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Posted by One-Shot Scot on 11/18/05 05:01
I watched the special features of _Oklahoma!_ which told of the
ultra-widescreen, Todd-AO (30 fps) (70 mm version) and how it was designed
to compete with Cinerama. But, because very few theaters had the extra-wide
screens and special projectors needed for Todd-AO, a CinemaScope (24 fps)
(35 mm version) was concurrently produced.
What I don't understand is why the DVD versions are as follows:
2.20 : 1 (70 mm version) Todd-AO
2.55 : 1 (35 mm version) CinemaScope
It seems that the Todd-AO version would be the wider of the two, but it
isn't. While the Todd-AO version has more headroom, the CinemaScope
version shows a lot more picture information on the sides. I would expect
the opposite to be the case.
The Todd-AO picture is not nearly as clear as that of the CinemaScope
version. I have been watching the two versions simultaneously with the PIP
feature and switching between them. There are obvious and not so obvious
differences between the two versions. Sometimes, the entire set is
different, but usually, the gestures and mannerisms of the actors are a
little different.
While the CinemaScope version is easier on the eyes, due to its much better
clarity, the Todd-AO version is my favorite due to its spontaneity. And even
though the Todd-AO version was filmed at 30 frames per second, the picture
has noticeable flicker. (I believe that the Todd-AO version was filmed first
followed by the CinemaScope version.)
There are two key scenes in the Kansas City number which indicate the
spontaneity of the first-filmed Todd-AO version:
In the Todd-AO version, Will Parker jumps onto the wooden box and when
it collapses, he nearly falls over. The girl standing next to him
reaches out to catch him. In the CinemaScope version, Will Parker does
not lose his balance.
In the Todd-AO version, as Will Parker is dancing on the top of the
train, he calls for his horse who is being held by a man in the
background. Apparently, the horse jumped his queue and as he gallops off
toward the train, the man holding him is spun around and falls to the
ground. In the CinemaScope version, the man does not fall down.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0048445/technical
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