Motion pictures photographed in MGM Camera 65 / Ultra Panavision 70

The Importance of Panavision
By Adriaan Bijl
In the fall of 1953, Panavision started, as a company which supplied theaters with anamorphic projection attachments. By the time this market was saturated, the company had established itself in the field of motion picture equipment by developing and marketing other products like printer and photography lenses, and cameras.

"Tak" Miyagishima, Panavision Passed Away
By Bill Hogan
For more than half a century starting in 1954 Tak was one of the most esteemed design engineers in the motion picture industry.

The MGM PANAVISION Enlarged-film System
By Douglas Shearer
To make our system universally adaptable a 65mm negative has been chosen having standard perforations with the incorporation of a mild anamorphic squeeze in the taking lens system.

“Khartoum”: The Roadshow Engagements
By Mike Coate
The following is a reference/historical list of the Cinerama-branded 70mm roadshow engagements of “Khartoum” held in North America. These presentations utilized special rectified prints derived from 65mm Ultra Panavision photography and projected onto large, deeply curved screens. The audio was six-track stereophonic. The seating was reserved at advanced prices and with an average of ten scheduled screenings per week. The cinemas in which these special presentations played also sold souvenir programs.

• Go to The Widest Story Ever Told

The Widest Story Ever Told
Von Christian Appelt
Am 12. Oktober 1956 präsentierte MGM Camera 65 im Rahmen der SMPTE-Konferenz in einer Demonstrationsvorführung. Douglas Shearer und Robert Gottschalk von Panavision stellten die Flexibilität des Formats heraus. “Vom Standpunkt des Produzenten aus ist die Wahlmöglichkeit des endgültigen Verleihformats einer der Vorzüge dieses 65-mm-Verfahrens”

• Go to Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight"

Panavision and the Resurrecting of Dinosaur Technology
By Tyler Purcell
After seeing the 70mm test footage, there was a rousing applause. The next thing we saw was a DCP version of the material and it really shows how proper film projection truly trumps digital. The blacks were mushy and undefined, the highlights were clearly peaking and the whole image looked flat. All of that beautiful depth seen in the film projection was lost. We sadly realized this format, developed in the 50's, is still better then all the money we've thrown at conventional digital projection.

"An Homage To D W Griffith" A short Film In Ultra Panavision 70
By Dan Sherlock
The last Ultra Panavision 70 film that was released was reportedly KHARTOUM in 1966. As it turns out, there was one more Ultra Panavision 70 short subject that was made over 20 years later. In 1988, the equipment and lenses were used for a special short subject that was also the only time the format used a speed of 30 frames per second rather than the normal 24 frames per second format.

Ultra Panavision 70 - almost like a real story
By Rick Mitchell
Due to a financial investment from MGM, the new format was initially known as "MGM Camera 65". Because, one of its design considerations was to yield higher quality 35mm anamorphic prints, directors, cinematographers, and camera operators were instructed to keep important action within the safe action area of 2.35:1 anamorphic 35mm prints with an optical track.

Ultra Panavision 70, Early lenses
By Tak Miyagishima
These earlier lenses were all engraved as having a power of 1.33X but were never used having that power. We started designing these lenses with the power of 1.33X and had to alter the power but didn’t change the engraving.

• Go to Ultra Panavision 70 - Adjustment and modifications

"Khartoum" in Ultra Panavision 70
By Rick Mitchell
A new 70mm print, of one of only nine films shot in this widest of formats, was shown at the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theater 18. May 2008

Camera 65 and the Metro Bourke Street Bigger than…
By Eric White
The Bourke Street Metro was a two-gallery theatre, like the Collins Street Athenaeum, and as was the case there, the projection rake was quite steep.

65/70mm Rules
By Rick Mitchell
Last night at a special program at UCLA's Bridges Theater devoted to unusual film picture and sound formats, two examples of 65mm origination and 70mm presentation were shown.

• Ultra Panavision 70 Lens - Adjustment and lens modifications
• Facts about the new "Mad World" 70mm print
• To Split or not to Split ... That is the Hollywood Question!

• Go to The Hateful Eight

• Go to Ken Annakin. Director in Ultra Panavision 70

• Go to Motion pictures in Super Panavision 70

Title	Released	Cinema	Notes
Raintree County	02.10.1957	Brown, Louisville, USA	MGM Camera 65. Released only in 35mm. Cameras from the 1930s and re-designed by MGM Camera Dept.
Ben Hur	18.11.1959	State, NYC, USA	MGM Camera 65
Mutiny on the Bounty	08.11.1962	State, New York, USA
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World	07.11.1963	Cinerama Dome, Los Angeles, USA	Premiered "In Cinerama"
The Fall of the Roman Empire	24.03.1964	Astoria, London, England
The Greatest Story Ever Told	15.02.1965	Warner, NYC, USA	Premiered "In Cinerama"
The Hallelujah Trail	23.06.1965	Warner, LA, USA	Premiered "In Cinerama"
Battle of the Bulge	16.12.1965	Cinerama Dome, Los Angeles, USA	Premiered "In Cinerama"
Khartoum	09.06.1966	Casino, London, England	Premiered "In Cinerama"
The Hateful Eight	07.12.2015	Cinerama Dome, Los Angeles, USA 7OMM Roadshow Release 25.12.2015	7OMM Theatre List Production Notes FotoKem made 120 7OMM prints from 1 inter negative

Miscellaneous
How The West Was Won (Process shots and certain sequences)	02.11.1962	Casino, London, England	Parts only, rest in 3-strip Cinerama
An Homage To D. W. Griffith (Short film)	27.02.1989	Tokyo, Nippon Budokan

Ultra Panavision 70 lenses also used for:
Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One	16.12.2016	-	Shot digitally. Unconfirmed

Assistant contributors on some large format lists includes Michael Coate, David Coles, Jeffrey L. Johnson, Scott Marshall, Tak Miagishima, Rick Mitchell, Dan Scherlock, 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)

Title

Released

Cinema

Notes

Miscellaneous

Ultra Panavision 70 lenses also used for: