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Posted by One-Shot Scot on 11/18/05 08:30
"P Pron" <paulatspambegone.pron@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3u57qvFuo6mjU1@individual.net...
> One-Shot Scot wrote:
> || 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.
>
> I was surprised by this as well, when I first saw the Todd-AO version on
> laserdisc - excellent, incidentally.
>
> I think the point was that the use of 70mm film meant that the whole thing
> could be bigger and sharper (rather than just wider) without loss of
> definition - which makes it ironic that the DVD issue is so
> disappointing.... I haven't got the DVD yet, and am in no particular hurry
> now, having seen so many adverse reports. I think I'll wait for a sale,
and
> buy it for the extras idc.
>
> If you haven't already, you might like to plough through
> http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingto2.htm which is a lengthy
> article about Todd-AO. I think I saw in one of the reviews that the
> "curator" of the website participates in one of the docus on the new DVD
>
> paul
If you really like _Oklahoma!_, you might want to reconsider your decision
not to buy this new DVD set, particularly when it is currently on sale for
less than $20.
The new Todd-AO _Oklahoma!_ DVD is a mixed blessing. While the new
anamorphic version is certainly a step up from the non-anamorphic DVD from a
few years ago, it has always had a blurry quality to it, even on LaserDisc.
My guess is that the Todd-AO version is in need of restoration, but I am
beginning to think that it is in such bad shape that the focus may be
impossible to restore. On the other hand, the CinemaScope DVD is vastly
superior to the pan and scan LaserDisc for which I once paid $35.00.
I am in total agreement with this review:
Video:
Talk about expense: Fox actually filmed "Oklahoma!" twice, in 70 mm Todd-AO
for its roadshow release in 1955 and also in 35 mm CinemaScope for its
regular theatrical run in 1956. In a theater the Todd-AO would have shown up
at a 2.20:1 ratio and the CinemaScope at 2.55:1, but it was the Todd-AO that
would have had the sharper, clearer image, thanks to its larger, 70 mm film
stock. Very generously, the Fox studios provide both versions in this set,
one movie on each of two discs, for comparison purposes.
Viewers will make up their own minds about which version of the film they
prefer. The differences include not only the inevitable variations in
picture quality but some variations in the opening titles, the opening
scene, the performances, and a good number of peripheral details. The thing
that interested me, though, was that I preferred the CinemaScope transfer
best. The colors seemed more vivid and vibrant. In Todd-AO the colors are
slightly more subdued and the overall definition a little softer, at times
seeming more blurred. I suppose you could say the Todd-AO rendition is more
natural in its way, less glorified and more realistic; but with a big
splashy musical like "Oklahoma!" I favored the showier, more outgoing hues
of the CinemaScope presentation.
Fox engineers have transferred both versions of the movie to disc at a high
bit rate in anamorphic widescreen, the CinemaScope measuring across my
television at about 2.30:1 and the Todd-AO at a little over 2:1. The
CinemaScope presentation has a total running time of 140 minutes; the
Todd-AO presentation has a running time of 147 minutes. The music for an
overture, an intermission, and an exit would appear to account for the
additional Todd-AO minutes.
http://www.dvdtown.com/review/oklahoma!50thanniversarytwo-di/16710/3253/
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