Cinemascope

From Open Encyclopedia

Cinemascope, or more strictly CinemaScope, was a widescreen movie format used from 1953 to 1967. Anamorphic lenses allowed the process to project film at a 2.66:1 aspect ratio, twice as wide as the conventional format of 1.33:1.

It was developed by 20th Century Fox to supplant the complex, multi-projector Cinerama process, first shown in 1952. The actual anamorphic process, initially called Anamorphoscope, was developed by Henri Chrétien around 1927 using lenses he called hypergonar. Chrétien had been attempting to sell his process to Hollywood since the 1930s but with little interest, until the advent of Cinerama. Another factor was the rise of television, which was broadcast in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio. CinemaScope's wider image was claimed to be more impressive and spectacular.

The hypergonar lens patents were acquired by 20th Century Fox in 1952 and the system was renamed "Fox CinemaScope." The advantage over Cinerama was that all the system needed was an additional lens unit fitted to the front of ordinary cameras and projectors. It was first demonstrated in 1953 and the first film distributed was The Robe (September 1953) although How to Marry a Millionaire (also in 1953) was actually shot first. The technology was licensed by Fox to MGM and Disney and shortly afterwards to Columbia, Universal and Warner. However, initial uncertainty meant that a number of films were shot simultaneously with anamorphic and regular lenses. Also only the 'biggest' films were made in CinemaScope — 10 to 30% of the total produced during typical years in the 1950s and 1960s.

Although CinemaScope was capable of producing a 2.66:1 image, the addition of stereo information could reduce this to 2.55:1. A change in the base 35 mm film aperture eventually reduced CinemaScope to 2.35:1. Often cinemas with smaller screens would further crop the format to make it fit. A general problem with expanding the image meant that there could be visible graininess and brightness problems. To combat this, larger formats were developed: initially an unsuccessful 55 mm, and later the 65/70 mm format.

The actual anamorphic process was not patentable since the anamorphoscope had been known for centuries. And anamorphism had been used in visual media such as Hans Holbein's painting, The Ambassadors (1533), as early as the sixteenth century. Some studios sought to develop their own systems rather than pay Fox. RKO used Superscope, Republic used Naturama, and Warner developed Warnerscope. Other systems included Panatar, Vistarama, Technovision and Euroscope. CinemaScope itself was called Regalscope when used by the Fox adjunct Regal Films for black-and-white features.

Many US studios adopted the cheaper, non-Fox, but still anamorphic Panavision system and by the mid-1960s even Fox had abandoned CinemaScope for Panavision. The initial problems with grain and contrast were eventually reduced thanks to improvements in film stock and lenses.

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