| | Grandeur | All 70mm film lists
| | Compiled by: Thomas Hauerslev | Date: 17.02.2010 | By Dan Sherlock:
Mitchell Fox cameras developed by: Earl Sponable.
Film size: 4 perf 70mm. The film had larger sprocket holes and a long 0.234 inch pitch before shrinkage, which produced an image about as tall as that found on modern 70mm film that uses a conventional pitch.
Aspect ratio: 2,13:1. The aspect ratio changed from the often quoted 48 x 22.5 mm (1.890 x .886 inches), which is a 2.13:1 aspect ratio for the camera, to 1.920 x .926 inches which is a 2.07:1 aspect ratio. The projected aspect ratio stayed at about a 2:1 aspect ratio.
Frame rate: The speed was 90 feet per minute, which is about 19 1/2 frames per second. The speed was increased to 24 frames per second in the Spring of 1930, which may have been due to Realife needing to be 24fps, and to allow the potential for Grandeur to optically printed as well. Thus, it would have been very unlikely that the reel of "FOLLIES" was blown up from 35mm unless they filmed a special reel at 19 1/2 frames per second. And since the rest of the films at the showings at the Gaiety theater were filmed with a Grandeur camera and projected with 70mm projectors, it would not make much sense to have used an optically printed enlargement for the demo.
Sound:
| Further in 70mm reading:
Magnified Grandeur
Projection and Wide Film (1895-1930)
1930's Large Format Equipment at the USC Archive
The Bat Whispers in 65mm
The Bat Whispers
Early Large Format Films
Magnifilm
Natural Vision
Realife
Vitascope
| | Title | Released | Cinema | Notes | | | | | | Fox Grandeur News (S) (FOX) | Gaiety, NYC, USA | 17.09.1929 | |  Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (FOX) | Gaiety, NYC, USA | 17.09.1929 | 70mm only in New York
This film was never shot in a widescreen format despite some books referring to it being in widescreen .About ten minutes of it was blown up to 70mm and shown as a featurette with another fox film in New York only. The film is said to be lost forever. Mansor Peter
Added 17.02.2010 by Dan Sherlock:
Although I don't have any record of a 70mm release of the "FOX MOVIETONE FOLLIES OF 1929" in Los Angeles, it was shown in 70mm Grandeur in New York at the Gaiety theater in September 1929. I strongly question the claim that only about 10 minutes of it was shown in 70mm, and that it was blown up from 35mm. The "GRANDEUR NEWS" and "NIAGARA FALLS" films were short subjects, and "FOLLIES" was the only feature-length film to be shown at those screenings.
Other evidence that it was a feature length movie:
The review from the New York Times, September 22, 1929, page X7:
"The long film, "The Fox Movietone Follies," which is also screened in Grandeur form, ...
The memo by H.F. Germain to Earl Sponable, noting that during the evening performance on Friday, September 27th:
"... the sixth reel of the Follies on the Simplex machine ran off the top sprocket and jammed, due to a break in the perforations. The show was continued on the other machine and finished without further trouble."
This clearly indicates there were at least 6 reels to "FOLLIES".
The Germain memo may give a hint on the origin of the belief that only one reel was in Grandeur: He mentions that at special demonstration screenings at 11:30 PM on September 24th and at 11:15 AM on September 25th, only one reel of "FOLLIES" was shown at those demonstration screenings along with other footage.
| | Niagara Falls (S) (FOX) | Gaiety, NYC, USA | 17.09.1929 | |  Happy Days (FOX) | Roxy, NYC, USA | 14.02.1930 | AFI 17.09.1929. NY release 02.03.1930. 70mm only in New York and Los Angeles. Shot simultaneously in 35mm. | | Song o' My Heart (FOX) | 44th St.th, NYC, USA | 11.03.1930 | Only 35mm version released, Grandeur version never shown.
This film was never released in 70mm anywhere despite it being filmed in the wide screen process. It was also the most popular of the early widescreen films from 1929/31.A strange film as the songs were sung but the dialogue was silent with title cards. Mansor Peter
|  The Big Trail (FOX) | Chinese, LA, USA | 02.10.1930 | 24 fps | | Hudson River Bridge (S) (FOX) | Roxy Theatre, New York | 01.03.1930 | 24 fps
"Hudson River Bridge" was shown with the 35mm feature film "LET'S GO PLACES" | | | | | |
| Internet link:
(S) = Short film
Assistant contributors on some large format lists includes Michael Coate, David Coles, Jeffrey L. Johnson, Scott Marshall, Tak Miagishima, Rick Mitchell, Dan Sherlock, Richard Vetter and Ingolf Vonau.
Based on material found in many sources, including trade papers, Variety, Wide Screen Movies (Robert E. Carr & R. Michael Hayes) and Four Aspects of The Film (James L Limbacher) | | | Go: back - top - back issues
Updated 06-05-22 | |
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