Cinerama's South Seas Adventure to blu ray? (1 Viewer)

Does anyone know of any plans to transfer Cinerama South Seas Adventure to blu ray?

Hi Brian!

Welcome to the HTF!

I have moved two of your threads (this one and the generic smilebox question) to the Blu-ray forum where they will be much more likely to get some attention.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the scads of information we've got here on the Cinerama films and recent Blu releases...as well as almost any other topic you can think of on the home theater experience.

Drop a PM if you've got any questions about the place...

And, have fun!

Does anyone have any information regarding releasing of any other Cinerama films to blu ray in the near future?

Any update on a possible Blu-Ray release date on SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE and CINERAMA HOLIDAY? Inquiring minds need to know.

Strong hints have been given that both of these films are close to being released on Blu-ray.

See:

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2013/credits/index.htm

where the restoration credits for some of the Cinerama films (including these) as well as trailers are given. The trailers were created along with the restorations and have a wonderful 50's vibe.

Another post on the restorations themselves can be read at:

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2013/wonders/index.htm

All of this is the work of David Strohmaier and the rest of his team and Cinerama Inc. There are a number of posts from David and others about this.

The plan seems to be that Flicker Alley, which handled This Is Cinerama and Windjammer last year and produced very nice results, will also be handling the other titles as they become available. I don't think that any exact dates have been given yet but strong hints seem to be in the wind that this will happen. I spoke to David and others at the Cinerama Festival last September and, while there were no commitments, the body english was all very strong that this will be a reality and sometime this year.

I've never seen SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE or CINERAMA HOLIDAY but I'd love to.

I was delighted with Flicker Alley's THIS IS CINERAMA and WINDJAMMER. Got to have more. So it's an instant buy for me.

There's a terrific remastered smilebox trailer that was just put up a couple weeks ago on U Tube for

"Seven Wonders Of The World", with Lowell Thomas, in many ways the best of the Cinerama travelogs

You can click below to view it




Hopefully this will be coming out on Blu ray this year too.

I'll certainly purchase it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Cinerama Holiday will be the next title on Blu-ray. David Strohmaier said they will be doing an interview with Betty Marsh and she will be going over the scrapbook (I let Dave borrow it when I was in LA for the 60th anniversary) that she and/or her husband did while they were in the movie. I bought the scrapbook on eBay many years ago.

Please be aware that half of South Seas Adventure is filmed in Hawaii which isn't in the South Seas. The movie is frankly terrible, of value only as a time trip back to the 1950s and it lacks the unique Cinerama physicality because the video transfer has removed all evidence that it was shot on film - three films, actually. I thought it was like outtakes from an Elvis movie. I saw it in on the Cinerama screen last year . . . maybe a home experience might be different but no way will I buy this mutant thing. It completely deterred me from wanting to see any more of those travelogues.

AdrianTurner said:

Please be aware that half of South Seas Adventure is filmed in Hawaii which isn't in the South Seas. The movie is frankly terrible, of value only as a time trip back to the 1950s and it lacks the unique Cinerama physicality because the video transfer has removed all evidence that it was shot on film - three films, actually. I thought it was like outtakes from an Elvis movie. I saw it in on the Cinerama screen last year . . . maybe a home experience might be different but no way will I buy this mutant thing. It completely deterred me from wanting to see any more of those travelogues.

Click to expand...

I saw several of these digital restorations at the Cinerama festival last year and I think they look gorgeous in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years back. I'm certain that the people who produced these movies would be ecstatic to see their films returned to their original glory, and the folks who are responsible for the restorations should be commended for their extraordinary dedication and vision. I can't wait for the films to be available on Bluray to buy for myself and as gifts for my friends and family.

This is going to be a silly question, I know that WB owns the Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and that they state that a restoration in Smilebox would be expensive. My question is have they asked for assistance by David Strohmaier or Cinerama Inc? Perhaps of both parties collaborated..the cost would be less severe. It is a fun film and a great part of film history. It really should be presented in this Smilebox format so that modern audiences can see it the way people saw it back in the day.
I have the Blu's of How the West Was Won, This is Cinerama and Windjammer. They all look great and it is facinating to see these films in all their widescreen glory!

All we need after these great films is a 2:76 remaster of Raintree County and Hallelujah Trail. Raintree County is a better possibility as it is with Warner.

Halleujah is with MGM so we know it will never be properly restored unless new upper management comes along. The current people don't wish to restore or remaster much of anything. They just want to license out whatever masters are extant including some that are over 20 years old. Now knowing just how bad Fox and MGM have become...I truly wish that Warner would have gotten the rest of the MGM collection and not Fox. If Warner had them, you know that more titles would come out and be done properly. How long does Fox have the home video rights? Is it possible that Warner could get the rest of that catalog some day?

-Mark

The MGM / Fox deal is up in 2016. However it has really been MGM deciding what to release and not Fox. There is a rumor going around that Twilight has almost made a deal with MGM to release some titles, just as they have done with Shout and Criterion.

I know that it is MGM and not Fox in deciding what to release. I just figured that if Warner or Columbia got the rights...perhaps Warner could remaster and release titles in their WAC or Columbia in their Choice collection. I just know that Warner would take good care of the titles, just as they have with their current MGM and subsidiaries films. I never imagined in years I'd see some of the stuff they brought out in the WAC.

Am I wrong in thinking that if the home video rights were in different hands, more could be done on what is remastered in widescreen and what isn't? I just feel that Fox is using a who cares approach. MGM has no cash so they can only do limited things, plus they don't really have their own remastering division, they have to have another company do it. If WB had the rights, they could probably do the remastering ala what they do for WAC. I truly hope that Warner can outbid other parties. I heard that Lionsgate was previously interested and almost won the last bid. Dear god I hope that never happens! Lionsgate is by far THE WORST in the home video business. They could care less with what they have. Here they had the Republic rights for years and did nothing with it. Olive has had it for next to no time so far and just look at what they have released and done with it!
Heck I'd be ok with Olive getting the rights to some of the MGM lineup. Maybe something small like the Cannon films or the Empire films.

Could someone explain to me how MGM Shout etc keep saying that for many titles they cannot afford to remaster as they would lose money on the releases, but somehow Warner has the ability to make sure all films are OAR and 16:9 when applicable. How can Warner do it but Fox cannot for its program. Fox has their own remastering division. Why could then not help MGM and remaster some of the titles for their programs ala WB.

If I had my way, Warner would own all classic film libraries! I truly hope that they can remaster and release some of the movies that Paramount neglected.

Warners is not remastering the Paramount titles but will use what Paramount gives them. They are just getting around to releasing titles not previously released on Blu such as THE ODD COUPLE and the transfers are coming from Paramount. The agreement is only for 3 Years. Not a long time to recoup remastering costs for Warners.

Yeah 3 years would not be enough time at all. Well, hopefully Paramount has some good masters to use for some of their films.
I am especially hoping for blu's or at least 16:9 of Ghost and the Darkness, Snake Eyes, Golden Child, Breakdown, and Sliding Doors.
Those titles are really great movies IMO and the current dvd's are pretty low quality. I have some of them on region 2 as that was 16:9 but I can't stand Pal speedup and it seemed noticeable on those films.

Now theoretically, if WB was able to acquire the MGM films in 2016, would it allow them to remaster for Wac, or would it be like what they are doing with Paramount titles?

If WB would not be allowed to remaster for WAC, then I fear that even if WB got the MGM titles, they would still be left to use whatever MGM has. Their current upper management is not fans of remastering their catalog. They are fans of licensing out. I think they only remaster when it is worthwhile for them or if they are paid to do so.

MGM just needs to sell their libarary to some one that cares. But the value is to high on it to be a decent deal. Warner tried to buy MGM during its bankruptcy but their bid was too low due to what the value of the library was booked at bs what Warner thought it was worth.I am with you and feel your frustration with the tremoundous MGM libarary. They are just allowing an asset to fall apart and continue to devalue.

I think we need to give David Strohmaier and the Cinerama team a round of applauds for their work on the digital transfers of the Cinerama films. This is a true success tale of not allowing your assets to literally fall apart.

Mark Pytel said:

This is going to be a silly question, I know that WB owns the Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and that they state that a restoration in Smilebox would be expensive. My question is have they asked for assistance by David Strohmaier or Cinerama Inc? Perhaps of both parties collaborated..the cost would be less severe. It is a fun film and a great part of film history. It really should be presented in this Smilebox format so that modern audiences can see it the way people saw it back in the day.
I have the Blu's of How the West Was Won, This is Cinerama and Windjammer. They all look great and it is facinating to see these films in all their widescreen glory!


-Mark

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I talked to Dave and Image Trends and WB has no interest in having their films being restored by them.

RolandL said:

I talked to Dave and Image Trends and WB has no interest in having their films being restored by them.

Click to expand...

That's a shame. It could have been a great partnership. I guess Warner just wants to keep it all in house. Dave and Image Trends have done amazing work on the Cinerama titles.

AdrianTurner said:

Please be aware that half of South Seas Adventure is filmed in Hawaii which isn't in the South Seas. The movie is frankly terrible, of value only as a time trip back to the 1950s and it lacks the unique Cinerama physicality because the video transfer has removed all evidence that it was shot on film - three films, actually. I thought it was like outtakes from an Elvis movie. I saw it in on the Cinerama screen last year . . . maybe a home experience might be different but no way will I buy this mutant thing. It completely deterred me from wanting to see any more of those travelogues.

Click to expand...

Is the transfer really that bad? What went wrong?

Even if the film isn't very good I would probably find purely visual things to like it about it. But if the transfer is that bad ....