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BLOW-UPS

Ian Hanson’s In 70 mm,
(CinemaRecord 47) prompted
Eric White to review the history of
some cost- saving approaches
to the 70 mm experience.

‘Blow-ups’ became popular as a sort
of Claytons 70mm: the 70mm you have
when you are not having 70mm.
Super Technirama 70 was a 70mm
process shot on 35mm film. The 35mm
film was run through the camera
sideways, as with VistaVision, but
photographed through an anamorphic
lens with a 1.5:1 squeeze.
(Cinemascope had a 2:1 squeeze). The
frame was eight perforations wide, but
the height was exactly the same as that
of the 70mm frame. This enabled
production of a 70mm size image just
by removing the squeeze and printing
on to 70mm stock. Hey presto! A print
that was every bit as sharp as if it had
been filmed on 70mm, but much
cheaper to shoot and much, much
easier to handle at the shooting level. A
director could get his “dailies” daily,
Sleeping Beauty (top) was the only time Walt Disney used Super
instead of having to send the film to
Technirama 70.
Hollywood, Rome or Britain for
processing. This was a boon if filming Spartacus, in the same process, began a long season in Melbourne on
in Spain, where many of the big 8 December. 1960.
spectacles were produced.
Super Technirama 70 was developed Why were these films ‘blown-up’? almost extinct. The last movies to be
by Technicolor and it was a logical Sometimes the decision was made filmed in 70mm for many years were
extension of their Technirama process, during production to promote a fairly Ryan’s Daughter (1970) and The Last
whereby conventional Cinemascope- modest property into block-buster. Such Valley (1971). 70mm ‘blow-ups’
style prints were derived from the a film was The Cardinal (1963), the continued through the 1980s, but by the
35mm-sideways negative. Super first to get the treatment. The first 1990s interest in them had all but
Technirama 70 was first used for 70mm ‘blow-up’ to be screened in disappeared. The Panavision
Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959), Melbourne was Valley of the Dolls anamorphic format was also in decline,
Spartacus (1960) and King of Kings (1967) which had a good run at the though in the early 1990s Panavision
(1961), and overall was used for about Paris. Sometimes a major production began a comeback.
thirty productions. Remember however, was filmed in 35mm and then ‘blown- Australia’s one and only 70mm
when you see in the credits that a movie up’ simply for reasons of economy. movie was Mad Max III - Beyond
was filmed in Super Technirama 70, it Doctor Zhivago (1965) was in this Thunderdome (1984). It was a ‘blow-
wasn’t really. It was filmed on 35mm. category. Sometimes the demands of up’ and ran at the Capitol, Melbourne.
The other quasi-70mm films were location shooting made it necessary to Two prestigious directors attempted
the ‘blow-ups’ from a conventional shoot on 35mm and sometimes there to revive 70mm photography in the mid
35mm negative. For the most part they was just not enough 70mm equipment 1990s. Ron Howard’s Far And Away
were filmed in Panavision, though a available. Furthermore, when it was (1992) and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet
few were blown up from ‘spherical’ or seen just how good the 70mm ‘blow- (1996) used the medium, but at the
non-anamorphic negatives. Since the ups’ could look, producers saw no box-office it did nothing for either.
‘blowing-up’ was done from a master reason to film in the big format. A recent revival of 70mm was
derived from the negative, the By 1970 'blowing-up’ had become sparked through restoration of big-
definition and colour saturation of these commonplace. There were more 70mm screen productions such as Lawrence
prints was excellent. One could not tell prints around that ever before, but the Of Arabia and Spartacus. When talk
them from Todd-AO. amount of filming in 70mm was turns to ‘lost’ movies those in most
decreasing rapidly. By 1972 it was danger are the big-format musicals and

32 2005 CINEMARECORD