My only disappointment in watching this was that it was not longer. It could've been an hour and I would have been riveted from start to finish. In twelve minutes you gave us a literate, intelligent and exciting insight into the greatest innovation of the roadshow epic phenomenon and how the seeds of its downfall were sown in the soil of its popularity. You, sir, are good. Please keep these coming.

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you so, so much for this kind comment!! This is so incredibly nice and thank you for suggesting this video! I’m so glad you liked it and I will be sure to keep them coming. :)

@acuras86

9 ай бұрын

I enjoyed this video also, found it well researched and informative look at the cinerama process. For those interested in a full length documentary into the history and development of this film process, you should check out "David Stohmaier's documentary entitled "Cinerama Adventure". It chronicles the entire history of the cinerama process from its inception to its demise in the 1960's. He uses archieval footage, interviews and stories by folks in the company, etc, and covers all the films that utilized the 3 camera process. The only place i was able to get the "documentary" was finding it as a "bonus feature" included in my purchase of the bluray version of "How The West Was Won." The film has been remastered and looks and sounds absolutely spectacular on this blurray.

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

9 ай бұрын

@@acuras86 Yes, I watched that documentary as well! It is great and is probably the main reason I love the format as much as I do :)

How the West Was Won is one of my favorite westerns if only because the action set pieces are so thrilling and the spectacle is real. The shoot-out on the train is amazing. I even think they did a pretty good job with the drama, although it weakens at the end with an overly complicated plot.

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

I completely agree! I would put it in my list of favorite westerns solely because of the spectacle. My favorite scene being the train shootout, the Buffalo stampede, and the river rapids. The plot isn’t great, which is why I’m less interested in the Civil War segment which is just far too much plot. Thanks for watching!

Fantastic video! I definitely recommend the 1956 adaptation of Around the World in 80 days. It was also made to be a spectacle to show off a widescreen format (Todd A-O) and swept the Oscars that year. Although it is a celebrity filled travelogue at times, it still manages to stand on its own as a film thanks to retaining the original story and the great leading performances, even if the pace is slow by today's standards.

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! I really, really need to watch that! It’s been on my watchlist for years and I’ve always put it off because it seems daunting, but you’ve just moved it up several hundred slots in my watchlist! :)

THIS VIDEO IS SO COOL! thanks for making this :3

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching it!! :)

Great video! I wonder if this format will ever come back in a new way. It seems so ambitious for that time!

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

I hope so! Thanks for your continued support :)

Great video. Glad I checked this out!

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)

I loved this video! Theaters should make it available for people to see for a limited time! I would love to see one the way is was intended to be shown

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

That would be so fun!! I would definitely be going :)

At the end of the 1950's there were 22 Cinerama theaters in the US. In the 1960's there were 49 -- although by the end of the 1960's there were none (that is, theaters capable of projecting Cinerama).

Wow I always wondered why the old century theaters in San Jose, CA were shaped that way. I had no idea they served a purpose I thought it was just for looks lol. Anyways this was a very well made video, good job! Looking forward to seeing what else you have in store.

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! I’ve never been to the Cinerama theaters but it’s always been a dream of mine!

I saw both "How the West Was Won" and the "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" at the Orpheum Theater in SF when I was a little kid. About all I remember is wagons and trains passing over the camera(s) and that they were pretty boring otherwise.

@acuras86

9 ай бұрын

I remember going to the Orpheum Theater on Market Street SF with my parents back in the late 1950's to see "This is Cinerama". Even though i was only about 6 or 7 years old, I still remember the immense 146 foot deeply curved screen which stretched from floor to ceiling height. I also remember that around 1/3rd of the projection screen on either side , was composed of thinly cut slivers of screen like a venetian blind laid on its side. There were 3 projection booths aimed at the screen, as well as a sort of central control console in the back of the auditorium I found out later, which housed an operator that controlled the 7 channel surround sound. To this day, I recall how thrilling the opening roller coaster sequence was, as well as the aerial flight over the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park in Utah. It was like I was transported from being a spectator in my seat, to actually being "live" on that roller coaster or flying in the plane as it flew dangerously close to the walls of the canyons. The illusion that created such an impact I found out from the documentary was due to the 146 foot deeply curved screen, which simulates the average view of the human eye. The periphereal vision is one of the main factors that adds the sense of depth that few other films to date can recreate. Unfortunately, I never saw "How the West Was Won" in the 3 strip cinerama process, but at least I have fond memories of seeing cinerama live back in the day.

@davemerrick8432

8 ай бұрын

Orpheum Theatre! 1958! Revival of "This is Cinerama." We need a reunion here, huh?

Great video!

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! :)

For me personally it's a little ironic because what immerses me in a movie is good storytelling and interesting characters. A good movie will keep me immersed even if I'm watching it on a phone screen. I appreciate spectacle but it doesn't hold my attention for more than a few minutes without good storytelling and character elements. This video was really fascinating though, I love these little bits of film history that you don't hear much about anywhere else!

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting! I agree that I prefer good storytelling and characters to spectacle, and you’re right that spectacle can only hold attention for a few minutes! I don’t disagree with you, but for some reason Cinerama has always been one bit of spectacle that I love. I can give or take 3D or Odorama or Vistavision, but Cinerama has just always struck me as in a league of its own. Thank you though for the compliments and it’s always nice to see your comments!

@davemerrick8432

9 ай бұрын

I emphatically agree with you. I have only a layman's knowledge of film technology, although I found myself as a clerk in Dolby Laboratories Marketing [Film] Department in the early 1980's. Can you imagine "Some Like it Hot, " "On the Waterfront" or "Sunset Boulevard" as anything less than distracting on an IMAX screen or "Casablanca", "Psyhco" or "Frankenstein" at all improved on a screen out into your peripheral vison with multitracked Dolby Atmos sound? I could easily, as you suggest, have seen "Star Wars," "E.T." or "Avatar" with mono sound on a black and white TV and still have been impressed with the films. I have to add with wry humor that 70mm with six tracks of Dolby Stereo didn't do much for "The Wiz, " or "Heaven's Gate, " now, did it?! Effective narrative storytelling and technological spectacle don't have to be mutually exclusiive, of course. But I will never forget an object lesson of my own. Indeed I had always wanted to see a "highly anticipated" film the first showing of its premeier day and one afternoon did so with the 70mm 6-Track Dolby Stereo film "Superman" at San Francsico's [former] Northpoint Theater in 1978. Who could forget those dramatic animated letters zooming out into that wide screen to the boom of six tracks of John Williams' music. Oh? Months later a movie professional friend told me he had heard bad news. Warner Brothers could not strike enough 70mm prints to be avaiable on that opening day. So despite what the marquee had said I had actually seen this stunning film in... 35mm anamorphic Dolby 2.0. And had no idea until I was told!!! Go figure.

@meankatrina

9 ай бұрын

@@davemerrick8432 that Superman story is great, and such a good illustration of how much of these gimmicks are perception and not much more!!

FYI, it's pronounced George "pep-ARD", not George "peppered."

@whenthepicturesgotbigger

10 ай бұрын

I’ve always been bad at pronunciations! Thanks for telling me :)

How to bring the format up to today's use?

Cinerama did not fail. It changed the shape and sound of movies forever.