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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013
CINERAMA: First such movies released on DVD 2 years ago FROM PAGE C1
“not knowing what I was going to see.” Since he was involved in the business, the employees at the Indiana gave him a sneak peak into the projection booth and showed him what chair to choose to get the best experience. “These curtains are opening up,” said Wells. “Where are they going? They just kept going.” The movie consumed the theater, providing a huge, new experience for movie watchers. “It was just stunning,” said Wells. “That was when we got stereophonic sound.” Film’s technological advances were a national spectacle, and Wells remembers school children being given class credit for attending Cinerama movies. President Dwight Eisenhower was documented in a Cinerama production; bonus material with one of the films shows the president coming out of a theater. The imagery was originally created using three, synchronized 35mm projectors and an adapted screen. The technology was later changed to one 70mm reel. When the first Cinerama movies were released two years ago on DVD, Wells snapped them up. He got copies of “This
Is Cinerama” and “Wind Jammer” — a marathon trek featuring a boat departing from Norway on a world-spanning adventure. He added to his collection, but he needed a way to recreate the panoramic experience. Working on Saturdays, Wells and a small crew created an extension to the Strand’s screen that makes it wider and deeper. “We were about 10 weeks,” said Wells, “trying to figure how the dickens we could get a screen wide enough.” They used material to extend the screen 5 feet on each side and a curtain along the bottom, making it 15 1/2 feet tall by 26 feet wide. The first showing was last winter. “Due to copyright laws you could only invite personal friends,” said Wells. For upcoming presentations, Wells and the Strand’s owner, Dana Thompson, are inviting area residents to enjoy Cinerama. The viewing is best from around 40 seats, about half the theater, so admission will be limited. A movie will be played on the first Saturday of each month at the Strand, an opportunity to take a walk back in time and get a larger-than-life movie experience.
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In this July 16 photo, a portrait of former South African President Nelson Mandela is attached to a wall outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where he was being treated in Pretoria, South Africa. On Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013, Mandela died at the age of 95.
PHOTOS BY AP
A child looks through a fence at a portrait of former President Nelson Mandela in a park in Soweto, South Africa, in this March 28 photo. The Nobel laureate is a revered figure in South Africa, which has honored his legacy of reconciliation by naming buildings and other places after him and printing his image on national banknotes.
Art pays tribute to Mandela THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colorful murals of Nelson Mandela by an Indian artist adorn walls in the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town. A snow-dusted bronze likeness stands with arms outstretched in London’s Parliament Square. South Africa’s first black president became one of the world’s most beloved statesmen when he emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa. His generosity of spirit made him a symbol of sacrifice and reconciliation in his country and beyond. Here is a look at how artists around the world paid tribute to Mandela during his life.
A hawker pushes his goods past portraits of former President Nelson Mandela depicted in various stages of his life along a street in Soweto, South Africa, in this March 28 photo.
Broadway wins in live ‘Sound of Music’ NEW YORK (AP) — Whew, that was nerve-wracking, right? All those kids and staircases, pillow fights, candles and dancing. But somehow the cast and crew of NBC’s three-hour live telecast of “The Sound of Music” pulled it off Thursday night with only a trodden-on dress, some inconsistent sound levels and a flubbed few words. This was the first time in more than a half-century since a broadcast network dared to mount a full-scale musical for live TV and there seemed to be danger everywhere, making it impossible to stop watching in case one of the von Trapp kids tumbled into a fountain or a camera accidentally exploded. But it was all whiskers on kittens and warm woolen mittens, for the most part. The only real problem was the real reason most people tuned in: Carrie Underwood, an “American Idol” winner and country music star, sang well as Maria but her acting inexperience was laid bare. She had zero chemistry with her love interest and lacked any intensity or shading. Deer in headlights have emoted more. How do you solve a problem like Maria, indeed. Underwood was done no favors by being surrounded
AP
Sophia Ann Caruso as Brigitta, Ariane Rinehart as Liesl, Michael Nigro as Friedrich, Grace Rundhaug as Marta, Carrie Underwood as Maria, Ella Watts-Gorman as Louisa, Peyton Ella as Gretl, and Joe West as Kurt, in “The Sound of Music Live!,” which aired Thursday, on NBC.
by some Broadway veterans — Christian Borle, Laura Benanti and Audra McDonald, especially — who thrive under the lights and pressure. This is what these Tony Award winners do for a living and it showed. Underwood would never have gotten through the audition process if this was a regular Broadway musical. Her co-stars overpowered her at every turn. It was like watching a Nissan Sentra try to drag race with a pack of Bugatti Veyrons. Full credit goes to Underwood for trying,
though. She was not just dancing and singing live in front of millions in a medium she is a novice at, but she also was stepping into the role made famous by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film. As if that wasn’t enough, it was also only a few hours after the death of Nelson Mandela. Theater lovers mocked her on Twitter but the only reason we got to see this Rodgers and Hammerstein masterpiece on TV was Underwood. No one is about to build a live network musical around a Broadway star, alas. Viewers who tuned in
hoping to catch the film version may have been surprised at what was broadcast from a Long Island soundstage. This show was based on the stage original, penned as a vehicle for Mary Martin, not the Andrews film. It includes several songs that were left out of the movie — “No Way to Stop It” and “How Can Love Survive” — and is darker, with more Nazis. Both have the timeless tunes “My Favorite Things,” ”Do-Re-Mi,” ”Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” ”The Sound of Music” and “Climb Every Mountain.” The directors — Tony-nominated director and choreographer Rob Ashford and Emmy-nominated “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock” director-producer Beth McCarthyMiller — used all six sets efficiently and the dozen cameras worked hard, catching close-ups as well as sweeping shots. But it was often strangely lifeless, with the crack and zing of being live rarely transmitting through the screen. It was supposed to be spectacular, appointment TV in this era of DVRs and binge watching. It’s unclear if this was the breakthrough that will start a whole new musical revolution.