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IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoration - Page 11

post #301 of 537
1/27/07 at 4:01pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Now I'm confused ... of the "story" Cinerama movies, I thought only "Brothers Grimm" and "How the West Was Won" would need to be smileboxed, because starting with "Mad World" the Cinerama movies weren't really Cinerama.
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post #302 of 537
1/27/07 at 4:01pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by RSmith
Mad World is a movie that takes full advantage of the 2.76:1 apect. Whatever the DVD is, it chops off some important information from the original, including actors faces.

I have an illustration I sent to MGM, I'll post later.

The movies that were filmed in the MGM Camera 65/Ultra Panavision process and released on DVD in the proper aspect ratio are:

Ben-Hur
Mutiny on the Bounty
Battle of The Bulge
Greatest Story Ever Told

The following movies have not been released on DVD or the DVD does not show the full frame of the MGM Camera 65/Ultra Panavision film

Raintree County
How The West Was Won (segments)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
The Fall of the Roman Empire
The Hallelujah Trail
Khartoum
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post #303 of 537
1/29/07 at 3:21pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by RolandL
Well, that would show you how it appeared in a Cinerama theatre. But, only the three-strip films are true Cinerama and should be shown in the Smilebox process on DVD.
Debatable. Widescreen Museum contains a discussion of "rectified" Ultra Panavision films for the purposes of Cinerama presentation. Whether or not this process was ever applied to IAMMMMW is a mystery, but should be noted in any event. Here's a link: http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingcr6.htm
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post #304 of 537
1/30/07 at 4:36am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen_J_H
Debatable. Widescreen Museum contains a discussion of "rectified" Ultra Panavision films for the purposes of Cinerama presentation. Whether or not this process was ever applied to IAMMMMW is a mystery, but should be noted in any event. Here's a link: http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingcr6.htm

It's not a mystery. Prints of IAMMMMW for Cinerama theatres were rectified so that they looked fine (no one looked too fat or skinny) on the curved screen. But, as Marty Hart says on his web site "While Cinerama photographed and projected an image of 146 degrees, the Ultra Panavision 70 photography in "Mad World" rarely used lenses that covered more than 50 degrees. Stanley Kramer, much to his credit, has stated flatly that this was nowhere near being Cinerama. The impact of Cinerama had been killed and only its reputation kept the name alive. "
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post #305 of 537
1/30/07 at 1:41pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Thanks, Roland. On a barely related topic, do you know if the Seattle Cinerama has any plans to do another festival?
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post #306 of 537
1/30/07 at 5:33pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen_J_H
"rectified" Ultra Panavision films for the purposes of Cinerama presentation. Whether or not this process was ever applied to IAMMMMW is a mystery

You can see in the laserdisc version and in the outtakes/deleted scenes on the DVD that some of the shots are from a rectified print, because the far left and right of the frame are distorted.
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post #307 of 537
4/6/07 at 2:17am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

A question for anyone that might be in the know.

ASSUMING the will from whoever owns the film was there, and an appropriate budget was made available -

Is it still possible to restore the roadshow version of this film?

We keep reading, over the years of this thread, that on the one hand, more and more footage has been tracked down, so that we are within a minute or two of the full length (missing audio in some places and image in others) and on the other hand that materials have gone to vinegar and have been junked.

Or should we maybe all just zip our lips and as RAH has stated, fly under the corporate radar.....
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post #308 of 537
4/6/07 at 12:46pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

It's already in the can and ready to go..
just need some backers and hackers ....

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies...inerama04.html
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post #309 of 537
4/6/07 at 1:11pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

well one would assume that alternate copies was found of what had to be junked due to disinigration. That's good news. As long as time hasn't rendered things impossible, there's always hope then.
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post #310 of 537
4/6/07 at 5:42pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

But 13 minutes are still missing. Unless RAH has found it in the meantime...?
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post #311 of 537
4/6/07 at 6:03pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

I don't know if that 210 minutes figure is right, as I believe that previously RAH had stated that they had, in one form or another 193 minutes of a 197 minute Roadshow version.

That article is coming on 3 years old - has anyone here seen the version they talk about that was shown in Seattle? If so, comments?
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post #312 of 537
4/6/07 at 11:40pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Moe Dickstein
I don't know if that 210 minutes figure is right, as I believe that previously RAH had stated that they had, in one form or another 193 minutes of a 197 minute Roadshow version.

The souvenir brochure, given out at the roadshow presentations, gave the running time as "210 minutes including intermission".
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post #313 of 537
4/7/07 at 1:16am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

well that might just mean that the portion where you're not in the lobby is 197 minutes, and the "intermission" with no image on the screen is 13 minutes. (6.5 of which would have included the radio calls)

I'm not claiming to KNOW just going by what I saw here.

hopefully we'll have a DVD to time out someday
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post #314 of 537
4/7/07 at 7:26am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

I think it's mentioned somewhere in this thread, but it's worth repeating, that all the original reviews of this movie (e.g., Variety, The New York Times) gave the running time as 195 minutes. I think the 210 minute running time includes a 15-minute intermission, which arguably could be counted because those "bulletins" played through it.
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post #315 of 537
4/7/07 at 8:56pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

I think it's also mentioned in the 3-year old article that spawned this thread.
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post #316 of 537
4/9/07 at 10:19am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Lugoff
I think it's mentioned somewhere in this thread, but it's worth repeating, that all the original reviews of this movie (e.g., Variety, The New York Times) gave the running time as 195 minutes. I think the 210 minute running time includes a 15-minute intermission, which arguably could be counted because those "bulletins" played through it.

Here is a review from the November 11, 1963 issue of Boxoffice magazine - http://cinerama.topcities.com/1963iammmmwreview.jpg
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post #317 of 537
6/22/07 at 12:30pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Since there haven't been any postings or updates on this thread in some time, I thought I'd check to see if anyone, particularly but not limited to, Mr. Harris, can share anything about a SE or resored version of IAMMMMW.
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post #318 of 537
8/15/07 at 10:16pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

It just doesn't seem fair to have this film along with a couple others ( The Alamo-the John Wayne version, and Hawaii ) be given 'restored version' treatment with laserdiscs and VHS issues.........and nothing for DVD!!!
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post #319 of 537
8/16/07 at 9:12am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by mike--
It just doesn't seem fair to have this film along with a couple others ( The Alamo-the John Wayne version, and Hawaii ) be given 'restored version' treatment with laserdiscs and VHS issues.........and nothing for DVD!!!
Let's start campaigning for a completely restored version for the film's 50th anniversary in 2013. That'll give them 6 years to work on it.
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post #320 of 537
8/16/07 at 8:50pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

If there are any decent film elements left by then.
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post #321 of 537
10/14/07 at 10:36am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

I would love too see this film restored and ready for it's 45th Anniversary next year. I set up a petition online to send to MGM, saying we want a 45th Anniversary Special Edition, as well as a restored original 192 roadshow version.
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post #322 of 537
10/16/07 at 2:12am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Andrew,

Though I don't necessarily feel that petitions always work like this,
I am willing to put Home Theater Forum behind one if properly set up.

Let me know the link to this petition and I'll see what we can do.
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post #323 of 537
10/16/07 at 7:25am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by darkrock17
I set up a petition online to send to MGM, saying we want a 45th Anniversary Special Edition, as well as a restored original 192 roadshow version.

Is there a link somewhere for this petition ???
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post #324 of 537
10/16/07 at 10:00am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

A petition is not the overriding factor here. The problem is funding. If there are corporate sponsors willing to help with the approximate two million dollar cost, that could move things forward.
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post #325 of 537
10/16/07 at 10:40am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
A petition is not the overriding factor here. The problem is funding. If there are corporate sponsors willing to help with the approximate two million dollar cost, that could move things forward.

Aren't most of the cars in "Mad World" from Chrysler? Maybe the current company would be interested...
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post #326 of 537
10/16/07 at 11:19am

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

There's nothing quite like the soul-stirring sound of the door of a 1963 Plymouth being closed in 6 track stereo. Corporate ID?
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post #327 of 537
10/16/07 at 2:20pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

I love this film but quite honestly the longer they wait to release a restored version, the harder it will be to "sell" the DVD.

When this was on TCM over the summer I told my 25 year old niece and some work colleagues they HAD to see it. Well they either turned it off half-way through or called me during the film to say "When is it going to get funny?" (well that was just my niece)

The problem was they sadly knew very few people in the cast, though some knew Jonathan Winters, Peter Falk and Mickey Rooney. But some of the quick cameos - such as Jack Benny's drive by - left them totally mystified. They had no idea who he was.
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post #328 of 537
10/16/07 at 4:07pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard M S
But some of the quick cameos - such as Jack Benny's drive by - left them totally mystified. They had no idea who he was.

If that's the level of their interest in classic comedy, then you shouldn't have recommended this movie to them.

What has always surprised me is that Leonard Maltin doesn't like this movie. I'd have thought it would be right up his alley.
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post #329 of 537
10/16/07 at 4:31pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

Quote:
Originally Posted by darkrock17
I set up a petition online to send to MGM, saying we want a 45th Anniversary Special Edition, as well as a restored original 192 roadshow version.


Is there a link somewhere for this petition ???

Sorry, but since I'm new to the HTF, I had to have a certain number of posts before I could ad links in my posts.

Here's the link to my petition

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mmmmw63/petition.html
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post #330 of 537
10/16/07 at 5:57pm

Re: IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoratiion

I just signed,, then I see I am # two.... We need more Cowbell !!


and while I'm here.., wanted to reply to the post just above me about Leonard Maltin.. Yes he only gave IAMMMMW 2 and half stars out of 4., which always mystified me as well., But I think in its hour of Greatness the 36 odd cameos was a big plus for the comedy., but as time marches on,, the average viewer just doesn't get it and looses interest.

I very very rarely go the movies anymore.. but a few summers ago I went to see Rat Race with Cuba and the rest of the Gang and what a disappointment,, but a big relief, as I was iniatially worried that today's cameo stars could overtake the Big Screen comedy of yesteryear and beat out Mad World.. NOT!! Other Big Screen comedys would also include Blake Edwards The Big Race.., and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines , But none compared to Kramers comedy (as we all know) .
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