CinemaScope 55

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CinemaScope 55 was a large-format version of CinemaScope introduced in 1955, which used a negative size of 55.625 mm (the image itself measured about 52 mm). It was introduced by Twentieth Century Fox as an answer to Paramount's high-definition VistaVision system. Bausch & Lomb, the firm that created the original anamorphic CinemaScope lenses, was contracted by Fox to build new lenses which could cover the larger film size. Fox produced two of their Rodgers and Hammerstein musical series in CinemaScope 55, The King and I, and Carousel. The film frames were eight perforations high and yielded a projected aspect ratio of 2.55:1. The process was soon discontinued as it was too impractical for theaters to re-tool for 55 mm prints. In fact, no 55 mm prints of a CinemaScope 55 production were ever shown theatrically, although all Cinemascope films made between 1953 and 1957 were still shown at an aspect ratio of 2.55:1. When an optional mono optical sound track was printed on the film alongside the magnetic stereo tracks, as was done in later Cinemascope films, this reduced the image to a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, one which is still in use in Panavision films today, although most Panavision films are now recorded in Dolby Stereo.

There is an erroneously held belief, perpetuated by such books as Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, that Cinemascope 55 was shown at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, using 55mm film, when in fact this is not true. The films were reduction printed from 55mm to 35mm, and shown at 2.55:1. The recent 50th Anniversary releases on DVD of Carousel and The King and I have been made using a 2.55:1 aspect ratio on the picture.

[edit] Source Links