Biological classic: The Andromeda Strain. (1 Viewer)

[Simon Howson]

Yes, it is essentially just a semi circular piece of glass that is placed in front of the regular lens. The background object is focussed in the usual manner using the uncovered portion of the lens. The other side of the lens covered by the glass diopter element will focus closer to the lens due to, I guess, the refraction of the glass altering the focal plane for that side.

In the screen capture I gave, the boundaries of the diopter have been concealed by aligning them with the edges of the window frame on the right, and the corner of the room on the left.

The use of split diopters by directors like De Palma, Frankenheimer and Spielberg to me represents a re-adoption of the 1940s deep focus style. That is to say, directors became notable during the 1970s for deploying both extremes of shallow focus shots acheived using long lenses, but also deep focus techniques using wide-angle lenses, and split diopters.

Obviously film was much faster in the 70s, making it easier to generate deep focus effects. But productions would use less lighting than in the 1940s, hence the split diopter lens would be a useful tool to acheive deep focus, especially in anamorphic, without shooting at a rediculously high f-stop.

 

[andySu]

Simon

Thank you for that comment I appreciate it.

There is another thing that I have noticed with the older type of films, up until the earlier 1980’s with faster Panavision lenses, that can shot in the dark with very little light, I have noticed this with the opening shot of “The Andromeda Strain” where some characters are checking out the town with the use of “night-vision.”

 

[Simon Howson]

I have not seen the film, but that could be just an optical effect.

From memory Panavision released a new selection of high speed anamorphic lenses around 1971 or '72. There is a (in my opinion not very good) Panavision film called Prime Cut, that made use of a very fast 55mm anamorphic lens to enable shooting a scene at dawn, with only minimal additional lighting. The cinematographer had the lab push the film one stop to achieve perfectly good exposure, without creating an ecessively grainy image. Film makers could only dream of doing those sorts of things just 10 or 15 years before.

I would argue one of the only things going for Prime Cut is its very skillful, and at times very beautiful anamorphic cinematography.

 

[andySu]

Simon


"Prime Cut"

88 minutes that’s a very short running time, I noticed Gene Hackman and Lee Marvin is in it, any good mate?

Just did a basic search I don’t think its available on region 2 DVD UK.

 

[Stephen PI]

I can confirm that the 70mm prints were mono as a stereo mix was never prepared for this film.
When the laserdisc was being prepared for release I thought there was a stereo mix available. I was responsible for Home video searching everywhere and then discovering that it didn't exist!

 

[Simon Howson]

.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Yeah, I have the well-transfered DVD of that film. Indeed, it isn't that good, but as I am a big Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman fan, it has its moments. Marvin hated working on the film with director Michael Ritchie. Fine cinematography by Gene Polito (Colossus: The Forbin Project; Westworld) too and those dawn scenes are indeed beautiful and crisp for a film from 1972.

As for The Omen, I watched it again recently and I think I did notice a diopter shot at one point (the cemetary?) but I can't be sure.

 

[Simon Howson]

Gene Hackman is hilarious in the film, but the story is just stupid (IMO).

I haven't seen Westworld, I am going to have to pick it up given the strength of Polito's cinematography for Prime Cut.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

The strange thing about Gene Polito, is that he worked mainly on TV movies, even though it is readily apparent that he was a fine cinematographer and should have worked on more feature films. Colossus is beautifully shot in Panavision, although the DVD is notoriously panned and scanned.

BTW: The Andromeda Strain had 70mm engagements in Europe, but U.S. screenings were all just 35mm mono, as is the DVD.

 

[Simon Howson]

I was also surprised when I looked up Polito's IMDB.com profile to see how he rarely worked in films, and hardly ever A-films. I mean Prime Cut was a CBS production, so he possibly only got that job because of his TV connections.

Sadly film history features many other under-rated cinematographers. One of my favourites is Nicholas Musuraca, who mainly worked on B-films, most famously several for Val Lewton.

I was astounded recently when I watched the MGM DVD of The Spiral Staircase. I consider Musuraca, Greg Toland's equal regarding the 40s deep focus style, yet one should consider that Musuraca was usually working on match lower budgets, and unlike Toland, he is yet to receive the recognition that his art deserves.

 

[Stephen PI]

The Odeon, St. Martin's Lane ran a 70mm print for it's premiere run. This is where I first saw it.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Interesting, I thought Hawaii was the only film with Six-track mono.

 

[andySu]

Gordon

I was thinking towards the end somewhere, when he’s cutting the hair, or just before that scene, then again I might be confusing myself over this issue.

 

[andySu]

Stephen

Well I have heard Robert Harris commenting about “Spartacus” about people around the world that collect film from 16 35 and 70mm, maybe just maybe somebody as a print of The Andromeda Strain cracking up under there bed somewhere!?

Joel' mentioned the prints where all junked, can he be sure they where, man I would like to hear this film in six-track stereo at home.

Anyway talk amongst yourselves for moment; I’m going to get some Ice-Cream!

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

The Andromeda Strain has a similar diopter shot to I Walk the Line at 10:40-10:50 on the DVD, with Cpt. Morton and the lieutenant are hard right and hard left with the officer by the car at about 30 feet away, all in focus - fine shot, with the nighttime photography well balanced and delineated. I'm watching the film now; it's beautifully photographed by Kline.

Nicholas Musuraca was indeed great and created some memorable images with limited time and resources. Stanley Cortez was great (The Magnificent Ambersons;The Night of the Hunter and Sam Fuller's, Shock Corridor (1963) and The Naked Kiss in 1964) but his work in colour pales in comparison to his b&w masterpieces - Fuller came to his rescue, but like so many other great DPs of the 30s and 40s, once colour became the standard, their experimental ideas were made redundant. It was not until the early 70s with the likes of Gerry Fisher, Gordon Willis, Richard Kline and Owen Roizman that such experiments with depth of field, darkness over light and flashing (Vilmos Zsigmond) were allowed to the DP. James Wong Howe (Shanghai Express; Body and Soul; Sweet Smell of Success) managed to bag a few BW jobs in the 60s with Hud (1963) and Seconds (1966) both of which are amazingly well photographed. The takeover of colour from BW was one of the great tragedies for Cinema, though 3-strip, dye-transfer Technicolor was amazing, but short-lived and often used in an uncreative way. Most colour prints of 'great' or 'prestigious' American/British films from roughly 1955 (post Technicolor) to the early 80s (when Fuji developed their superior colour negative stocks) are generally quite ugly, in to my eyes, though there are exceptions: 65mm films; Roger Corman's Poe films; Mario Bava, Dario Argento and a few other Italian films; experiments like The Godfather I & II (Gordon Willis); McCabe & Mrs Miller (Zsigmond); Kubrick from 2001 to The Shining; Ridley Scott's, The Duellists to name but a few. Oswald Morris was bloody great, frankly, both in colour and BW.

 

[Don Mankowski]

I was already a biologist and a computer pro (well, a dedicated student) back in 1969, and the film was exceptionally up-to-date upon its release, and for quite a few years thereafter.

Yes, those monitor-workstations look pretty clunky now, but they were still in use circa 1980, 1985 in a lot of places.

Did you notice that the countdown to the self-destruct plays out in real time? Well, not if the station throws in a commercial and you start praying for the ignition.

Superb film, very faithful to the novel -- except where it improves upon it.

 

[andySu]

Don

LOL

I’ll take that challenge, I’ll stopwatch it next time to see if it’s spot on, but hay it’s only a movie. a very thoughtful one I might add.

I have "Pulp Fiction" on region 2 DVD UK, I’m not sure for certain if I was a “split lens dioptre” shot on that film?

 

[andySu]

Speaking of more “split lens dioptre” shots Robocop 3, 1.85:1, I’m watching it at this very moment, and at 71m.02s there is a interior shot, with low level lighting, but clearly around the foreground with CCH Pounder which is solid and the background is Stephen Root as Cootntz.

And again at 89m.15s wow, these “split lens dioptres” sure get around, this time Robocop is foreground, with a robort in the background.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Robocop 3? You're lowering the tone, Andy!

 

[Kevin M]

Interesting discussion...but I have to ask, why is this in Software?

Just asking.