Le Mans (1971) [7156-85]

Well, it's a odd film.
I just saw on IMDB that there was actually a writer, for the first 38 minutes there is
NO dialog other than the announcer of the race.

Lots of European hand gestures and mannerisms, i don't know how anybody got this film when it first came out.

Stereo was panned nicely throughout the entire film, at one point there is what I believe is a few
second flaw that you can Hear McQueen’s dialog on the left side but then correct itself to both channels,
at the part where he goes into his trailer with the blond woman.

As for image it’s pretty nice, gives a film feel, not too crisp but clear.

Overall it has more of a documentary feel for the first 38 minutes and then turns into a film.

Less character development, shorter poor mans version of Grand Prix (1966) [ML102183]

Still an enjoyable film and if you can get it cheap then do it

I've heard of this film and "Grand Prix". Also there is "Winning"

Le Mans


Grand Prix (1966) [ML102183]





Winning (1969) [41484]




I think I can get into these films when I get around to buying them. Does Days of Thunder also count? Only have it on region 2 DVD but I think I'd enjoy the older ones with dialogue panning over centred dialogue track of today's film mixes.

It is definitely an acquired taste, but I enjoyed it. Almost any Steven McQueen movie is enjoyable for me though. I think he was a great actor.

i enjoyed the film, it's just that you can't watch grand prix first.
watch Le Mans first

i have not seen winning, i have seen days of thunder and liked it, not enough to want to own it

I'd say Le Mans is better than Grand Prix, although Grand Prix still have some small qualities (mostly thanks to Toshiro Mifune). Le Mans gets right into the game without anything in the way, from start to finish, it's all about passion for racing and everything around it. But then, I did see Le Mans in the theatres where a 70mm-copy was shown which probably beats the Blu-Ray.

but if you think abou it, grand prix was 40+ years ahead of it's time.
it's almost like a reality show OR how sports shows are now, they are always interviewing the characters
in the film, just like now.

that opening scene is just amazing, the sound is roaring compared to Le Mans.

and if you read up mcqueen wanted to be in grand prix but i can't rememeber now why, so he made his own film.
i think that's why they are so close also.

What cinema was that and what year I'm only guessing you saw a spacial one day showing unless you saw the original theatrical release?

What makes you like one over the other? Is it visuals of the performances the script-writing the use of sound or any dialouge panning maybe the music score, or action racing scenes?

I have yet to buy all of the above three and see and hear for myself?

Was the 70mm print if shown with recent years was it in good condition with the colour or had it faded to pink?

Kinder like in Days of Thunder had similar style with interviews, also Driven, or Dribble worst Renny Harlin film. I only watched it on youtube and skipped though it within 10 mins or less to get to the end credits.

I think when I get around to it I might look for cheap buys of all the above three films. if I can recall "Days of Thunder" was "Top Gun on Wheels".

laserbite34: Between august 27th and 28th in 2011, Cinemateket had a special arrangement for that weekend. Three movies were shown on original 70mm prints that was used in the theatres. The movies were Le Mans, Apocalypse Now (theatrical version) and Little Big Man. I managed to see the first two and was very pleased with both screenings. The opening sequence in Le mans (shot in some French town) certainly had aged as it was a bit dirty and not so sharp. But as soon as it got to the opening credits, it looked very good. I remember colors beeing somewhat off at the beginning of each reel but I don't recall it being that underwhelming. The audio was loud (if something), but still good enough.

Cinemateket is a film club, owned by the Swedish filminstitution. In short words, they show movies from the entire history on the big screen and most of their copies are the original 35mm-prints that were used during the original Swedish distribution. They have screenings in Malmö, Göteborg and Stockholm (where I live). I've seen movies there frequently since august of 2011 and, so far, I've seen about 130 motions pictures there. From Un Chien Andalou and By the bluest sea to The Big Lebowski and Once upon a time in Anatolia. I have so many good memories from the movies I've seen there and will probably continue watching films there in the future.

Oh yeah, I remember seeing E.T. and Aliens on 70mm there as well if you're interested about my other experiences of the format.

About Grand prix versus Le Mans, they are two different movies indeed. However, Grand Prix surely belongs to those overlong Cinerama-films that no one remembers today (I've never gotten the point of It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world). The movie wants to be long, while it would've been better if it was about an hour shorter or something. The racing sequences are of high quality but I feel like I'm focusing on something completely different whenever there is not a race in the movie.

Just like I said about Le Mans, it's a great depiction about the passion of cars and racing. You can watch it just for the simple entertaining of the race, but that's not my point. To me, the race sequences are certainly some of the best ones available but I feel like there's a great balance between those and the enthusiasm for the racing itself (just look how people camp there day and night just to follow the race). It doesn't just want to show me the race so I can feel tense about it, it wants to show me how some people care about it and I seriously get touched by that. There is a whole lot more to say, but if I would contiune I would have to rewatch the movie to give a complete opinion.

i never saw either at theatres only grand prix on my projector screen, when i watched le mans
it was on TV while i was doing some light work on my stuff in the house.

le mans does focus more on the racing, people and more, it's more of a fly on the wall type of film with a little character backstory.

not as much as grand prix, but i understand what you are saying about le mans, and i do like it otherwise i wouldn't own it on LD

as for it's a mad mad world, i do like it but haven't seen it in about 3 years.
there are spots that are a little too long or should have been done differently, like the end with the crane, but that's again another post.

nissling

I guess you follow In-70mm for any 70mm shows in your area.

http://www.in70mm.com/now_showing/index.htm

Wow you didn't by any chance get some pictures of the day to share?

Was the soundtrack all complete no loss of sound as its magnetic and often wares away with ether some HF loss or total loss on some reels as I have only heard it happen twice with 70mm Batman (1989) and STAR TREK IV (1986).

Those Cinerama screens are HUGE! Ever seen a Cinerama print only a Cinerama screen in my home town which was removed in the early 70's only the screen is still there expect the size is nowhere near to what it once was even with new screen in place today over the smaller screen it once was for some 40 years.

Did Le Mans have any intermission breaks?

You lucky guy you got to see Apocalypse Now in 70mm Dolby with split-surrounds. Only ever print I've seen is a 35mm Dolby stereo at late night show in the early/mid 90's and it was a little roughed up, but wow seeing it true scope over the VHS tape widescreen version and all the Laserdisc DVD versions have been cropped off on the sides, expect for the bluray released a few years ago.

rein-o, seeing it on the projector would be better over the small TV. all you need is deep curved screen and three video projectors and frame off portions of the video image ether with some cardboard placed around the lens or do it electronically with a fancy video device and then project it at two wide angles in the room at even height with one projector placed in normal centre potion, align the picture so all three line up and you'll have your own DIY Cinerama.

Its a bit Risky having three of the same projector in the home and I have given the idea some thoght a few years ago, when "How The West Was Won" was released on bluray. I don't like the idea of "smileyface screen" on flat screen it will still only be flat not wide and curved across the front of the room.

Left projector for right side screen.
Centre projector for middler screen.
Right projector for left side screen.

Laserbite34: Heh, there aren't many screenings of 70mm film around here. And if there ever is one, there's no way I'll miss it. I've always dreamt about seeing Dersu Uzala in 70mm, that's what kind of movie to watch in high resolution.

Le Mans didn't have any intermission, but I don't think it ever have had any either. And I didn't take any pictures that day, however, I remember lightnings from cameras in the theatre but I've never seen how they looked like.

Apocalypse now on 70mm had its moments, I've always felt that the movie have looked pretty soft and the 70mm-print wasn't really as sharp as one would hope it to be. I still stick with the LD rather than the Blu-Ray actually because of the heavy DNR. The sound, on the other hand, was great. I took a friend with me that day who had never seen it before and I still remember how he nearly jumped out of his seat at the scene with the tiger in the jungle. Speaking of sound, there's an old man I usually see in the theatre who always holds his ears at loud sequences. I've never seen someone being so inconvenient with the loud sound as him when they showed a 35mm-print of Do the right thing. Fight the power!

Speaking of Cinerama, there was one here in Stockholm called Vinterpalatset and from what I've heard, it was about as impressive as something with moving pictures could be. My grandfather told me that he saw Ben-Hur there, but I think he's talking about a 70mm-print at a standard theatre. Here's picture from it if you'd like to see.

le mans never had an intermission.
grand prix has an intermission on the LD, i believe they released it on HD-DVD laserbite, you might want to look that one up.

as for the cinerama thing, grand prix was supposed to be released as the 3 projector but wasn't, i know how the west was won on LD had the 3 images put together etc to make the full image on screen.

unfortunatly i don't have the money to get 2 more projectors for the house it would be cool to try one day if
projectors are dirt cheap.

my father told me when we bought the LD he saw it's a mad world at the theatres back when it was released, but i don't think it was the cinerama style? i have to ask him about that again.

nissling

When scowling down the page that image knocked me back in my rocker seat with 10+! WOW that is one super cool cinema. I'd be straight down to front row and centre seat. IMAX eat your heart out. These screens where here before IMAX which I feel is best suited for its documentary films, but not films like Apollo 13, that was the first one converted.

rein-o your spot on there is a HD-DVD of Grand Prix, I'm watching it now, and will buy in early hours of tomorrow.

Try eBay search for LED video projectors the listing here under eBay UK shows a batch of cheap models, as for how good they are I think its worth the Risk. But when the same type of projectors price listing says "$" it means steep! To me the price looks insanely cheap.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=+ ... &_from=R40

Anyway its just an idea I came up with a few years ago. If someone else has the means for spending out on three cheap projectors to try the idea out I'm sure it would be pleasing to Cinerama fan. expensive projector with lamps wouldn't be a joke to run all three, the LED types have long lasting running time and if the idea doesn't work out you could always use the other two for back up projectors or sale them off?

I just looked at my kitchen and I have no space for 3 projectors I have gas central heating system near to the right side of the wall and I would have to have the projectors spaced spread apart and angled inwards. I won't do it with them in the room, 3 projectors with the fans running all at once would be distracting.

Didn't they make a special lens for single projector Cinerama. I wonder what would happen if that was fixed into something to hold it securely and placed in front of video projector?

i believe cinemrama was done with 3 cammeras all straped together?
that's one of the reasons they didn't do it, you had to get all 3 projectors in sync to play the films, i believe.
it's a great idea that should be easier to do now but everybody is too busy with avatar in 3D

Yeah your right but I think films like "2001: A Space Odyssey" was projected with single special lens?

Syncing three video projectors would be easy. Aligning brightness contrast colour hue blue red green and the kitchen sink, so your left with uniform brightness across the screen. I would guess best guess I could only get as wide as maybe 2 or 3 feet if I hung up a screen curving over and around the 9 foot front then curved partly along the walls. The loudspeakers for left and right would have to be repositioned.

It won't happen here unless I say want to go back to running electric heaters take the gas heater boiler out and then back to paying 5 times more for heating during the wintertime. I'll keep the gas central heating. Otherwise its poor trade-off for 3 matching projectors and freezing my balls off in the winter.

Reading the review here on the HD-DVD. What worries me if the reviewer knows of dialouge panning as he mentions its "centred" and I've already heard how dreadful 2001 DVD bluray is with most of dialouge panning centred. I'll take the Risk and buy it, but will keep a look out for the laserdisc.

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/157/grandprix.html

My father owns Grand Prix on Blu-Ray, which has intermission. Pretty good edition in terms of picture and sound-quality by the way, I'm quite sure it's the same master as the Hd-Dvd.

About Cinerama and projectors, from what I know, mainly the movies shot in Cinemiracle used three projectors. Later productions such as It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world and 2001: A Space Odyssey was shot on 70mm and screened in that format as well. You could make 70mm wide and sharp enough for Cinerama without having to synchronize three projectors at the same time. Of course, they didn't use the same kind of lens as they would in a Cinemascope screening.

The most difficult thing about having multiple projectors at your home is exactly what would you use it for (if one single feature)? Thinking of that it has to be three different transfers and when putting them together, they should make one single picture. What is there to show in this way? However, it would've been awesome if someone would get it to work. You could make your own Polyvision-movie at home and screen it like they did with Napoleon. All you need is three cameras that supports 1.33:1, place them next to eachother and shoot. Simple as that.

I've kinder decided not to go for "Grand Prix" I get the feeling all the dialouge panning would be mixed down to centre channel like DVD/HD-DVD/bluray version of "2001". Is Grand Prix on a early version on region 1 DVD kinder like "2001" which retains the dialouge panning or was "Grand Prix" only ever released on HD formats and not DVD?

I guess with three cheap video cameras lined careful aligned and videoed at the same time you'd get same effect when played back?

Going back to "Grand Prix" okay I might buy the HD-DVD but I'm going to be kicking myself if I get the Laserdisc and hear how wonderful it is with panning dialouge. I been thinking of getting "Le Mans" on bluray as it as a 7.1 re-mix, why couldn't they just have put formatting codes on these discs to position the the original 70mm six-track mix with 5 across the front and mono surround. Oh, well I'll have look around for cheap "Le Mans".