anamorphic
Samur...@aol.com
>"Since the theater I saw it in is well known for projection screw-ups,
I zipped out to the lobby immediately upon seeing the anamorphic
segment. The theater manager was perplexed as to what was happening."<
when I saw the film last month in New Jersey, it seemed that the
projectionist was the most confused soul in the place. When the sequence
started, he or she must have been startled -within 45 seconds the lens was
changed and we started to see the images in a "normal" way. But when the
section ended it took about 60 seconds for the lens to be replaced.
Personally, I thought that the music was quite good, giving it a proper
flavor. There were times I could almost *smell* the scenery. But the script
left me a little flat, the development was at times rushed and yet at other
times it dragged. However, most of the time the distractions were enough to
keep me going. I usually find that Spike's indulgences are at least
interesting. And, directorially, he is ever the student of film. There are
always tips of the hat to the great ones from the past.
Back to the subject of squeezed images: What about those great big movie
opens with wall to wall action and lots of big letters to get the message
across, but put into the girdle of the tv screen. For now, what's the
alternative, other than letterboxing and big screens?
Thanks.
Sincerely, Chad Dominicis.
Richard J. Leskosky
>Back to the subject of squeezed images: What about those great big movie
>opens with wall to wall action and lots of big letters to get the message
>across, but put into the girdle of the tv screen. For now, what's the
>alternative, other than letterboxing and big screens?
What about the great opening of THE ROAD WARRIOR? Academy ratio news clips
show how civilization falls and Max becomes mad, and then the image
explodes into scope with the camera behind the wheel (or on the front end?)
of a speeding vehicle.
--Richard
Jeremy Butler
>What about the great opening of THE ROAD WARRIOR? Academy ratio news clips
>show how civilization falls and Max becomes mad, and then the image
>explodes into scope with the camera behind the wheel (or on the front end?)
>of a speeding vehicle.
Or, similarly, the break in WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (Frank
Tashlin, 1957) where Rock Hunter (Tony Randall) speaks directly to
the audience--in CinemaScope and color. Then the screen is shrunk to
a small rectangle (that Rock has to duck to get inside) and goes
black and white. Rock explains that it's to make television
viewers seem more at home.
'Course, within a few years,20thCentury-Fox, the producers of WSSRH?
would devise pan-and-scan so they could sell their movies to TV--
resulting in compositions quite similar to the one they satirize.
Ah, irony, thy name is Hollywood!
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Average number of sesame seeds on a Big Mac: 178.
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| Jeremy G. Butler - - - - - - - - - - | Internet : JBU...@UA1VM.UA.EDU |
| SCREEN-L Coordinator | BITNET : JBUTLER@UA1VM |
| |
| Telecommunication & Film Dept * The University of Alabama * Tuscaloosa |
D. S. Cunningham
You wrote:
>'Course, within a few years,20thCentury-Fox, the producers of WSSRH?
>would devise pan-and-scan so they could sell their movies to TV--
>resulting in compositions quite similar to the one they satirize.
I hate to correct you, but the much beloved WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK
HUNTER? is not available in any video format that I am aware of. I just
showed it again in my post-War history class--and it is one film from the
period that my students *really* get--even though I have to tell them who
Jayne Mansfield is and explain the idea of the "grey-flannel company
man." They positively groaned when they found out it is unavailable
for home consumption.
I hope I am wrong about this and someone can direct me to a copy of WSSRH? on
video or laser disk--but I can't imagine how it could be made that
small.
'Scope prints always make me long for a "way back machine"--especially
after seeing Sam Fuller's black and white "Forty Guns" with the
incomparable Barbara Stanwyck screaming across the screen dressed in
black leather on a white horse--heaven!
A while back I was very interested in the pedagogical discussion
regarding classroom teaching of favorite films. I *always* want to be
able to show at least one print in 35mm CinemaScope, and I fear that
if I don't make my students aware of *why* it is so important to see
films in as close to the original presentation circumstances as
possible, they MIGHT NEVER KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.
I know my motivations are selfish when i demand they know
the differences between aspect ratios, sound sytems, musical
accompaniment styles, etc--because I want those experiences to remain
available to me--and I *know* if I don't help to create a demand *and*
an audience for those experiences THEY WILL DISAPPEAR.
I count myself incredibly fortunate to attend USC, where there is a
fetish for the image--for the print itself--to be as close as possible
to "orginal." In David Shepard's Silent Film classes (grad and
undergrad), we regularly see excellent prints (as preserved by
David), and a least 3 or 4 times each semester with Live
accompaniment. Norris Theater is a world class theater--with state of
the art Dolby Digital Surround Sound. We rarely screen 16mm in
classes, mostly 35mm. I AM SPOILED ROTTEN. I regularly travel over to
UCLA to see NITRATE SCREENINGS!!!! I just saw the most beautifully
preserved print of von Sternberg's DISHONORED with Marlene (Mati Hari)
Dietrich. As far as I know this is the ONLY venue for nitrate
screenings in Los Angeles.
But teaching at UCSB this spring was a cold dose of reality. Rental
budgets being what they are...
What will we do if they stop making and circulating prints? I'm
selfishly thinking of my own future (fingers -crossed I'll get a job,
but let's not address all the BIG problems here and now). I know I
have rambled on, but the more spoiled I get the more I know how
frustrating it will be to teach about 'Scope if all I can show is a
laser disk of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE or YOJIMBO. Don't even get me
started on ANDREI ROUBLEV, I'll cry.
How are other academics in schools with lesser budgets and connections
than USC (I know that's almost all of 'em--it ain't called the George
Lucas Instructional Building fer nothin') deal with these problems.
There! I've successfully avoided grading papers for 15 minutes!
Donna Cunningham
University of Southern California
don...@scf.usc.edu
John R Groch
of "Rock Hunter": the film was cropping (no pun intended) up regularly on
American Movie Classics, though I haven't seen it there lately; it was
indeed the pan-and-scan print of which Jeremy wrote, and seeing it made me
weep. So if you wanted your own copy, you could tape it off the air from
AMC.
Now my question: are there any groups devoted to the preservation of
CinemaScope films or, more broadly, of all widescreen aspect ratios? A
couple of years age, when I last taught a course on the Hollywood star, I
was shocked to discover that certain 'Scope films were not available even
in 16mm ("A Star is Born," "Seven Year Itch," and "How to Marry a
Millionaire" were the particular culprits; Films Inc. actually had a
'Scope print of "Millionaire," but said it was so badly damaged that they
refused to let it go out -- and that they had no plans for restoring it!).
I know little about preservation, but would be very interested in helping
such an effort. If anyone knows of any such group, I'd be grateful for
the info.
John
**************************************************************
* John R. Groch | *
* English/Film Studies | "Work! FINISH! THEN sleep." *
* Univ. of Pittsburgh | -- The Monster, *
* Pittsburgh, PA 15260 | "Bride of Frankenstein" *
* gro...@pitt.edu | *
**************************************************************
Tom Byers
Phone: (502)852-6770 or (502)852-6801. Fax: (502)852-4182.
Talk about screen envy! As one who has to beg my institution to buy commercial
VHS prints of films for my courses, and who was proud of himself for insisting
that his intro course see at least some stuff in 16 mm so that they'd have
some sense of the difference between film and video, I found my mouth watering
at Donna Cunningham's description of what she gets to see in LA. Amazing!
bitnet tbbyer01@ulkyvm; internet tbby...@ulkyvm.louisville.edu
Thomas B. Byers
Department of English/University of Louisville
Louisville KY 40292