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Cinerama Adventure
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Cinerama Adventure
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Review by Shelley Cameron
for Reel Movie Critic
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HHH
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Cast
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Debbie Reynolds
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Eli Wallach
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Carol Baker
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Mike Todd
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Directed by David Strohmaier. Documentary. Not Rated. 93 Minutes.
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This curiosity of a documentary film will no doubt appeal most to those who were fortunate enough to experience one of the handful of films made in the 1950's that used this remarkable process of Cinerama. Since the films were exhibited only in select theatres, specially outfitted with the incredibly complex projection equipment, colossal curved screens, and monumental sound systems required, that group is somewhat limited. That said, today's audiences have these pioneering filmmakers to thank for all the widescreen motion pictures that followed, "2001: A Space Odessy" for example, and still make for the best, most intense movie experience possible.
Likely to be the best permanent record of this amazing and all but vanished contribution to film, the documentary makes a valuable contribution of its own to film history. Cinerama undeniably altered the way we experience movies. If you have become accustomed to watching movies on a home screen, even the largest and latest hi tech home theatre pales by comparison with viewing the way that most filmmakers intended: on film, on a large screen, in the dark. Cinerama took that basic premise of movies and expanded it to surround the viewer totally. The goal was to make movies that would be as close as possible to putting the viewer in the film. From director/producers David Strohmaier and Randy Gitsch, this is an engaging record not only of the process of Cinerama but also its cultural impact as an entertainment and educational event. From then President Eisenhower to the millions worldwide who bought advance reserved seat tickets and dressed in their Sunday best to attend the movies, this totally engulfing experience will never be equaled.
The documentary details the history of Cinerama, from the movie mavericks who came up with the idea and made it happen, to the triumph they had when the Hollywood establishment saw its phenomenal success and got on the bandwagon. Some of the best talent in the biz (John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall and an all star cast) was assembled to make the best known of the Cinerama productions, "How the West Was Won," in 1962. Highlights include the many interviews with the people who worked on the films: cameramen, stuntmen, and actors. The majority of Cinerama productions were travel adventure epics that took audiences to far away places around the globe. The film uses many clips from these films and puts together the best representation possible on a flat screen to furnish a taste of what the Cinerama experience was like. Three Cinerama theatres remain in operation for those whose appetites will be whetted and seek their own Cinerama Adventure.
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