Cinerama’s Golden Head and Tale of Old Whiff (1 Viewer)

[DP 70]

Before the Astoria closed as a cinema in 1976 they ran a season of 70mm films which I saw including Scrooge, My Fair Lady, The Wild Bunch, Funny Lady and Papillon and they all looked really great on the screen.

 

[Douglas R]

Rank's Astoria was not really a "Cinerama" theatre. Its 1968 refurbishment resulted in a new curved screen similar to the Odeon Marble Arch and the Gaumont 1s at Sheffield and Bournemouth ( a similar screen was installed at around the same time at the Odeon Merrion Centre in Leeds). The Astoria reopened with its new screen on December 17th 1968 with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This played until July 30th 1969 and the following day Krakatoa, East of Java opened on exactly the same screen but was indeed advertised as being in "Cinerama". After a 24 week run Krakatoa made way for Paint Your Wagon which played for 79 weeks. A curious feature of the Astoria's new screen was that the top corners were cut off by the curvature of the balcony front (the projection box was beneath the balcony). The screen was actually masked to allow for this.

The Sheffield Gaumont 1 made a big thing about it being a Cinerama cinema when it was twinned in 1969. It didn't last long though because Cinerama and road show films were already running down. I visited the cinema frequently when I was working in Sheffield in the mid 1960s but the Gaumont deep curved screen was nowhere near as enveloping as the Cinerama screen at the Casino in London. More impressive was Manchester's Theatre Royal Cinerama screen.

 

[Interdimensional]

We thought about that -only 6 shots were "fixed" that way and animation historians we talked to all thought it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. Also too many people complained to us when they saw the original before these fixes on the big screen. Trust me, you would have done the same given these problems. Now the cartoon's story is much less distracting with the "fixes". Also the original scans, before the repairs, are preserved as well.

I'm not seeing the clips in context, so perhaps you are correct, I'll reserve judgement on it at this point.

Were any of the experts you consulted able to offer any advice with regard to the original colour palette? I sometimes get the impression vintage restorations may have been over-corrected for colour fade. Although I admit that my perception of what looks correct for that period is possibly biased from seeing faded examples, and perhaps some personal preference for muted palettes.

I also notice that when faded colours are boosted to more saturated levels, it sometimes becomes apparent that colour depth has been lost that cannot be recovered. There is some inconsistency that is causing inklines and areas of the same cell colour area to split into other colours towards the edge of the frame. This is especially apparent in the scene with the dog catcher's van in front of the hotel. The clouds of smoke vary from greenish to purple, and the inklines turn red as the van exits frame. The dog itself is noticeably distorted.

(apologies for lateness of reply)

 

[ahollis]

Any further news on a release date for this ‘lost’ Cinerama film?

 

[cinemiracle]

Any further news on a release date for this ‘lost’ Cinerama film?

GOLDEN HEAD was NOT a Cinerama film. It was only ever shown in 2 cinemas in the world during it's original release.

 

[ahollis]

GOLDEN HEAD was NOT a Cinerama film. It was only ever shown in 2 cinemas in the world during it's original release.

Since the thread was stared and titled by Dave Strohmaier, who is in all aspects a guru on Cinerama, I will continue to refer to this as a ‘lost’ Cinerama film. I also believe Mr Strohmaier answered your same remark in post 9 of this thread.

 

[Strohmaier]

We who have worked with Cinerama Inc. since 1998 consider Golden Head a 70mm Cinerama film, just as the others that opened in Cinerama theaters on curved screens with Cinerama noted in the opening titles such as Ice Station, 2001, etc. 70mm is a part of the later Cinerama history story.

 

[mark-edk]

Ice-Station Zebra is one of my favorite films and would love to see a Smilebox version of it to recreate the experience I had seeing it at the Summit in Detroit. My memory may be faulty but I seem to recall that when I returned to re-watch it later the Overture had been shortened to about half its length, omitting the introductory material (which included a passage incongruously in bolero rhythm) and starting right in on the main theme.

 

[cinemiracle]

Since the thread was stared and titled by Dave Strohmaier, who is in all aspects a guru on Cinerama, I will continue to refer to this as a ‘lost’ Cinerama film. I also believe Mr Strohmaier answered your same remark in post 9 of this thread.

Numerous 70mm films were projected onto Cinerama screens but that didn't make them Cinerama films. It was common where I worked.

 

[Douglas R]

Numerous 70mm films were projected onto Cinerama screens but that didn't make them Cinerama films. It was common where I worked.

i don't know if you are being deliberately obtuse but no one is saying that every 70mm film shown on Cinerama screens is considered part of Cinerama history. There is a world of difference between those 70mm films intended to be shown in Cinerama and advertised as such (GOLDEN HEAD being one) and those 70mm films (mainly reissues) which were never designed and/or promoted to be shown in Cinerama.

 

[ahollis]

Numerous 70mm films were projected onto Cinerama screens but that didn't make them Cinerama films. It was common where I worked.

I refer you back to post #27 from David Strohmaier. I believe not only his knowledge, but his actual work on several Cinerama film restorations is the last word on this subject.

 

[cinemiracle]

i don't know if you are being deliberately obtuse but no one is saying that every 70mm film shown on Cinerama screens is considered part of Cinerama history. There is a world of difference between those 70mm films intended to be shown in Cinerama and advertised as such (GOLDEN HEAD being one) and those 70mm films (mainly reissues) which were never designed and/or promoted to be shown in Cinerama.

I was referring to the many NEW 70mm films shown on cinerama screens ,especially in Europe and Australia but never advertised as being projected in or advertised as being in cinerama. GOLDEN HEAD was such a film in Europe and I refuse to consider it a cinerama film regardless of who says so.

 

[OliverK]

Due to severe geometry issues I find projecting "normal" 70mm movies on a deeply curved screen problematic, I would probably not go above an 80° curvature for that reason or these days and with digital images just use a sophisticated image processor to fit the picture to the screen.

 

[ahollis]

I would suggest taking a look at the below web site, for it has newspaper ads for The Golden Head playing at the Royalty Cinerama Theatre in the UK and presented by Cinerama. I know it will not change anyone’s mind, but it makes me feel confident in my position on the film.

http://incinerama.com/goldenhead.htm

 

[Dan_Shane]

I refuse to consider it a cinerama film regardless of who says so.

There is nothing so valuable on a discussion forum as a logical, well-reasoned opinion. I hope Dave S. and RAH don't muddy the waters with techno-babble based on their decades of experience in the industry. It's only going to confuse people who live in the world of alternative facts.

 

[Douglas R]

I would suggest taking a look at the below web site, for it has newspaper ads for The Golden Head playing at the Royalty Cinerama Theatre in the UK and presented by Cinerama. I know it will not change anyone’s mind, but it makes me feel confident in my position on the film.

And I very nearly went to see it! I used to see every Cinerama film in those days but for some reason didn't get to see THE GOLDEN HEAD, which of course I deeply regret now (the Royalty was a lovely cinema as well) but I think the film ended its run sooner than I expected.

 

[john a hunter]

It did go very quickly I recall.
Never did see 70mm Cinerama there but remember the Royalty from Brothers Grimm and Best of Cinerama, and before that for Ben Hur(after it moved from the Empire and my second viewing ) and Mutiny on the Bounty.

 

[DP 70]

I am going to see Mutiny on the Bounty at Bradford in a few weeks, they are showing an original 70mm print which of
course has bad colour fade but i hear the sound is good and it might be shown on the Cinerama screen and they have
an original Ultra Panavision 70 lens to use as well.

 

[3D Projectionist]

Might bump into you Derek its in my diary for the 9am screening

 

[ahollis]

It did go very quickly I recall.

It did go quickly, from April 8 to June 2, 1965.