Which films were probably never shown in Super Technirama 70? |
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| Written by: Thomas Hauerslev | Date: 13.02.2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade
advert for Technicolor's Technirama process. Click to see enlargement Technirama was a 35mm process developed by Technicolor in London. With Technirama, film makers could make movies with a larger negative, as compared to ordinary 4-perf 35mm anamorphic like CinemaScope or Panavision. Technirama's 8-perf negative ran sideways through the camera, and with twice the image area, Technirama gave you better looking 35mm prints. It was much like Paramount's VistaVision process, but with a difference. With an anamorphic lens with a 1,5x compression factor in front of the camera, a high quality anamorphic image was exposed on the negative. From that negative, all sorts of prints could be made, 16mm, 35mm scope as well as 70mm prints - which were branded with the name Super Technirama 70. The Technirama history has been documented by many, including Grant Lobban's brilliant article in The 70mm Newsletter, June 2000. Many films were produced in Technirama in Europe and in the US from the mid 1950s until the end of the '60s including "Spartacus", "Custer of the West", "55 Days at Peking" and "El Cid". They were very popular movies, and shown all over the world. Technirama was popular, because it gave many producers access to relative inexpensive large format production facilities, and the added attraction value in the cinemas, when their films were shown "in 70mm". Only the most prestigious films were given this treatment. Super Technirama 70 prints were incredibly sharp and with 6-track magnetic sound, they equalled Todd-AO and Super Panavison 70 in the public eye. Far from all Technirama films were given the 70mm treatment, most were simply released in 4-perf 35mm and branded as "Technirama". For many years in the 70mm enthusiast community, some Technirama titles have been the source of passionate discussions. "Were they released in 70mm versions, or not?". The following nine Technirama films, may have been shown somewhere in Super Technirama 70 in major 70mm markets: New York, London, Paris and more. • Antinea, L'Amante Della Citta Sepolta • The Trials of Oscar Wilde • Carthage in Flames • The Music Man • World by Night no. 2 • Buddha • Madame sans Gene • The Pink Panther • Clint the Lonely Nevadan It is next to impossible to verify if any of them were ever really shown in 70mm, unless some fans have faded 70mm frames, pictures of reels, old 70mm leaders etc., or even several newspaper adverts with some sort of indication. Your memory can play tricks on you. If someone claims "I have seen it in 70mm, in 1963, at the xxxx cinema in XXXX city", it will probably be incorrect, unless personal notes, pictures from the facade or the projection room, or newspaper adverts can verify such claim. It can be difficult to remember precise details of what you did last Wednesday, let alone what you did some afternoon, 55 years ago. People seem to remember what they like to remember. Unless it was a major release like "Lawrence of Arabia", which was released exclusively in 70mm, it was probably 35mm and mono. |
More in 70mm reading: Super Technirama 70 Spaghetti Western in Super Technirama 70 70mm films in Mexico Seeing 70mm Films in Mexico Curiosities from Mexico 70mm Cinemas and 70mm Films in San Diego, USA Internet link: PDF: Wide Screen Movies Corrections, Revision 2.0 - Revised December 2004 Copyright Daniel J Sherlock, 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Some
of the editor's personal notes of the films he saw at age 15, in 1978. Saw
"2OO1" two days in a row at the Rialto in Copenhagen, and then "CE3K" at the
3 Falke Bio some weeks later - in 70mm. Notes like this can be of great
value to confirm 70mm shows many years later.Even newspaper adverts can be tricky, as it can be seen with "Madame", for one example, a European Technirama production with the beautiful Sophia Loren. The movie distributor and producer Joseph E. Levine made very nice posters and advert campaigns with the name "Technicolor" and the "Technirama 70mm" tag lines printed in large letters, which gives the impression of it being a film shown in 70mm. I don't think "Madame" was shown in 70mm anywhere, however. It is not impossible it was shown in 70mm, but I feel it is highly unlikely. I conclude that, based on the fact that it was never shown in the major 70mm markets in London or Los Angeles (where Technicolor made 70mm prints, and where the producers usually lived, and wanted to see their films in the best possible way). Why 70mm-release a European Technirama production in Spain or Italy, and not in London? Secondly, I have never seen any adverts indicating a 70mm presentation - and I don't count the "built in" 70mm Technirama tag line on the production company produced poster/adverts as a reliable source. It has to be the cinema, which advertise "in 70mm on our curved screen", or similar. Thirdly, I have never heard anything about an existing 70mm print - or odd reel - in an archive somewhere, or with a collector. "Madame" is just one example of a film "not in Super Technirama 70", but I would very much like to be proven wrong, please. The reverse was also possible - no mention of 70mm at all, and the film was indeed shown in 70mm: "Custer of the West" being the example at the Casino in London in November 1967. Where "Super Technirama 70" candidates are concerned, I feel it is mostly creative marketing, to get the audience into the cinema, by adding a "70mm" sticker to the poster and adverts. "If it's a 70mm film, it must be good". They were filmed in Technirama, which was large format to an extent, thus giving the audience an enhanced image quality regardless. It was foolish not to promote the larger negative and better quality. In some cases, as shown on this page, it appears as if the films were also presented in 70mm format - which I seriously doubt. Comments and information about "Which films were probably never shown in Super Technirama 70?" are most welcome, and will be included in the page. Write to: The Editor |
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Super Technirama 70 Candidates |
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 Newspaper
advert related to "Princess" cinema maybe in
the UK?"Madame Sans Gene" was a Franco / Italian / Spanish production. "Madame Sans Gêne" (Italy/France/Spain, 1961) ran in Tokyo's "Theatre Tokyo" in 70mm. Premiered 18.08.1962. Japanese title: 戦場を駈ける女 (A woman striding the Battlefield) |
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 Newspaper
advert for "Madame Sans Gene" at
the Gran Teatro Isabel La Catolica in Granada, Spain.Click to see enlargement |
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 70mm
double bill at the Maple Leaf Drive-In? Advert found by Mike CoateClick the advert to see enlargement |
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 British
newspaper advert for "Carthage in Flames", premiere in Odeon Marble Arch
(1928-1964). No mention of 70mm. |
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 "CARTHAGES
EN FLAMMES" - 70mm in Paris?Hi Thomas I have some information about the movies presented in 70 M/M in Paris, France. The gigantic theater GAUMONT PALACE (6000 seats) and with 3500 seats in 1959 for the first 70 M/M presentation in France of "SOLOMON and SHEBA" on the new giant screen. 5 month later, the second movie presented in Super Technirama 70 was "CARTHAGES EN FLAMMES", and in July 1961 "L’ATLANTIDE" ("Antinéa l’amante de la citta sepolta") was in Super Technirama 70. "Madame Sans Gêne" was in 35 M/M at the Gaumont Palace. Later the OCTOBER 7 1960, "BEN HUR" played exclusively in this theater for 48 weeks. The CINERAMA process was here in 1962 with the largest CINERAMA screen in the world (35 m X 14,50 mm) Best regards Christian Sirven, Paris, France 14.02.2017 • Go to 70mm, Cinerama and Cinemiracle shown in Sweden |
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 "Super
Technirama 70" 70mm logo on the poster for "Carthage in Flames" in Japan. |
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 "Carthage in Flames"
from the : YURAKUZA cinema, Tokyo, Japan."On the Giant Screen, the first European movie in 70mm Super Technirama. Produced by Carmine Gallone. Two years in the making with a budget of 3.6 Millions of Yens. Roadshow at the Yurakuza Theatre tomorrow May 26th after Roma and Paris. Japanese title: "Carthago". Advert from local news paper found by Mr. AOKI Eiji who went to the library to find the advert. |
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 "Buddah"
from the : YURAKUZA cinema, Tokyo, Japan. "In DAIEI Super Technirama 70 and 6 magnetic tracks, surround sound. Roadshow at the Yurakuza Theatre tomorrow December 1st. Japanese title: "Shaka". Advert from local news paper found by Mr. AOKI Eiji who went to the library to find the advert. • Go to 7OMM projectors in Japan |
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 70mm
logo on the poster for "Buddah" in Japan. |
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 "L’ATLANTIDE"
("Antinéa l’amante de la citta sepolta") - 70mm in Paris? |
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 "Antinea,
L'Amante Della Citta Sepolta" ran in 70mm in
France. Played in city of Laval on Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 projectors
sometimes around October 1961.Click to see enlargement Greetings Gerhard Witte, Berlin |
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 "Antinea,
L'Amante Della Citta Sepolta" information is from "La Cinématographie
Française" dated Saturday, 14 October 1961.Click to see enlargement |
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 "Filmed
in 70mm" sticker on the
South American newspaper advert for "Clint the Lonely Nevadan"In any event, the reference is to the cinematography, not the exhibition format. |
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 "Super
Technirama 70" 70mm logo on the Italian newspaper advert for "Clint the Lonely Nevadan"Spaghetti Western in Super Technirama 70 |
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 Dear
Editor,I enclose an advert dated 28.07.1967 with the press advert of the premiere in Barcelona (Spain) at the Femina cinema of “Clint, el solitario” (“Clint the Stranger” in USA), where the 70mm tagline and the Super Technirama logo are visible I hope it will help to your search. Thank for your wonderful task and best regards from Spain! Carlos Fresnedo Barcelona, Spain 19.02.2017 |
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 Hi
ThomasMy friend who used to be a projectionist in the UK and Australia, claims that he saw THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE in Leeds in the UK in 70mm many decades ago (about 1963). He sent me a newspaper advert for the film, listing 70mm. The film was called THE MAN WITH THE GREEN CARNATION in New Zealand when I saw it there. OSCAR WILDE (with Robert Morley) was also showing at the cinema where I worked, in New Zealand. Two films from the UK about the same subject and released in the same year. Most unusual. The title was changed in N.Z. to '[the Man with The Green Carnation', so as not to confuse cinemagoers. Peter Mansor (Sydney) 26.02.2017 Hi Peter, I am practically 90% sure this was shown in Leeds in 70mm. Technically not a blow up as it was shot Technirama 70mm. Me and my friend saw it there on a short run. It wasn't in 1960, more 1963, so it could have been a re-run. The Ritz did a lot of those, bringing back films for short engagements between the new Blockbusters. Regards Paul |
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70mm prints are unconfirmed |
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Antinea, L'Amante
Della Citta Sepolta
The Trials of Oscar Wilde
Carthage in Flames
Maybe
in Paris at the Gaumont Palace
Buddha
Maybe 70mm in
"Madame
Sans Gêne"
Clint the Lonely Nevadan