New Cinerama Restorations Coming to Blu-ray

Lately, it seems that whenever I purchase a Blu-ray that has been on my wish list for some time, a new deluxe edition release for that save title is announced a few days later.  Just last week, I picked up Flicker Alley’s Blu-ray release of This is Cinerama (1952) and today Flicker Alley announced that they will release new and improved restorations of the Cinerama films This is Cinerama (1952) and Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich (1958) on Blu-ray on May 8th.   Still, I’m happy that these very unique films are getting some love, and I’ll probably preorder both titles to support Flicker Alley’s restoration efforts.

If you haven’t picked up any of the Cinerama releases on Blu-ray, I’d highly recommend them, as seeing these travelogues in Smilebox, which approximates the feel of the curved Cinerama screen, is quite a treat.  In addition to these releases, I think that the How the West Was Won (2-Blu-ray Digibook), which includes the Smilebox version, is an essential title for every Blu-ray collection.

Here is the full info on the new Cinerama restorations from the Flicker Alley website.  If you pre-order by tomorrow, shipping is free:

 

This is Cinerama – 2017 Authorized Restoration

FormatBlu-ray (NTSC)
RegionAll: A,B,C
DirectorMerian C. Cooper, Robert L. Bendick
FeaturingLowell Thomas
ComposersSidney Cutner, Howard Jackson, Paul Sawtell, Leo Shuken, Max Steiner, Roy Webb
Year1952
LanguageEnglish
Length127 minutes
UPC617311-684791

PRE-ORDER THE DELUXE BLU-RAY EDITION TODAY!

RELEASE DATE: MAY 8, 2018

Flicker Alley and Cinerama Inc. are pleased to announce the long-awaited re-release of This is Cinerama, now beautifully restored from the original three-panel, six-perforation camera elements. Presented in a deluxe Blu-ray edition, this is the most extensive and thorough restoration yet of the film that changed the shape and sound of the movies forever!

On the evening of September 30, 1952, This is Cinerama premiered at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Robert C. Ruark of The New York World Telegram said of the event: “I have just looked at the movies’ answer to television, whether or not the movies know it yet.” Indeed, this unique, widescreen process was launched when television was deemed a major threat to US film exhibition. Fred Waller, Cinerama’s creator, dreamed of a motion picture experience that would recreate the full range of human vision. Using three cameras and three proctors on a curved screen 146° deep, Cinerama created an immersive cinematic event, wowing 20 million viewers in its original roadshow version.

Now, audiences can experience the forerunner to all modern widescreen formats once again, and in a brand-new, definitive restoration. From Venice to Madrid, from Edinburgh Castle to the La Scala opera house in Milan, and all across America in the nose of a B-25 bomber, travel around the world with Cinerama, presented in the one-and-only Smilebox® curved screen simulation.

BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:

  • Audio Commentary – With John Sittig (Cinerama Inc.), David Strohmaier (Cinerama Restorer), Randy Gitsch (Cinerama Historian), and Jim Morrison (original crew member)
  • The Best in the Biz – Updated hour-long documentary about the composers of Cinerama
  • Restoring This is Cinerama – A detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the brand-new restoration
  • Alternate European Opening to Act Two – A European-oriented segue into the second half of the film, featuring the panoramic view of the United States from the nose of a B-25 bomber plane
  • Cinerama Everywhere – A French-produced short on the Cinerama tent shows in Europe
  • Tribute to the New Neon Movies A short film celebrating an Ohio theater where a projectionist revived Cinerama through special screenings for people from all over the country
  • Radio Interview with Cinerama Creator, Fred Waller – Recorded on the eve of opening night; accompanied by a slideshow of selected Cinerama images
  • This is Cinerama Trailer – An updated recreation of the original theatrical trailer, edited with newly-restored clips
  • Cinerama Returns to the Cinerama Dome (2002 Announcement Trailer) – Promotional short for the 50th anniversary of Cinerama and its return to the fabled Cinerama Dome in Hollywood
  • “Breakdown Reel” – Footage originally projected interstitially during the interruptions of any Cinerama performance
  • TV Spots – Original television ads for This Is Cinerama and Seven Wonders of the World

 

Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich – 2017 Authorized Restoration

FormatBlu-ray (NTSC)
RegionAll: A,B,C
DirectorLouis De Rochemont, Bill Colleran
FeaturingBjørn Amvik, Arne Andersen, Per Antonsen
ComposersJack Shaindlin
Year1958
LanguageEnglish
Length142 minutes
UPC617311-684890

PRE-ORDER THE DELUXE BLU-RAY EDITION TODAY!

RELEASE DATE: MAY 8, 2018

At a star-studded premiere at Grauman’s World Famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich sailed into movie history on April 8th, 1958. The brainchild of National Theatres, who hoped to compete with rival widescreen sensation Cinerama, Windjammer was the first (and eventually, the only) film to use the Cinemiracle process. Utilizing proprietary widescreen technology accompanied by seven-channel audio, Cinermiracle was the perfect format to tell the sweeping adventure of the Christian Radich, a Norwegian square-rigger, and her crew.

Now newly restored from original camera elements, the color, the music, and the true artistry of this classic are reborn in a definitive Blu-ray edition. Embarking from Oslo, Norway, the Christian Radich sets out across the Atlantic with a storm-tossed stop in Madeira, where New Year’s festivities entice the young crewmen to enjoy Portuguese musical celebrations and heart racing rides in basket sleds down steep cobblestone streets. After that, it is on to Willemstad, Curacao, where young sailors take part in Dutch festivities. They catch a courtyard performance of Pablo Casals in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, they’re greeted by native steel bands and Calypso singers. By the time they arrive in New York, the Cinemiracle cameras offer a kaleidoscopic treat of color and sound created by famed photographer Arthur “Weege” Fellig. A later encounter with the U.S. Navy Task Force makes for a grand promenade of ships, and when underwater shots of frogmen and a submarine emerge from the depths to reveal the Windjammer on the open sea, Cinemiracle becomes the true star of this breathtaking story. Presented in Smilebox® curved screen format, audiences are once again able to rediscover and re-appreciate this timeless and newly-restored cinema gem!

BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:

  • The Windjammer Voyage: A Cinemiracle Adventure – A documentary by historian Dave Strohmaier on the film’s production
  • The Reconstruction of Windjammer – A behind the scenes look at the reconstruction and restoration of Windjammer from the original Cinemiracle camera elements
  • The Windjammer Breakdown Reel
  • The Christian Radich Today – A modern look at the famous ship at the Aalbourg, Denmark Tall Ships Festival in 2010
  • Windjammer Trailer – New re-creation from the original 1958 release trailer
  • Windjammer Behind The Scenes Slideshow – Images from the production of the film
  • Cinemiracle Showplaces Slideshow – A look at the unique venues that screened Windjammer

garv

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.