This Is Cinerama Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

This Is Cinerama Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 13, 2012

Robert L. Bendick's "This is Cinerama" (1952) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Flicker Alley. The supplemental features on the release include a new trailer for the restored and reconstructed "This is Cinerama"; promotional materials; collection of images from the production process, the original exhibition, and original publicity of the film; alternate Act II opening for the European version of the film; audio commentary with John Sittig, Dave Strohmaier, Randy Gitsch, and Jim Morrison; and more. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Windy City

Recently restored and reconstructed by David Strohmaier and Greg Kimble (both also responsible for the restoration and reconstruction of Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich), This is Cinerama is essentially a massive promo piece for Cinerama, the legendary widescreen process which Fred Waller invented sixty years ago.

Cinerama films required three strips of 35mm film that were projected on giant screens. Why? Because the idea was to imitate human vision and provide a much wider view. Like its competitor Cinemiracle, also developed during the 1950s, Cinerama employed the 2.59:1 aspect ratio for all three cameras it used. A Cinerama presentation was also accompanied by stereophonic sound, which used up to seven channels of sound to impress the audience.

This is Cinerama is divided into two large acts, each allowing the audience to see and experience different places like never before. After a short introduction by Lowell Thomas, the audience is taken for an exciting roller coaster ride which does indeed leave a memorable impression (the positioning and use of the cameras here is quite impressive). Next is the Temple Dance from the beautiful Aida performed at the legendary La Scala. And again the idea here is to give the audience a taste of the image depth and crystal clear clarity Cinerama can achieve. A Long Island church choir is also filmed performing so that the audience can experience Cinerama’s superior sound. The two most notable segments, however, come from Edinburgh, Scotland, with footage from a large clan ceremony, and a bullfight in Spain.

The second act offers more of the same, only this time around the Cinerama crew tours America. After a quick stop in sunny Florida where a group of beautiful girls are seen water-skiing and having fun, the action moves to the Northeast. From New York City then the Cinerama crew heads West, quickly visiting Chicago, Salt Lake City, the Rocky Mountains, and eventually California.

Ultimately, This is Cinerama is a collection of beautifully filmed segments whose one and only purpose is to convince the audience that cinema has changed – and for the better. Keeping in mind that the film was completed exactly sixty years ago, it isn’t difficult to see why anyone who might have seen it theatrically, as it was meant to be seen, would have immediately concluded that Cinerama films would be the future of cinema – the visuals were simply breathtaking and the sound remarkably realistic.

Something else worth mentioning about This is Cinerama is that the film opens up with an overture, has an intermission, and ends with exit music. As it was the case with their Blu-ray release of Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich, Flicker Alley also present This is Cinerama with the curved screen Smilebox Simulation, giving us the opportunity to experience the film as it was seen during its original roadshow engagements around the world. Also worth mentioning is that the black and white prologue, which lasts approximately twelve minutes, is in standard screen, not widescreen.

Notes: In 1954, This is Cinerama earned Oscar nomination for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Louis Forbes). In 2002, the film entered the Library of Congress National Film Registry. It was the second film to use the Cinerama process to be selected for preservation.

This Is Cinerama Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.56:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, This is Cinerama arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Flicker Alley.

As it was the case with the restoration of Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich, David Strohmaier and his colleagues had access to limited funds to make sure that This is Cinerama looks as best as possible. They could not scan the original negative (which apparently is not in a terribly good condition), but worked with a 65mm dupe negative which was made in the early '70s from a rejected print. Needless to say, the restorers had to spend a great deal of time to address all sorts of different anomalies.

Generally speaking, detail and especially clarity are often pleasing. There are some fluctuations as well as minor alignment issues, but overall the basics are rather decent. Some color fluttering also remains, but its presence never becomes distracting. In fact, during the second act color saturation is often very good. Specs, debris, and various scratches have been removed and the film now looks quite healthy. Furthermore, as much grain as possible has been retained to make sure that the integrity of the film is preserved. However, it is quite clear that definition and depth could have been even better. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, considering the type of elements the restorers had to work with as well as the fact that they had to operate with a small budget, I think it is fair to say that what could have been done to make This is Cinerama look presentable was done. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

This Is Cinerama Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Flicker Alley have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

There are sequences where the lossless track really impresses. For a film now sixty years old, the depth and range of dynamics are quite remarkable. In the first act, in particular, the variety of dynamics is outstanding. The narration is also exceptionally crisp, clean, and stable. Quite beautiful, indeed.

This Is Cinerama Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Promotion & Publicity Image Gallery - promotional materials (lobby cards, paper clips, fliers, etc.) for This is Cinerama. 16 images. (1080p).

• Remastering a Widescreen Classic - David Strohmaier and Gregg Kimble discuss the remastering and reconstruction of This is Cinerama and some specific obstacles they had to overcome. Various before-and-after demonstrations are included. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080i).

• This is Cinerama "Breakdown Reel" - both Cinerama and Cinemiracle 3-panel systems could breakdown during a show. If this happened, a regular projector had an emergency or breakdown reel ready to screen. The footage presented here comes from one such reel. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).

• Alternate Act II Opening for European Version - in English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Fred Waller Radio Interview - in this radio interview, Fred Waller, the inventor of Cinerama, explains what Cinerama is and what its objective is. The interview was originally broadcast on September 30th, 1952. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080i).

• Trailer - a new trailer for the restored and reconstructed This is Cinerama. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• TV Spots - This is Cinerama and Seven Wonders of the World.
  
  1. This is Cinerama. (1 min, 1080p).
  2. Seven Wonders of the World (1 min, 1080p).

• Tribute to the New Neon Movies - a short film celebrating the Cinerama revival in Dayton, OH 1996-1999. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 480/60i).

• Tribute to New Cooper Theatre - a short segment about the first Super Cinerama in Denver, CO. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 480/60i).

• Behind the Scenes Slideshow - a collection of images from the production process, the original exhibition, and original publicity of This is Cinerama. Music only. (6 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - 28-page illustrated booklet/reproduction of original program.

• Commentary - audio commentary with John Sittig, Dave Strohmaier, Randy Gitsch, and Jim Morrison.

This Is Cinerama Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Flicker Alley deserve a lot of credit for bringing Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich and This is Cinerama to Blu-ray. Really, I think that anyone interested in classic cinema ought to spend some time with these films - to basically see how the widescreen revolution began. I must also say that the two releases come with some truly fantastic supplemental features. Definitely, RECOMMENDED.