Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich new restoration (1 Viewer)

Strohmaier · May 6, 2017

Hi folks
We are about to complete the new and very challenging digital restoration of Windjammer (1958) which has been a 9 month long project. As many of you know the Flicker Alley version from several years ago was a telecine from a faded Cinemascope dupe print, so this new scanned version is like seeing an entirely new film. This time it was done with all original 3-panel elements: shrunken vinegary faded original negs, recently discovered IPs and some sections from the Library of Congress deposit print. All film scanning was accomplished at Fotokem in Burbank. The blending and alignment of the 3 panels, delicate color work, and image clean up was done mostly on my mac in my office at home. At some point in the next several weeks I will post a video explaining how all this was done including many before and after examples.
No current plans for a home video release for either the new restored version of This Is Cinerama or Windjammer other than a good possibility of summer or fall...

Interdimensional · May 6, 2017

Absolutely magnificent!

Nick*Z · May 6, 2017

Please reissue Windjammer on Blu-ray in this newly restored print. It's gorgeous and a vast improvement on the current release.

RichMurphy · May 6, 2017

Damn! Even watching these clips on my laptop I can see the startling difference in quality. I know we vintage film collectors are a dying breed, but I am hoping that somehow these improved versions of THIS IS CINERAMA and WINDJAMMER can make it onto home video. I have bought all the Cinerama restorations, and would gladly "double-dip" on these two.

And while I'm at it, if I were king, I would lock Mr. Strohmaier and Mr. Feltenstein in a room, and would prohibit them from leaving until they had a signed contract to restore THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM. Would that complete all of the 3-panel Cinerama films?

Strohmaier · May 6, 2017

RichMurphy said:
Damn! Even watching these clips on my laptop I can see the startling difference in quality. I know we vintage film collectors are a dying breed, but I am hoping that somehow these improved versions of THIS IS CINERAMA and WINDJAMMER can make it onto home video. I have bought all the Cinerama restorations, and would gladly "double-dip" on these two.

And while I'm at it, if I were king, I would lock Mr. Strohmaier and Mr. Feltenstein in a room, and would prohibit them from leaving until they had a signed contract to restore THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM. Would that complete all of the 3-panel Cinerama films?

Yep -all but the Soviet films

moviepas · May 6, 2017

No need to reply as Rich Murphy as duplicated what I would say on all points. I only saw two Cinerama in my youth, and, at the little theater in Melbourne, the Fox-owned Hoyts' Plaza then, HTWWW and Windjammer and loved both.
Wonder what the Soviet position is with their versions of the process. Can we bribe Putin to hand them over for couple of years or so?

cinemiracle · May 6, 2017

moviepas said:
No need to reply as Rich Murphy as duplicated what I would say on all points. I only saw two Cinerama in my youth, and, at the little theater in Melbourne, the Fox-owned Hoyts' Plaza then, HTWWW and Windjammer and loved both.
Wonder what the Soviet position is with their versions of the process. Can we bribe Putin to hand them over for couple of years or so?

Most of the Soviet kinopanorama films still exist in Paris. Maybe they can restore these as they are probably in the public domain anyway.

cinemiracle · May 6, 2017

Nick*Z said:
Please reissue Windjammer on Blu-ray in this newly restored print. It's gorgeous and a vast improvement on the current release.

It would be great to see it again in Cinerama just as I saw it many ,many decades ago. Truly my favourite of all the documentaries and I managed to see them all several times .

JPCinema · May 7, 2017

Please release the restored WINDJAMMER sooner on Blu Ray! Looks incredible...as vivid as I remember when I saw it at the Roxy in New York when I was 5!!! Amazing!

Charles Smith · May 7, 2017

Beautiful work, and here's another vote for an upgraded Blu-ray release of these two titles (and more!).

Brian Kidd · May 9, 2017

I got to see HTWWW in Cinerama during the few years when it was running at the New Neon in Dayton, OH. It blew me away. I've been obsessed with Cinerama ever since. I just got The Best of Cinerama a couple of weeks ago, but it would be marvelous if the new restoration of This Is Cinerama could eventually be released. I know that the financial cost of a physical release these days (not to mention a re-release) might make that difficult. Here's to keeping hope alive, though! Thank you, Dave, for the work you've done on these films over the years.

RolandL · May 9, 2017

I would buy both and would love to have The Golden Head also.

Rough comparison:

Blu-ray

New transfer

rsmithjr · May 9, 2017

Fabulous! The improvement is very obvious on my business computer.

These films are of great historical importance, especially This is Cinerama, which set a standard that even today beckons to those who would improve our AV technology.

I await the advent of new Blu-rays. Actually, I would be willing to contribute a non-trivial sum to an effort to bring forth archive Blu-rays.

I am especially interested in 4K archive versions. We owe it to the future.

Thanks again, Dave, and let us know if we can help.

Bob

Strohmaier · Jun 15, 2017

Here is the video I promised earlier -about the new Windjammer restoration:

http://www.davidstrohmaier.com/Windjammer/WINDJ Restoration Video-iPad and iPhone 4.m4v

Peter Apruzzese · Jun 15, 2017

Utterly fascinating - thanks for sharing. I echo the others above and hope this gets a re-release in the improved form.

Charles Smith · Jun 15, 2017

OMG -- Incredible. Absolutely incredible. What great work, and great documenting. I'll be watching this one a few more times.

PLEASE get this released. Take my money ... AGAIN.

Angelo Colombus · Jun 15, 2017

I have all the Cinerama Blu-ray releases and all of them great and I do love the extras on them. Many thanks to you Dave and your team and will save a space on my shelf when this new restoration is released.

Mike Ballew · Jun 15, 2017

Mr. Strohmaier, posts like yours above make me wish I could hit the "Like" button 20 times.

These restorations are stunning, and you and your colleagues are heroes.

Robert Harris · Jun 15, 2017

There's nothing better than someone passionate enough to take on a project like this.

Bravo!

Please support with a purchase.

Interesting that the OCNs are perforated more as prints.

Michel_Hafner · Jun 16, 2017

I'm not fond of Cinerama as a process due to its inherent technical limitations. And this restoration still shows the problems, of course, but it looks great compared to what we had before. I suggest a release on UHD BD/BD combo in SDR Rec2020 since this is a 6K restoration. And please don't tell me it's economically not feasible. With all the Cinerama fans out there in the world the necessary money should be raisable with a crowd funding approach in a couple of months. The UHD mastering costs much less than the restoration itself, no?

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