that House of Wax sells. Period.
They're waiting to make it a 60th Anniversary Edition, probably. 1953 / 2013.
But I think the 3-D market needs the film RIGHT NOW.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

...assuming the work on it is complete and it's in a state to BE released now...

 

[Bob Furmanek]

It's a major restoration: 4K scans of each color record for both eyes, that's six rolls of film for each second on screen.
I'd rather they take their time and make it perfect.
Besides, that will give us time to get an article ready. Cranking out two Golden Age articles/reviews in one week was not easy!

 

[bgart13]

Bob, have you heard if there will be a HD version of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM on this release too? We need Lionel Atwill in HD, darn it!

 

[Alan Tully]

Bob, have you heard if there will be a HD version of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM on this release too? We need Lionel Atwill in HD, darn it!

I'd settle for a half-way decent looking Mystery Of The Wax Museum, it looks a bit rough on the DVD, but is that from the only one print available? (I'm sure I read that somewhere). I still think, House Of Wax would go better as a double bill with the 3D The Phantom Of The Rue Morgue. That would be a fun double bill.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by Billy Batson /t/322317/house-of-wax-3d-official/60#post_3991081
I'd settle for a half-way decent looking Mystery Of The Wax Museum, it looks a bit rough on the DVD, but is that from the only one print available? (I'm sure I read that somewhere). I still think, House Of Wax would go better as a double bill with the 3D The Phantom Of The Rue Morgue. That would be a fun double bill.

It certainly would have been the ideal mating of two 3D classics from Warners, and I've never seen Phantom of the Rue Morgue in 3D.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Ben, I'm not aware of any plans for MYSTERY.
I can tell you that a second 35mm nitrate print in much better condition has been found and currently sits at the UCLA Film Archive.

 

[RolandL]

House of Wax was originally estimated as a Q3 release. What's the new date?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Other than providing one complimentary image of a 1953 audience wearing glasses, we were not involved with this release.

It's too bad that we weren't consulted. Just like DIAL M FOR MURDER, we hold a wealth of rare material on this film in our files.

http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/dial-m-blu-ray-review

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

I really, REALLY hope that the WB doesn't eff up the 3D version of HOUSE OF WAX like they did DIAL M FOR MURDER; the latter has THE worst crosstalk I've ever seen. Absolutely unwatchable. And it ain't just my TV neither, because CREATURE and THE HOBBIT look just peachy-keen, with little-to-zero crosstalk.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Hmm, didn't see crosstalk on my display.

WB did a superb job on the 3-D transfer.

http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/dial-m-blu-ray-review