Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" on TCM tonight

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 02-27-2004, 09:22 PM:

Mike Todd's 1957 Academy Award winning best picture film, "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" will be shown on the Turner Classic Movie channel tonight. The movie is scheduled to be released on a two disc special edition DVD by Warner Brothers in the original Todd - AO aspect ratio in June and hopefully, that will be the version TCM will show tonight. I was informed that the restored version was made from the original 65 mm film elements but I am not sure which of the two version, the 24fps or the 30 fps negative was used for the restoration. I always thought the original negatives were in such a bad shape they could not be used but I was surprised to learn they were usable. I have programmed it to be recorded on my digital recorder and will watch it later tonight if is indeed the restored wide screen version.

PS: The digital recording I made of the film turned out to be the old pan and scan version created for the VHS tape and laserdics many years ago. What is even worse was the film's stereo soundtrack was reproduced in plain mono. Bummers! I only watched all of the prologue and the first ten minutes of the film and turned it off. In a way it is a blessing this presentation turned out to be the cropped version because I can now look forward to enjoying the full wide screen version in June on DVD with full 5.1 sound.

-Claude

[ 02-27-2004, 11:08 PM: Message edited by: Claude S. Ayakawa ]

Posted by Patrick J. McCart (Member # 1043) on 02-27-2004, 10:59 PM:

Recently, TCM has gone back to using the pan & scan, ugly transfer.

I think the main reason they use it has to do with the fact that the P&S version is uncut (except for the overture, intermission, and exit music), while the current letterboxed transfer they have is missing about 20 min. of footage.

Hopefully, they'll switch to the DVD version not too long after it's released. They've upgraded to the DVD transfer of Ben-Hur after using the old laserdisc transfer for years. Of course, they still use the faded North By Northwest instead of the spiffy DVD transfer.

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 02-29-2004, 03:53 PM:

quote:
Mike Todd's 1957 Academy Award winning best picture film, "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" will be shown on the Turner Classic Movie channel tonight.

The awards were won in 1957; the initial release was in '56.

quote:
The movie is scheduled to be released on a two disc special edition DVD by Warner Brothers in the original Todd - AO aspect ratio in June

The DVD is scheduled for release May 18. Press release indicates 2.4:1 aspect ratio, not the Todd-AO 2.2:1.

quote:
I was informed that the restored version was made from the original 65 mm film elements but I am not sure which of the two version, the 24fps or the 30 fps negative was used for the restoration.

My understanding is that the new version was sourced from a variety of elements. The final DVD is likely to be a combination of 24 & 30fps and 35mm & 65mm material. It'll be interesting to see the result.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 02-29-2004, 05:22 PM:

Mike,

Thanks!

I stand corrected [Smile]

By the way, do you have any idea what kind of quality we can expect from the restoration work that was performed on the film? I am not sure if it is true or not but I have read reports on the internet that Warner Brothers was interested in having Robert Harris do the restoration but hesitated when they were told the cost to do the work was going to be ten million dollars because of the horrid condition of the original film elements.

-Claude

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 02-29-2004, 07:57 PM:

The 10 million dollar figure was if the film was going to be totally restored in 70mm 30fps format. That's why WB is sticking basically with this video format release. I think we can be grateful for WB to even doing this much. It will be, as Mike says, interesting to see the final result.

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 03-02-2004, 07:21 PM:

Almost 20 years ago, Warner was talking about reissue in Denmark and send a single CS Dolby A print for screening. Local Warner people and the first-run houses, it was presented for, rejected it with a message about the film being outdated and the 35mm Dolby A to poor an experience.
Last time in regular circulation here was one of the original 1956 Scope mag/opt prints surviving until late 1972, but at that time, I was at a place without foxholes, so i have never ran it myself.
Looking very much forward to dvd !

p

Posted by Paul Vollmers (Member # 927) on 03-02-2004, 08:04 PM:

Hey,
I wonder if 80 Days DVD will be in the Roadshow Presentation?

Paul

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-02-2004, 09:22 PM:

Paul.

Yes, "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" will be the road show presentation and it will be the complete uncut version. The only thing I do not like when WB release a roadshow movie on video is the stupid title cards they use during the overture ,entr'acte and when the exit music is played. I was told they do this because they do not want people to think there was something wrong with their TV when there is music but no picture. Fox, MGM and Paramount has been very good about presenting their road show movies on video the way they played in theatres- music only with no title cards. When Universal released the restored "SPARTACUS" on laserdics and DVD, the title card came on for only a few seconds then faded to black.

-Claude

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 03-02-2004, 09:40 PM:

From the press release:

"...the complete and uncut 182 minute widescreen version."

Posted by Paul Vollmers (Member # 927) on 03-02-2004, 11:36 PM:

Good news Claude,
I remember as a kid seeing 80 Days at a large Chicago theater, when the movie began with Edward R. Morrow giving a talk about travel, in a very small square screen format, with the curtains partly open, and I thought what a small picture..........after the silent Trip to the Moon black and white film feature, there was a rocket launching
and as the rocket exhaust spread from side to side the curtains opened wider as the picture widened .........and wooooooooow..it was in full wide 70mm ..........just breathe taking.
I'll always remember that.

Paul

Posted by Paul Vollmers (Member # 927) on 03-03-2004, 08:58 AM:

For 80 Days fans......
Here's some info on the up comming DVD.

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2004/80_days/dvd.htm

Enjoy....

Paul

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-03-2004, 01:43 PM:

Paul,

Thanks for the link. I tried to open it and it did but all I got was the subject headings. I tried clicking on it but nothing happened. I suspect I do not have the proper software downloaded in my computer to fully open and read the files.

As far as the theatrical showing of "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS", the movie played in a brand new venue in Hawaii built for the showing. The locally owned Consolidated Amusement Company was expecting to play it at their Kuhio Theatre possibly in 35mm like they did with "OKLAHOMA" but Henry J. Kaiser, the founder of Kaiser Aluminum outbid Consolidated and built a special aluminum dome theatre. The theatre had a huge screen much larger than the Kuhio and a pair of Norelco 70/35 projectors. The sound was awesome and the best in the entire territory of Hawaii at the time. I still have very fond memories of seeing the film at the Kaiser Dome. The Kaier Dome continued to play movies after "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" but not for long because all they could play were 2nd run features because of the strong hold Consolidated and Royal Theatres had with first run films from all the major studios. Consolidated learned a very valuable lesson for losing the right to play the Mike Todd film and to get even, they converted the Princess Theatre in downtown Honolulu to play three strip Cinerama films. The Princess was a very beautiful and huge theatre with slightly over a thousand seats. Consolidated had first run exclusive rights to Fox films at the time so when "SOUTH PACIFIC" was released in 1958, the Kuhio theatre was ready to play it in 70mm.

The Kaiser Dome Theatre continued to play 2nd run films for about two years. When it became obvious the building was better suited for other things, it was converted into a night club and for many years was the home of Don Ho's supper and late evening shows. The Dome was demolished about ten years ago and the site is now occupied by another Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel tower annex. The Norelco 70/35 projectors wound up at Consolidated's Kailua Drive In Theatre and played only one 70mm feature, "MY FAIR LADY".

-Claude