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

[RolandL]

Lets hope they release it full screen and not cropped to 1.77 or 1.85 to fill HD TV's as that is the way it was shown in 1953.

 

[JamesNelson]

Lets hope they release it full screen and not cropped to 1.77 or 1.85 to fill HD TV's as that is the way it was shown in 1953.

I have every confidence that Bob F. will work to ensure the right thing is done.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Thanks, James. Ironically, WAX was shown in some odd ratio in certain large theaters. I'll have to check my notes, but it was something like 1.52:1 or so.
It was filmed for 1.37:1 so that's how it should be seen.

 

[GregK]

I had read somewhere (but for the life of me cannot remember where it was from, so consider it second hand for now) that WB had decided if a theater decided to show WAX in widescreen, a 1.50:1 AR was the max cropping that could be performed. But as Bob already noted, and just like Universal originally recommending 1.85:1 for the 1.37:1 composed IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, HOUSE OF WAX was composed for 1.37:1.

 

[JamesNelson]

I had read somewhere (but for the life of me cannot remember where it was from, so consider it second hand for now) that WB had decided if a theater decided to show WAX in widescreen, a 1.50:1 AR was the max cropping that could be performed...

It was in R. M. Hayes' book 3-D Movies. You may have seen it elsewhere as well.

 

[GregK]

It was in R. M. Hayes' book 3-D Movies. You may have seen it elsewhere as well.

Very possible, hence my "2nd hand" disclaimer. It's worth noting even if I read it elsewhere, but if it wasn't original source material, sadly the information still could have come from the RM Hayes Book.
It is items like this where Bob's grueling methodology of using nothing but 1st hand or completely documented research really comes into play.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I just have to be the one to point out that my favorite thing about this film is that the director, Andre deToth, only had one eye.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Just to be very clear, I never use the Hayes book for reference. The amount of errors in that book is absurd. When he didn't have information, he fabricated something. Check out his listings for DOWN THE HATCH or LUMBERJACK RABBIT for examples.
I've seen that ratio listed in one of the industry trades, I just don't recall which one.

 

[JamesNelson]

I realize that Hayes' book is not well thought of in inner circles. However, as far as I know, and like it or not, it remains the single most comprehensive printed reference volume for information about the Golden Age of 3-D cinema. Dan Symmes' Amazing 3-D, while more accurate in its facts, does not provide many of the lower level details that Hayes' book does (aspect ratios, cast and crew information, shooting locations, etc.). And I'm not aware of any other books that come close to either of these in terms of comprehensive coverage of the era.
I have been a Golden Age 3-D enthusiast ever since my first theatrical 3-D experience: the 1972 House of Wax revival. However, it wasn't until I attended the first World 3-D Expo in 2003 that I realized how many fellow 3-D nuts were out there. It was also at that time, as I conversed with fellow attendees, that I began to learn of the many inaccuracies in Hayes' book. Nonetheless, I am not a cinema industry insider, and other than published works on the subject, correspondence with fellow enthusiasts, and forums such as this, I have no way to vet the accuracy of much of the information I have collected in my head over these many years. I suspect I am not alone in that situation.
I imagine Mr. Furmanek's plate is more than full right now, but hopefully he has future plans for a published work on Golden Age 3-D cinema that will become the definitive reference from which we all can draw.

 

[Ted Van Duyn]

Six strips? Does this make House of Wax the most restored film of all time?

 

[ahollis]

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.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

We're fighting a losing battle. The information from the Hayes book is all over the Internet.
Thank you for the vote of confidence on writing another book. But I have a bad habit: I like to eat once in a while.

 

[JamesNelson]

...Thank you for the vote of confidence on writing another book. But I have a bad habit: I like to eat once in a while.

Well, I did stipulate future plans...and besides, Bob, if your plate is always full, you'll never be hungry!

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Trust me, I would LOVE to do a book on Golden Age 3-D, just to get the facts out there. But the reality is that publishers rarely (if ever) give an advance these days for this type of book. I've looked into it and have talked with some other authors.
Being self-employed with my own business, there's just no way I could devote the amount of time it would take to a project that would generate no income. It's just not possible.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Ted Van Duyn /t/322317/house-of-wax-3d-official/30#post_3953640
Six strips? Does this make House of Wax the most restored film of all time?

Metropolis will probably always hold that "record".

 

[JamesNelson]

Trust me, I would LOVE to do a book on Golden Age 3-D, just to get the facts out there. But the reality is that publishers rarely (if ever) give an advance these days for this type of book. I've looked into it and have talked with some other authors.
Being self-employed with my own business, there's just no way I could devote the amount of time it would take to a project that would generate no income. It's just not possible.

Bob,
fwiw, my copy of Abbott and Costello in Hollywood is well-worn and well-loved.

 

[JoHud]

Trust me, I would LOVE to do a book on Golden Age 3-D, just to get the facts out there. But the reality is that publishers rarely (if ever) give an advance these days for this type of book. I've looked into it and have talked with some other authors.
Being self-employed with my own business, there's just no way I could devote the amount of time it would take to a project that would generate no income. It's just not possible.

The next best thing---definitive website?

 

[Ted Van Duyn]

Metropolis will probably always hold that "record".

Not for how many times the movie has been restored over the course of it's life, but the amount of work that was put into a single restoration project.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Originally Posted by Ted Van Duyn /t/322317/house-of-wax-3d-official/30#post_3953640
Six strips? Does this make House of Wax the most restored film of all time?

It's only double what they did for The Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind and Singin' In The Rain, and possibly not even that, given the running time of Wind.

 

[Ted Van Duyn]

It's only double what they did for The Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind and Singin' In The Rain, and possibly not even that, given the running time of Wind.

If we're going by running time and that the restoration work on Gone With The Wind involved the three color strips each needing to be individually restored, than yes. That would make Gone With The Wind the title that had the most work done on it restoration wise.