*** Official Thread - Robert Harris - Home Theater: Part One & Two - An Archaeology (1 Viewer)

[Rob W]

Actually, 8mm features are still available from Derann Films in England, who offer almost all of the Disney animated classics plus plenty of great MGM and Fox titles like a scope/stereo STAR WARS ! Their last release was Fantasia 2000.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I will always fondly remember going to the public library to order 16mm films to have shown at my birthday parties. There was always something about loading up a projector that gave me chills. Home video just doesn't have the same excitement built into it. Sigh.

 

[Dave H]

Very good article - I look forward to future ones.

 

[Bill Hunt]

Hi Everyone!
We're pleased to present you with the second part of Robert Harris' continuing special feature at The Digital Bits:
Home Theater: An Archaeology - Part Two
Remember, with every new column Robert writes at The Bits, we'll create an official thread here at The Home Theater Forum so you can discuss the subject with Robert and other home theater enthusiasts. So click on over to the link above, give the text a read, and come on back here to discuss it to your heart's content.
And please join us in welcoming Robert to The Digital Bits!

 

[Jon_W]

A little above my head, but still fascinating. I for one had faith in DVD a soon as paramount and fox started to release discs in Oct. of 98. Divx seems so long ago. Now we just need to attack pan and scan like we did Divx.

 

[Craig S]

I've enjoyed both of these articles, and look forward to the rest of the series. This could get expensive, however - after Mr. Harris's recommendation (and DVD Savant's review), I think I'll be picking up She Wore A Yellow Ribbon on the way home tonight!!

 

[Adam_S]

excellent article Mr Harris.

I'm wondering, I did a report on Technicolor for a High School Project, and I seem to remember that there were two stages of the final three strip process, the second being a faster film stock that didn't require the immense amounts of light required by the first, slower stock. I believe that Gone with the Wind was on the faster stock and the Wizard of Oz was on the slower. My question is, were the quality of the colors and durability of the stock any different from the initial three strip process?

I saw you mention "meet me in saint louis" is the title getting a deluxe restoration that is taking time the reason we haven't seen it yet on dvd?


Oh and one other thing (I understand if you don't know ). One three strip film I adore is one from 1940, King Vidor's "Northwest Passage" which is a charming film that takes place in the French and Indian war and stars Spencer Tracy, Walter Brennen, and Robert Young. I've only ever seen it on VHS and it appears that at least one layer was faded from the transfer (the greens of their camoflague look more blue than green) and I was wondering if you might know what condition the negative is in, and if it is slated for a restoration?

Adam

 

[oscar_merkx]

wow, fantastic article again. I am going to order John Ford's She wore a yellow ribbon as a result of this.
I knew of the term Technicolor yet I had no idea what this was, now I know.
Thanks Robert for yet another great article, I look forward to the third part

 

[Yee-Ming]

in the words of Mr Spock, "fascinating".
many thanks to Robert Harris and Bill Hunt for bringing the information to us.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Mr. Harris,

Thank you, once again, for your insightful writing. The more I learn about film, the more I love it.

Several years ago, you helped me get in touch with the ladies and gentlemen of the Motion Picture Conservation Center in Dayton. This allowed me the great opportunity to spend a year or so volunteering in the vaults and learning a great deal about film history and what needs to happen to preserve our precious films. It will be a year I never forget. Thank you so much for your continued work in the field of film preservation and restoration.

 

[Jon Robertson]

It's a wonderful column, Mr. Harris - congratulations.

 

[Brian Kleinke]

Very interesting stuff, I see this is going to be a fairly in-depth history, and I like it
Brian

 

[Hershel_S]

Forgive me for being new and initially placing my first post as a new thread instead of part of this on-going subject so I am repeating my post here:
I am very much looking forward to the upcoming article on aspect ratios.
I have always thought that wide screen movies began in the early 50's (CinemaScope) by 20th Century Fox to get people back into the theatres and away from that new thing at home called Television.
However, recently I saw a restored version of a 1930 film called THE BIG TRAIL starring John Wayne on TV in letterbox and it looked to be an aspect ratio of about 2:1.
I looked up the film title on the Internet Movie Database website (www.imdb.com) and under Technical Specs, it says it was filmed in 70mm 2.1:1 ratio! In 1930??
I hope the background article on this topic will cover some of these very early efforts at wide screen films that took at least a couple more decades to catch on.

 

[Robert Harris]

To Hershel S:

We'll attempt to lightly cover the early wide screen, which goes back a full century. Stay tuned.

And welcome to the forum.

RAH

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Hershel - That film was made in Fox's Grandeur 70mm format.

When i get back from work ill type in the whole story ;-)

 

[Hershel_S]

Thanks Moe. I look forward to that!

 

[Rain]

I am going to order John Ford's She wore a yellow ribbon as a result of this.

Good idea!

 

[Dave Moritz]

Great job Mr Harris am looing forward to hearing more.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

OK - Grandeur.

1928/9 - Sound is coming in, and many people have been experementing with larger film formats to increase quality on the larger screens now being used in the movie palaces.

Aside from Grandeur, I remember one called NaturalVision which was 56.xx mm wide but Grandeur was the only format that even came close to achieving anything.

35mm film came originally by slitting 70mm film that came from Kodak in half to save money - so Grandeur started off with the 70mm.

The aspect ratio was determened to be the most pleasing as well as the new format allowing an exponentially larger area for the Fox Movietone sound on film system.

If I recall The Big Trail was the first feature used for Grandeur, and was filmed in 35mm as well. I read an article by the films cinematographer somewhere online praising Grandeur after intitial reluctance and predicting it to become the new standard.

The problems were the requirement of new equipment all around. So soon after the introduction of sound, theater owners werent prepared to pony up more, though William Fox was going to do whatever he needed to do to make the format succeed

And he might have succeeded if not for the Stock Market Crash and the ensuing depression which wiped out Fox and crippled his company.

Gradeur limped along, for another year or so almost exclusively as a filming process that was reduced to 35mm for exhibition. (a situation similar to Cinemascope 55)

Im pretty sure of all this, but im sure Bob Harris can correct me if im wrong ;-)

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Something else interesting to consider. The very first lenses for Cinemascope/anamorphic were actually invented and made in the 30s by Henri Chreiten in France for use to make anamorphic films (the patent talked about not only horizontal but vertical applications!)

When Fox was developing widescreen, it was these original lenses that were acquired and used for early filming on The Robe, How To Marry A Millionaire, and the other early CS feature that slips my mind at the moment. It wasnt until Bausch and Lomb was able to create acceptable duplicates that the Chreiten lenses were retired.