Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Hail Columbia [IMAX]

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 03-10-2003, 10:14 AM:

My friends and I have been in a "space" mode for our movie get-togethers since the recent shuttle disaster, so this past Saturday night, one of them brought a DVD of the IMAX film "Hail Columbia".

I haven't seen many IMAX films, and most of the ones I've seen have been the newer ones. I was a bit disappointed by Hail Columbia, and the main reason was that there weren't many scenes in it that were filmed in IMAX. Too much of the movie consisted of images from 35mm or some other source put into a tiny square in the lower center of the image, or occasionally two or three of these squares placed at the bottom of the image. Even in an IMAX theatre, I didn't like those types of scenes, but IMAX films consisting mostly of these "tiny square" images do not translate well to TV at all. I say if you're going to make an IMAX movie, film it all in IMAX.

The information about the shuttle was interesting. I remember being in the 8th grade when the first shuttle launch and landing were done. They even brought a TV and VCR into the science classrooms to show us the launch and landing. It was a really big deal then that quickly became routine.

It was interesting to hear the talk about the tiles in the movie. The biggest concern on the first mission seemed to be how well those tiles would hold up that protect the shuttle during reentry.

This IMAX movie was made in 1981 according to the credits.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-10-2003, 10:40 AM:

Evans,

If you want to see a great movie about the space shuttle either in actual IMAX or on DVD, I consider "THE DREAM IS ALIVE", the best! I have seen this film at least five times in IMAX here in Hawaii and the first time at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Another good one is "BLUE PLANET" although it too has several scenes that was not photographed in the large film format. THe segment on Hurricane Hugo was frightening.

-Claude

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 03-10-2003, 08:24 PM:

Evans,

One of the original purposes of the IMAX format was to be able to place multi-image presentations on one piece of film, eliminating the need for multiple projectors. I believe that early on, there was some fear of using the full frame, thinking that close-ups on the "giant" screen would be somewhat terrifying.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-10-2003, 11:07 PM:

Thats one of the more lame space films ever made. "The Dream Is Alive" is the best one of the pack. I've seen it a hundred times and I still love to watch it. Other great 15/70 films that come to mind are Titanica, and Everest. Both are milestones in large format film making and each represent something very special.

One other notable film is the one on Zion National Park...The folklore aside, the mountain climbing sequence and hang gliding stuff has to be seen on the large screen to be believed! Extroadinary! Those people have to be nuts!

Most are available on DVD and look really, really good.
Mark

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-14-2003, 02:15 PM:

Historically Hail Columbia's positive public reaction was the main reason NASA permited the IMAX camera into space for THe Dream is Alive. Also it speerheaded the need for the smaller cameras that could go up on the shuttle

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 03-17-2003, 06:10 PM:

I find the spilt screen effect great, it makes you look around the whole screen to take in the different images, and the end montage of the lift off's ends the film well.
A good interesting documentary about the first space shuttle flight.
The Dream is Alive is a great imax film i agree, and can be watched over and over. I have a LaserDisc of it which is far better quality than the DVD, the picture shakes on the DVD! lots of jump and weave!

Fires of Kuwait, Echoes of the Sun and Everest are the other three IMAX films i can watch over and over

Darren

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-18-2003, 09:43 AM:

How many have seen "Echoes of the Sun" in it's original IMAX "SOLIDO" format? It used two-strip 70mm IMAX projected on a dome screen with the LCD glasses. I saw it that way in Chiba Japan in 1991. A very unique and wonderful experience to have 3D images SURROUNDING you. [Cool]

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 03-18-2003, 09:43 AM:

[quote]Fires of Kuwait, [...] I can watch over and over.

You could probably go out there and shoot a remake before too long...

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 03-19-2003, 04:12 PM:

John
I saw 'Echoes of the Sun' in Imax Solido at the Futroscope park in france.

The best 3D ive ever seen. Way better than Imax 3D of flat screens. The LCD glasses are the way to go!

Darren