Page 27 - CINEMARECORD-100

FILMED IN 70 mm … OR WAS IT?

Neither MacKenna’s Gold nor Brain Storm are
included in lists of films made in Todd-AO,
Panavision or Ultra Panavision.

In 2017, the war movie Dunkirk was filmed in
70 mm, but in two types - The standard 2.20:1
aspect ratio and the Imax horizontal 70 mm (a
similar process to VistaVision but much larger)
with a ratio of up to 1.85:1. The Blu-ray release
of Dunkirk comes in both formats on the one
DVD, so you can see which were filmed in
which.
sequences, especially where they do aspect ratio of 2.35:1. If my memory is correct, Of course there was a swag of movies shot in
“Cinerama” style filming - riding a horse so it it was advertised as being in 70 mm when 35 mm Panavision, “blown up” onto 70 mm
appears to be, but probably not, given the shown at the Greater Union Chelsea in Flinders prints and then advertised as being in 70 mm.
weight of a 70 mm camera, down a steep path St. Melbourne. I remember seeing it at the The Great Race at Melbourne’s Capitol
from the rider’s perspective, and riding the Victory in St. Kilda and, while it was in 35 mm, Theatre was a classic example. On the other
rapids on a raft that gets smashed up on rocks.) the surround sound was great - especially when hand, many “big action” films have segments
Most of the movie was filmed in 35 mm and it a shot rang out around the theatre at the shot in 70 mm, but were then reduced onto
was released in the wide screen Panavision beginning, after Jose Feliciano had finished 35 mm prints, or similar, for digital nowadays.★
singing Old
Turkey Buzzard.
Interestingly, that
scene with the
shot from way in
front of the screen
has been cut from
the DVD release
of the film!
In 1983, MGM
advertised Brain
Storm (the last
film Natalie Wood
made before her
tragic drowning)
as being in Super
P a n a v i s i o n .
Again, it was and
it wasn’t.
Segments (when
we were shown
what the “brain
stormers” were
seeing in their
minds) were in the
70 mm, 2.20:1
aspect ratio while
the rest of the film
was in a 35 mm
aspect ratio of
1.66:1.

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