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Topic: Classic 50s 3-D converted to IMAX 3-D – a good or a bad idea
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 06-24-2007 04:36 PM
quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
The entire 1951 Festival Of Britain survives in dual print 35mm. The only dual print feature film done in England in the 1950's, The Diamond Wizard has recently been restored, here in the US of A.
As of a few years ago the films still survived at the National Film and Television Archive, though at least some of the prints were often to be found in one of the vaults at the National Film Theatre, which is quite appropriate, as it's only a minute or so walk from the site of the original 'Telekinema', where the films were originally shown at the Festival. These are the original 1951 prints, on safety stock. One or two of the prints were no longer projectable, one of them had to be withdrawn from a 3-D festival at the NFT some years ago for this reason, but most are in reasonable condition.
What are no longer avilable are the stereo soundtracks; the films are screened today with the standby optical track carried on one of the prints. Unfortunately, this also applies to many of the slightly later 3-D feature films which were originally released with stereo tracks. The Festival of Britain tracks were only three channel; there was no surround as I believe the Warnerphonic system had. It was however a very early use of stereo sound, probably the first since 'Fantasia', and it would have been interesting to hear it.
As you yourself have said, the films are not very interesting; they were really only a demonstration of the process, but technically they were well done. At least one, 'Royal River', was shot in 2x3-strip Technicolor, which prevented the use of close-ups, but for the subject matter involved, that wasn't too much of a problem. The earliest black and white films were shot with two Newman and Sinclair cameras, pointing at each other, weth 45 degree mirrors. A different rig was used for the later films, but I cannot remember what it was.
I am quite interested in the Festival, though I was born a few years too late to have seen it. It always seems to me to mark the start of the 'modern' era in London. Very little survives today, though the Telekinema lasted until 1957 with the video projection removed, and modified to be able to show nitrate, as the first home of the National Film Theatre. Part of the Shell Centre, as in Shell oil, now stands on the site. I think there may still be a flagstaff on the riverbank, it was still there a few years ago. The only building which survives is the Festival Hall, closed for the last couple of years for refurbishment, but dur to re-open just about now. Everything else, including the Dome of Discovery, and the 'Skylon', was demolished soon after the Festival closed. There have been plans to build a replica Skylon from time to time, but nothing has ever come of them, and probably never will.
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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God
Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 06-25-2007 12:32 AM
No one has mentioned it but I think the digital Real D process will be fantastic for reissuing 3-D films of the fifties. Real D was already used for a fifties 3-D film when a Walt Disney Donald Duck cartoon was presented with the Real D engagement of MEET THE ROBINSON'S in 3-D. IT looked great and I thought how wonderful it would be if 3-D feature films from the fifties could be presented this way. Real D presentations of fifties 3-D will be much less expensive than IMAX plus the fact that there are much more Real D venues than IMAX.
Some 3-D films I do not mind seeing in Digital Real D include HOUSE OF WAX, IT CAME FROM OUT OF SPACE, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, HONDO, KISS ME KATE, DIAL M FOR MURDER, THE MAZE, ARENA, INFERNO and soooo many others.
-Claude
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 06-25-2007 07:42 AM
quote: Damien Taylor
Excuse my naivety, but was House polarized or anaglyph?
It was shot in two strip, and originally projected in that format. In some cinemas it was originally presented with a stereo magnetic sound track, but this has now been lost.
Some years later it was re-released in a single strip 35mm format, with two squeezed images side by side.
In more recent times new prints have been made in the original two-strip format, but with only combined optical mono sound. All of these used the polarised system.
Some two-strip films were later re-released in an anaglyph version, 'Pardon my Backfire', for example, but I'm not aware of such a version of 'House of Wax'.
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