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First Report from the World 3-D Festival in
Hollywood
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Read more
at
in70mm.com
The 70mm Newsletter
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Written
by: Richard
Greenhalgh |
Date:
September 17, 2003 |
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Further
in 70mm reading:
Remembering Richard Greenhalgh
May 29, 1948 – September 5, 2011
Internet link:
www.3dfilmfest.com |
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We
are already a zombies and we've only finished the first 7 shows! We
arrived at the historic Egyptian Theater before noon yesterday and got
home just before 2:00 AM this morning. I only have a few minutes until we
have to leave for day three. In addition to the usual local suspects, we
have met people from New York (a Bradford alumni), Atlanta, Virginia and
Connecticut. They are all here to see this amazing week of 3-D, "HTWWW"
at the Cinerama Dome and the important showing of David Strohmaier's "Cinerama
Adventure" on Monday.
I am about 5 years too young to have seen any of these films first run and
I never really wanted to see them projected anaglyphically in most recent
retrospective showings. This festival has given us a real appreciation for
these films and the 3-D process of the day. While some are better than
others, this process enhances every film we have seen. The process is not
just something to use for a few comin'-at-ya effects, it adds depth and
interest to every scene.
Jeff Joseph and Sabucat Productions have simply produced the most complete
and amazing once-in-a-lifetime 3-D festival on the planet. Paul Rayton and
his crew at the Egyptian Theater are projecting every film and short in
the Polaroid 3-D process on a newly installed silver screen in perfect
registration. Some of the films we have seen are beautiful, newly-struck,
prints. Others are last remaining prints. Some where thought no longer to
exist. All of the films are shown, as they originally were, with an
intermission to allow for one reel change.
"House of Wax" was well deservedly sold out. Though the
stereo sound track no longer exists, the new print is excellent. A
fascinating short, Motor Rhythm and a Q&A session with special guest
Paul Picerni, rounded out the auspicious start of the festival. Mrs. Andre
DeToth, the director's widow, was in the audience.
Jeff Joseph shared that "Stranger Wore a Gun" was the
only film shot on Eastman "Stripper Film" which Technicolor
locked away thereafter. The new print looked good.
"Gorilla at Large" was a surprisingly good mystery with
Raymond Burr. The color print looked good and the Q&A with Raymond
Stevens was illuminating.
"Cat-Women of the Moon" was shown from an original print
which was as sharp and grain free as it gets. This cult classic was great
fun. The color short "Adventures of Sam Space" was very
entertaining and the Q&A with the head Cat-Women was a hoot.
The left-eye print of "Gog" was thought to be lost
forever and the negatives no longer exist. While a bit faded, this
recently found left print is in good registration with the right print and
the good color from the right print allowed us to enjoy some very well
done 3-D effects. Joe Dante hosted director Herbert L. Strock and actor
William Schallert in an interesting Q&A session following the feature.
The "Kiss Me Kate" sold-out audience was one of the most
appreciative in my recent memory. This new print was just a delight to
see, if a bit warm in color balance. It was shown in stereo for the first
time in fifty years. Bugs Bunny delighted the audience in "Lumber
Jack Rabbit" before the show and special guest Kathryn Grayson
and Tommy Rall made the Q&A a most memorable event.
While we were watching "Kiss Me Kate", another sold-out
audience waited to see "It Came from Outer Space" at
10:30 PM. The studio loaned the original 3-track mag soundtrack to Jeff
Joseph who magically got Chace Productions to donate their services to
transfer it to a hard dive which was synced with the two projectors to
provide the appreciative audience with a rare opportunity to see this show
in both 3-D and stereo. A surprise citation from the mayor of Los Angeles
was presented to Ray Bradbury to commemorate this occasion during the
Q&A which preceded the film. A Universal Nat King Cole short rounded
out the evening.
Today we are going back to see such classics as "Robot
Monster", a Stereo Techniques Seminar, "Flight to
Tangier", "Charge at Feather River" and we are
looking forward to the sold-out showing of "Creature from the
Black Lagoon".
If you have not yet purchased your copy of the World 3-D Festival Poster,
the fabulous all-color Festival Program AND the excellent DVD (with over
40 3-D trailers and some fabulous early 3-D footage which can effectively
be seen anaglyphically with the included glasses, get to www.3dfilmfest.com
and get yours on order before this rare stuff disappears.
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Sunday
we were back at it at the Egyptian for more 3-D films. Some of these films
are really quite excellent. And then, well, there are others. First up on
Sunday was a rare (perhaps not rare enough) showing of the 1953 classic, "Robot
Monster" (which has obtained a richly deserved 2.1 rating from
all of us who rate films for our friends at IMDb).
Before the film, we were treated to a screening of the short "Stardust
in Your Eyes" which was made by the same people who produced
"Robot Monster." It was designed to be run before it, but
apparently never did. In it, actor Slick Slavin delivers a humorous
monologue featuring a number of impersonations (including Humphrey Bogart,
James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart and others) about their reactions to 3-D.
As with "Cat-Women of the Moon" the previous day, the
audience showed remarkable respect and restraint for Jeff's new silver 3-D
screen by not throwing things at it during this not-to-be-missed film. One
can only wonder if Western Costumes was overstocked on gorilla costumes
that year . After the film, the director's son had a few words to
say followed by a surprise special guest. Ro-Man came out of retirement to
the great delight of an almost full house. He later terrorized those
waiting for the next show in the theater forecourt.
I must add that Paul Rayton was kind enough to ask me if Jack Greenhalgh,
the cinematographer, was a relative of mine. While I have heard of him,
gratefully (in this case) he is not a relative. I did look him up and
found that he was involved in 199 films from 1926 to 1953. I found it
interesting to note that his work on "Robot Monster",
appears to have been his last job .
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