Around The World In 80 Days (1956) won best pic Oscar. Still unrestored, now truly a lost film!

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Steve Hoffman, Jan 9, 2013.

  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Around the world one.jpg Jeff Joseph of SabuCat Productions and I were trying to get the complete 70mm 30 frame version of this on DVD since 1988. We found what was to be found at Todd-AO and at Warner Bros. Still, it's considered a "lost" film simply because of the wacky way it was filmed (two different speeds and two different performances) and preserved. A bit of history for those of you who care is below. A major movie studio wants to screen the "real" version of the movie in house and can't. Why? Doesn't exist. If you find this interesting, read on. They contacted Jeff and he wrote them:


    Oh, boy! Starting off the year with the horror that is the status of "Around the World in 80 Days", a film Steve Hoffman and I started playing around with in the late 1980s...and a film that is still not remotely properly preserved or viewable.

    Brief note first: SabuCat's archives had virtually no feature films (other than 3D); thus no features wound up at UCLA or the Academy. Since most features were copyrighted, it was usually not very useful for us to keep them. However, over the 20 years we were in business, we had at least 100,000 features go through our hands. So requests like this one wind up meaning:

    Checking to see who got what (the records are not complete); calling/emailing the archive or collector who got it (and hope they're still around...film collectors are aging out, I'm afraid.) Then: hope they still have it, it's still runnable...and that they'll loan it out, usually for free. "80 Days", however, is an exception; I know exactly where the print wound up. And it may be borrowable.

    The 80 Days story (short version, how appropriate): "80 Days" was shot twice: 65mm/24fps and 65mm/30fps. The 65mm/24fps version was used to make 35mm dye-transfer prints in 1956 and 1968. The 65mm/30fps version was used to make 70mm prints for both issues. (Note that the 1968 re-issue, in both 35mm and 70mm, was cut by about 20 minutes or so. Most of the opening with Edward R Murrow was cut, as well as a lengthy scene with Passepartout and the Indians. (The scene is so long that it still appears in the short version...cut...and it still seems too long.)

    Warners has worked on the 24fps version only; the Blu-ray is from the 24fps element. Easy way to check: Watch the opening scenes of the Changing of the Palace Guard or any scene of just the ocean waves, but turn off the sound completely. Note how slowly they're moving. You're looking at footage shot at 30fps, duped into the 24fps version (thus it's running too slow). The background music covers this up by bopping along; when the sound is off it's obvious. Warners has said that the 30fps version is "lost", or at the very least, not recoverable. This is in dispute; I personally saw elements on the Warner lot in 1990 that seem to no longer exist. Very frustrating. I suppose the elements could have been thrown out...I hope not. The current video version is the 1968 version, with the Morrow part added back in.

    Out there in collector world, there are: 35mm dye-transfer prints of both the 1956 and 1968 cuts. There are also mag stereo dye-transfer 35mm prints of the 1956 cut (though most of these have gone to vinegar; I only know of one left that is runnable...and it's in cold storage in a European archive.) I know of a single runnable 70mm print of the 30fps version. We ran this print at the Egyptian, and I believe at the Academy years earlier. It is physically in mint condition. The color has faded over the years, but since it's a 1968 re-issue print (and it's been kept cool), there's still quite a bit of color left in the print.

    I should note, though, that this print is, in a sense, a "last surviving element" and maybe somebody should scan this before it's too late (presuming he'll loan it). Heck, I've thought for ages somebody (an archive) should acquire this print and save it.

    Jeff
     
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  2. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Interesting info. This would look great restored. Lots of visuals. Thanks Steve.
     
  3. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    One of my favorite Sinatra flicks :D
     
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  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Around the world two.jpg Again, for those who care. You can see the two Todd-AO cameras side by side, one for the 70mm 24 frames a second negative, the other for the 70mm 30 frames a second negative.

    In reality, the scenes with dialog were filmed twice, the 24 frame version considered the "dress rehearsal" or "alternate take" version. The real meat was saved for the 30 frame version which no one can see. The DVD, Laserdisc, VHS, etc. were all from the edited 24 frame version.
     
  5. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    There were new 70mm prints struck in (going off memory here) 1983 or so, but they, too, were off the 24fps elements. It still looked really good, but it wasn't the "real" version, obviously. I saw that one at the Cinerama in Seattle; fantastic. Also, about 8 or 9 years ago, I drove to Palo Alto to see a 35mm 4-track mag 1956 print at Stanford Theatre. (In fact, the photos I posted here are from that very day, largely taken during intermission.) It looked very good, with excellent color and sound, but it was NOTHING like seeing (even the 24 fps) 70mm version on the huge Cinerama screen, a la the original roadshow engagements.

    So sad to see that this is apparently rotting away, gone. :thumbsdow
     
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  6. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Around the world three.jpg Not gone, just "misplaced".

    Matt, in 1983 they made prints, yes. Of the 1968 edited version. The 1956 long version was a dim memory until Jeff and I got on the scene in 1988.

    Mike Todd had each and every 1956 and 1968 release print in 70mm struck from the camera negs. It was only AFTER that they made Technicolor seps. Sigh. Such a mess and you don't know all of it. Just crazy stuff. The film won BEST PICTURE, dang it. We can't see it, just the "dress rehearsal"!
     
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  7. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Cool shot.....does not look like Mike Todd is in the picture..maybe the guy with the bent hand?
     
  8. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    This brings up one of my mantras/frustrations: So many "films" today are being "restored" while doing little or nothing in terms of photochemical work, so the "restoration" looks great on dvd, but films like this need to go beyond the "norm" in terms of restoration if true preservation is to take place. I'm not suggesting that great work can't be done digitally, but this film (as much as any) "needs" to be projected in 70mm -- or in a digital format that equals 70mm -- and under the current circumstances, that seems unlikely. 30fps "Oklahoma!" is in the same boat. (I've seen TWO 30 fps prints, one publicly, one privately, so I feel very fortunate in that regard.)
     
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  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    around the world four.jpg Jeff and I spent many hours (unpaid) at the old Todd-AO in Hollywood on Seward pouring over the files, films, mags, etc. on this puzzle. Also spent many hours in the dusty vault of Warner Bros. in Burbank. Even over at Turner/M-G-M (who control the UNITED ARTSTS catalog). UA distributed 80 Days in the 1950's and 60's and yes, they had some print material as well, left over!

    You understand that the SOUND of the movie was nowhere near the PICTURE of the movie. Two separate locations, two separate studios! Arggh! There was edited up 1968 sound that only matched the 24 frame, there was sound that matched the edited up 30 frame but we couldn't find the print master for the 1956 versions. We realized that they just CUT THEM UP to match the edits and then dumped the rest. Typical.

    One good thing came out of that Todd-AO search, we found the nice music score. We wanted to issue it on DCC (licensed from Universal) but believe it or not, WB objected, thinking THEY own the music. They do, only for the film use. Uni owns it for "records" because VICTOR YOUNG was an exclusive Decca artist at the time. The 1956 soundtrack was supposed to come out on RCA-Victor until Decca fixed that. So, no "revised" soundtrack, only what was issued in 1957 on phonograph records. We had a nice hour or so of music all ready to go. That was frustrating..

    An interesting thing happened at Todd-AO, we found the "DIRECTOR'S CUT" of Blade Runner and notified Mike Arick over at WB. That started the entire "Director's Cut" rush that we still have today. Our fault!

    Another good thing that came out of that. We got to talk to Liz Taylor (who owned the movie until she sold it to WB). That was fun. She was very helpful.
     
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  10. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    A shame that this movie is very unlikely to get restored properly and I wish you were able to do the MCA CD of the soundtrack album as that CD is great sounding and in stereo, while the LP that sold millions of copies are mono, with stereo LPs being issued later being somewhat rare. The MCA CD is still an audiophile must have though.
     
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  11. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I think Spielberg was the first to popularize the idea with the "Special Edition" of Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind in August 1980. The Blade Runner "Director's Cut" came out in May of 1990. I can think of a few other films where they went back and tried to extend them (or "fix" them for home video); one was the so-called "Director's Cut" of Dune, which I worked on a little bit for Universal at Sunset Post in 1988. The Universal editor in charge attempted to contact director David Lynch, and his response was, "I've abandoned that picture and have no interest in reliving that experience," but thanked them for trying to restore his ideas. I also transferred the (10-minute longer) roadshow version of The Deep for Columbia in 1989, but they didn't mention this on the packaging at the time.

    I am really sad that WB won't spend the money to restore the 30fps version of Around the World. Wikipedia is kind of vague on whether the 30fps Todd-AO negative still exists:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_80_Days_(1956_film)

    People should remember what a visionary Mike Todd was, and how important he was in the history of film. A movie like this is an important part of his legacy, and I'm baffled as to why WB would be so tight-fisted on an Oscar-winner like this.
     
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  12. testikoff

    testikoff Seasoned n00b

    To add insult to injury: BD doesn't support 1080p30 (1080i60 only). HD-DVD format did include 1080p30, but as we know was euthanized...
     
  13. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Yep -- he was very much "in the thick of things" with the early days of Cinerama and Todd-AO 70mm, both of which still shape movie presentations (from a technical standpoint) 60+ years later.
     
  14. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    Not forgotten. Just watched it with the fam over the holidays. We enjoyed it. Sure there's a lot that the general audience today wouldn't get much out of, like most of the famous array of cameos and guest spots, but there is also a lot besides to enjoy. It's colorful in image and music and easy entertainment. It is too long in spots, yet it would feel like less of an experience, as if one were traveling along with the characters, if it were rapid fire and done with. Don't know what it is with them city folk. Always rushin', rushin'. Always worryin' about the future. No wonder they have stomach trouble. But I digress as well as paraphrase... Wonder if any of that US train route is still tour-able...

    Alas the pic was DVD to an old CRT TV but the sound was nice enough through a little tube amp to get a sense of how superb it sounded. Despite the mastering folks seeming to have an inexplicable belief that the sound was better with rather less bass, the DVD did seem well done and it was nice to see it complete after years of the earlier video. An enjoyable presentation.

    But Around the World in 80 Days is a cinema attraction. Because there is a DVD and BluRay doesn't mean there's no reason to preserve the showpiece 65mm/30fps surround elements to show it full-scale and doesn't mean the (superior) 65mm/30fps version is irrelevant to video or digital projection. Seems strange to me that a company would buy and maintain ownership yet not even know where the pieces are let alone protect it from deterioration and that they'd be satisfied with a small facsimile. But then, no one asked. :)
     
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter


    And we're seeing the "dress rehearsal" of his best creation, not the final performance. That drives Jeff and I bonkers. The 30 frame version of 80 DAYS has better acting, better pacing and even different lines of dialogue. It's far superior, it is the version that roadshow audiences saw in 1956-58 (at least in the major cities), it's the version that won the Oscar and it's a LOST FILM.

    Over and out.
     
  16. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    Yes. The word "restoration" is being widely overused, applied to instances where other descriptions like "improved transfer" or "repair" might be more accurate.
     
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  17. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Bingo! Sure, it's fun to watch on blu-ray at home, but in its original form, it played here in Los Angeles: BIG and CURVED with 6-track W-I-D-E sound:
    EgyptianD-150.1969.jpg
     
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  18. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    The Carthay Circle Theater in LA, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS opened there and played there for a very long time. The roadshow gig to end all roadshows! When it finally went citywide (many years later) I got to see the unedited movie at the Van Nuys Drive-In. In my PJ's.
     
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  19. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    The Egyptian isn't it?
     
  20. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    I would love the 1956 print to be found someday, but for now, I am content with the 2004 "restored" DVD.
     
  21. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    The photo I posted is the Egyptian, which is where Okalahoma opened in LA. I thought DAYS opened there, too, but I'll stand corrected by a native! :)

    Edit: I check the script-to-dvd site, and DAYS did open at Carthay; Oklahoma at the Egyptian, both in Todd-AO.
     
  22. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Carthey Circle was overhauled for Todd-AO, as the Egyptian had been. Here's a shot of the enlarged, curved screen:
    421633_3182328010130_136540992_n.jpg
     
  23. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Steve, that photo doesn't look like the screen & masking are open all the way for 70mm. Can you verify?

    Also, according to the Carthay's facebook page, renovations to accommodate Todd-AO included: Balcony ceiling covered, seats added to orchestra pit, projection booth moved to ground floor. Mid Mod draperage.
     
  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    70mm would have been taller. You sure that's the Carthay Circle?
     
  25. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Well, it's posted as such here, but you know how the internet is....

    Looks like about a 24' tall screen, which would have been acceptable. It's the width that bugs me more. Looks like it's masked off for about 1.85.
     

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