Turner Classic Movies to air LETTERBOXED Around the World in Eighty Days in December! (1 Viewer)

[Patrick McCart]

TCM (The best movie channel on TV, in my opinion) had a Viewer's Choice festival in the summer where people got to request movies they'd like to see on TCM (given the rights and availbility of prints)
I requested Around the World in Eighty Days...in the proper widescreen format.
Guess what movie was picked. Yes, Around the World in Eighty Days. They even made a new transfer of the 1980's re-release version (Missing 20 minutes, however) in the 2.55:1 widescreen format. (I dunno if it's 2.35:1 or 2.55:1 since they're using a reissue print.) This will NOT be the same P&S version that has been around for the last 20 years. It's a brand new TV master to replace the crummy old P&S version until WB is finished with the DVD restoration for 2002 (or early 2003).
Two versions of this movie was filmed, edited, and released. One was a 2.20:1 70mm version run at 30 fps. The other was 2.55:1 CinemaScope. The print TCM is using is the 1980's "short" cut made from the CinemaScope version that is around 150 minutes instead of 180. The VHS of this movie is the short version (It's a shame that the uncut print used for the P&S TV/LD version is missing).
December 12, 10:00 PM EST. Be there. Everyone needs to watch this to show that there's a market for the 2003 DVD release!
Every time a movie is shown on TV in its OAR, an angel gets his wings.

 

[alan halvorson]

Great - thanks for the tip. My LD is fullscreen, except for the beginning and end, which are mildly letterboxed. Wonder why they didn't do it throughout the LD.

 

[William Miller]

Hey Patrick!

Don't get too excited yet. I doubt that TCM will show this letterboxed. TV listings in the past have listed TCM's showings as letterboxed but they haven't been. Who told you they have a new print?

I predict that it will not be letterboxed. If I am wrong, then I will apologize now.

The person that you need to contact about having this movie letterboxed is Elizabeth Taylor. I have read that she is the sole owner of this movie. This movie needs a major restoration and maybe she is unwilling to spend the money to do that. If I am wrong about this information, then I will also apologize for that now.

And let's not forget Mr. Michael Wayne and The High and the Mighty. He is depriving us of one of the all-time best Cinemascope movies ever made. This is #1 on my most wished for list.

 

[Dick]

Elizabeth Taylor? William, where did you get THAT information? In any case, the proper TODD-AO ratio would be 2.20:1, and from what Robert Harris has stated in past threads, this one needs a whole LOT of restoration and may be impossible to release again except maybe on video.

 

[William Miller]

Mike Todd produced Around the World in 80 Days. He owned the negative. At the time of his death in a plane crash, he was married to Elizabeth Taylor. He left the bulk of his estate to Taylor including the ownership of Around the World.

 

[Jo_C]

To set the record straight on who really owns "80 Days"...

United Artists originally released the movie. In the mid-1970s UA lost control of the film to Elizabeth Taylor (who is the successor in interest to Michael Todd's production company responsible for the film).

Then, in the 1980s, Warner Bros. acquired all rights to the movie, and renewed the film's copyright, so now it is AOL Time Warner who has control of the film.

'nuff said?

 

[RobertR]

I doubt that TCM will show this letterboxed

I have never seen a widescreen movie on TCM that wasn't letterboxed.

Are you sure you're not confusing it with AMC?

 

[Lane F.]

Time to put my Panasonic DVD-Recorder to good use...

 

[Patrick McCart]

TCM made a brand new master of the CinemaScope version just to meet my request.

The only TV print before that was a P&S uncut print, but it seems like WB is having trouble locating all the footage.

The email I got from TCM was from the head of programming.

 

[William Miller]

While it is true that TCM shows most of their movies in their original aspect ratio, they do show some pan and scan. (Did you see Nevada Smith a few days ago?)

TCM is a wonderful channel and I would never get it confused with AMC which was once a fine channel and is now rapidly descending into something that looks like the USA network.

 

[SteveK]

RobertR- I agree. AMC unfortunately seems to show many of their movies in P&S, while TCM shows ALL movies in the proper aspect ratio. I don't even bother checking the listings for AMC anymore. I don't understand why a channel that features "classic" movies shows primarily the botched P&S version instead of the widescreen version. The same with the Bravo channel, as they claim to concentrate on film and the arts, but then ruin the art of film by showing P&S versions. Please excuse my rant.

But TCM fortunately shows all movies in their OAR and uninterrupted by commercials. And their identifying "bug" is only shown for a few moments at a time rather than continuously like most stations do.

Hooray for TCM!

Steve K.

 

[BarryR]

I recall when AMC was called Montage, circa 1983; they showed rarities like Universal's KING OF JAZZ (1930). Then it became AMC and was reasonably on target with lots of vintage RKO titles and weird little Soundies between movies. It's now become a bland, generic clone of a cable channel servicing some dumbed-down commercial database than to any genuine film fan. If I now tune in to it even once a year, it's alot. This past month I finally got a dish in order to get TCM (after years of begging for programming from TCM users), and it has been absolute HEAVEN
:star: :star:
'nuf said.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

TCM shows ALL movies in the proper aspect ratio.

This is simply not true. They have been showing "The Producers" in 4:3 for the last few months. TCM has a better track record than just about anyone, but they still occasionally show films non-OAR.

Regards,

 

[Mark Zimmer]

TCM also aired Around the World in pan & scan just a few weeks ago, despite listing it as letterbox. The email claiming a new transfer is encouraging and I'll certainly set my VCR, but I'm not optimistic.

 

[NeilEdwards]

I have always wondered that since TCM is owned by AOL which owns WB, when they do a new print, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (for example), does this portend a DVD release? They are advertising GIANT to be seen in December and that is a long overdue DVD release.

 

[John Morgan]

***Two versions of this movie was filmed, edited, and released. One was a 2.20:1 70mm version run at 30 fps. The other was 2.55:1 CinemaScope. The print TCM is using is the 1980's "short" cut made from the CinemaScope version that is around 150 minutes instead of 180. The VHS of this movie is the short version (It's a shame that the uncut print used for the P&S TV/LD version is missing). ****

I am confused. I have the old pan and scan, though stereo laser disc of this film, but my understanding that it is NOT uncut. In the Out West sequence, there is clearly an awkward splice where Cantinflas is taken by the Indians. I believe the edit happens after he falls down the embankment and then he is tied up. Someone who remembers the original version better than me says there is an entire sequence missing with Indians chasing him, or something like that.

 

[Joseph Goodman]

"80 Days" was filmed twice, yes. But, *both* versions were filmed on 65mm negative. The 30fps negative was used to make 70mm prints (hundreds of them), while the 24fps negative was used to make Technicolor dye-transfer 35mm Cinemasope reductions.

The 30fps negative is allegedly in dreadful shape... torn, damaged by over-printing, almost totally faded, allegedly missing scenes, and likely going vinegar. The 24fps negative is possibly in better shape, hence why the new prints made in the 80's were from this negative (or the protection dupes thereof). The Technicolor dye-transfer process could make many dozens if not hundreds of prints, with as few as three passes of the original negative to make the printing matrices.

Only the archival staff at Warner knows for sure what the dilly yo (as the kids say) with this movie. The latest issue of American Cinematographer mentioned that Pacific Title (major Hollywood lab) is working on restoring this film, but that's the only detail given by the magazine.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

According the Turner Classic Movies website, the version they are showing on Wednesday is letterboxed with a running time of 141 minutes. Maltin's guide gives the movie a running time of 167 minutes. The Motion Picture Guide says the original was 175 minutes. IMDb also says 175 minutes, so it looks like it's going to be missing about a half hour of footage.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Reed Grele]

Would any fellow HTF member with TCM access be willing to tape this for me on a T160 (SP VHS Hi-Fi, SVHS-ET, or S-VHS) or BII L750 (Yes I still have Beta.)
I'm sure we could work out something that would be mutually beneficial.
My e-mail is [email protected]
Thanks.
Reed Grele (in Beacon Falls, CT)
Thanks for the help! I have been contacted by several HTF friends who are taping the show for me.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Judging from the anount of footage missing, the prologue is most likely the part cut out along with the Indinans sequence...

At least it's finally 2.55:1!