The Best Of Cinerama -1963 (1 Viewer)

[rsmithjr]

Dave,


Thanks much for your recent post.


The new trailer for This is Cinerama looks great! Much better detail and join lines. This is clearly worth repressing onto Blu-ray.


I consider the premiere of This Is Cinerama to be the most important event in motion picture history since The Jazz Singer, so we need to have it in the best condition possible.

 

[OliverK]

Dave, with the previous Blu-ray it was my opinion that it was hard to see what cinerama was all about - if you put the new version on Blu-ray nobody will have to ask that! What a difference a proper source element and your added expertise in handling these can make, I am very impressed with what I can see in that report.

 

[rsmithjr]

Dave,


I have thought some more about this and have a question.


This is such an important film that it should be preserved in the best possible manner.


Is there any chance that it could be finished in 4K and 4K DCP's and UHD Blu-ray prepared for it?


If so, perhaps funding could be obtained. If you crowd-funded it, I would be more than happy to contribute.


We were all pleased enough with the previous effort but this new sample is spectacular!



Bob

 

[Dr Griffin]

Details such as the barrel warping are brilliant. Great article and thank you and all involved for your efforts.

 

[Strohmaier]

As some of you know these Cinerama Restorations are mainly voluntary and financed by a few generous dedicated gentlemen who are very interested in seeing the travel shows completed. They provide the expenses for scanning and a few other needed costs. The work I do is all pro bono and that includes the use of my home edit bay to process and clean up all the files, creating or editing most all of the extras and supervising the overall projects. Currently my garage is filled with the original negatives of “Russian Adventure,” which I am inspecting a prepping for scanning at FotoKem next month. This includes the creation of detailed continuities of each shot in each roll. I have also inspected all the o-negs for “Windjammer” as it might be the last project after “Russian Adventure,” although the negative is in pretty bad shape with lots of color fluctuation and shrinkage- as one test roll revealed. Not sure what we can do with that title but then I though “7 Wonders” was a disaster when we looked at that negative. Never say never!


My system can handle 2K but would require about a $10,000. Computer and software upgrade to do 4K and then a lot of new software learning curves etc. We hear things like why not 4K all of the time. The simple answer is that it is either 2k or standard def., or not at all. We are not a major studio who is protecting our assets or trying to keep up with the latest trends or higher resolutions; there are simply no funds for that, but we would if we could.


As far as a new blu ray of “This Is Cinerama”, that is up to the distributor and we are very lucky that Flicker Alley is interested in releasing both “Best of” of and “Russian Adventure” next year. Maybe “This Is Cinerama” can come out someday, I sure hope so, it was a ton of work to get it finished. Sales figures are down, for the most part, on these type releases so it will be a certain amount of luck involved if it does happen.


If someone, or some organization ever wants to do 4k at some future point it can be done with the digital files we have created for all these projects. Each 6 perf panel is deposited at the Library of Congress in DC, however these are the raw scanned files so the restoration, compositing, color and clean up part would have to be repeated all over again. Glad It won’t be me.


Dave

 

[rsmithjr]

Hi again Dave,


Thanks for your thorough response to my 4k question. I am sure you hear that all of the time.


Rest assured, we really appreciate your work. I never expected to see these movies again. So glad to see that they have been restored and preserved by you and your team.


I was just so thrilled to see the updated This is Cinerama trailer with the very obvious improvements.


If I could pay for the 4k work I probably would. Should have become a philanthropist.


Windjammer is one of my favorites, saw it in Kansas City in 1962. I would love to see a better version of that one as well.


Sigh.



Bob

 

[Nigel G]

Hi Dave,

Any news on the release of either 'Best of' or 'Russian'? Flicker Alley isn't saying anything on the subject as yet.

I'd also be interested to know if any of the shorts you've restored (e.g. Shellarama, Concord, or Fortress) are ever likely to make it to Blu?

Many thanks,

Nigel.

 

[ahollis]

Hi Dave,

Trying to bump this thread, so is there any word on THE BEST OF CINERAMA, and RUSSIAN ADVENTURE?

Thank you, I am looking forward to both titles and other things CINERAMA. I enjoy your previous CINERAMA releases constantly.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm definitely in on a "Best Of Cinerama" once it becomes available!

 

[DP 70]

So am I and I hope it has Shellarama in the extras as well which would be fab.

 

[Flicker Alley]

The Best of Cinerama and Cinerama's Russian Adventure will be released on November 15, 2016 at FlickerAlley.com. Pre-order and save 25% off MSRP for a limited time!

Both releases include a slew of bonus features, including the short films Shellarama, Bridge to Space, and Battleship Iowa Arrives in San Pedro (on The Best of Cinerama) and Fortress of Peace and Concorde (on Cinerama's Russian Adventure).

 

[DP 70]

I have preordered and really look forward to screening this.

 

[ahollis]

Pre-ordered all ready. Looking forward to it.

I am really excited about RUSSIAN ADVENTURE, as I was with SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE.

 

[britx]

Is there any expectation that "The Golden Head" will be released this year? I've really been looking forward to seeing it.

 

[RolandL]

Is there any expectation that "The Golden Head" will be released this year? I've really been looking forward to seeing it.

Not this year. Flicker Alley released all the Cinerama titles restored by Dave Strohmaier. They have no plans right now. They have some legal rights to get around and looking for extras to include. I let Dave borrow my Cinerama press kit for the Golden Head so they could use that and movie program, ticket flyer, ads, etc. that I have.