80 Years - 80 Days | Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Written by: Jonathan Kleefield, M.D. | Date: 30.08.2026 |
 I am composing this submission on the occasion of my 80th birthday. While at university, I chose to review a microfilm copy of The New York Times written on the day I greeted our world. Nothing of great note happened, other than the settling of a nationwide railroad strike in my country of birth, the USA. It is ironic that on my present birthday, a potentially crippling strike of our nation’s largest commuter rail system, the Long Island Railroad, was also resolved.On the occasion of my tenth birthday, my parents celebrated the event by taking me to New York City’s Rivoli Theatre to see the first run of Mike Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days", starring David Niven and Cantinflas. As regular readers of this publication already know, it was the second motion picture photographed in the 70mm process known as Todd-AO, and displayed on the legendary Norelco DP70’s. The abundance of scenic locales which are in the story provided a marvelous opportunity to showcase the incredible image quality this large format film could produce, supplemented by a six-track magnetic soundtrack. The latter was the perfect vehicle for the beautiful score composed by Victor Young. To ensure the experience was optimal, the historic theatre was completely renovated to accommodate the huge curved screen, with a new projection booth in the mezzanine eliminating the possibility of keystoning. The sound system was engineered by the Ampex Corporation, then the unquestioned leader in producing broadcast quality audio tape recorders. (In that same year, 1956, Ampex introduced the first practical videotape recorder, to instant acclaim,) The joy of that birthday experience never left me. I saw the film twice more myself at the Rivoli Theatre, and my folks joined me for other performances which used a 35mm transfer and anamorphic lenses. While still good, they did not compare to the Rivoli experience. Needless to say, we all loved the film for its terrific script and the work of its large cast sufficiently to justify repeat viewings. | More in 70mm reading: Mike Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days" in Todd-AO A Nostalgic View of 70mm in New York City - 1950-1970 Eighteen Years Later "The Odyssey" Reviews "Oppenheimer" Reviews in70mm.com News Peripheral Vision, Scopes, Dimensions and Panoramas in70mm.com's Library Presented on the big screen in 7OMM 7OMM and Cinema Across the World Now showing in 70mm in a theatre near you! 70mm Retro - Festivals and Screenings |
 Author Jonathan Kleefield, M.D. having just attended an IMAX 70mm performance of "Oppenheimer", 8. August 2023.Fast forward 70 years, and at present, the only way to see the film commercially is either via streaming or a nearly 20 year old DVD, issued by Warner Brothers. The disc was sourced from a 35mm print. Relatively little restoration was performed, but thankfully the 5.1 soundtrack is still quite acceptable. I am aware that WB possesses most of the extant 70mm material, which was shot in both 24fps and 30fps versions. I saw the latter, and of course the faster frame rate reduced flicker. Thus, if a full restoration would be attempted, the 30fps would be preferred. Thank goodness, computers have vastly expanded the capacity to remove blemishes, scratches, and of course, color fading which was particularly severe for the ubiquitous motion picture stock of that era- Eastmancolor. Because Mike Todd was a most persuasive individual, he was able to convince scores of major actors and actresses of the time to be seen in his film, even with parts of only a few lines, or in the case of Frank Sinatra, no lines at all! I have no illusions that God will grant me another 80 years of life, but I am still hopeful that the expert restoration team at the former Warner Brothers, now a merger partner with Paramount, will find it worthwhile to give this lovely film, which won Best Picture of 1956, a state-of-the-art rejuvenation. It would provide a wonderful way for current families to show their children a glimpse of the past with a rollicking good storyline, and for those budding cinephiles, a means to be exposed to scores of famous actors of that era. The excellent script, with tongue-in-cheek humor abounding, will entertain the adults and thus provide that most wonderful bonding experience I achieved as a ten year old with my parents. | |
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