CinemaScope films in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
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| − | It is frequently, and incorrectly,said that ‘Sholay’ was the first Indian film to have a stereophonic soundtrack, and to be presented in the 70mm widescreen format. In this connection an inaccurate NDTV documentary is cited.[22] It was the second, on both counts,the first having been 'Around the World' (1967). However, since actual 70mm cameras were deemed too expensive at the time, both films were instead shot on traditional 35mm film and the 4:3 picture was subsequently blown up, cropped and matted to a 2.20:1 frame. | + | It is frequently, and incorrectly,said that ‘Sholay’ was the first Indian film to have a stereophonic soundtrack, and to be presented in the 70mm widescreen format. In this connection an inaccurate NDTV documentary is cited.[22] It was the second, on both counts,the first having been 'Around the World' (1967). However, since actual 70mm cameras were deemed too expensive at the time, both films were instead shot on traditional 35mm film and the 4:3 picture was subsequently blown up, cropped and matted to a 2.20:1 frame. |
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| + | Sholay' was the biggest grosser of the era and, according to some calculations,the most successful Indian film ever. Its success made producers with somewhat smaller budgets think of the vastly less expensive CinemaScope instead. | ||
In the case of both 'Around the World' and 'Sholay' exactly four 70mm prints were released in the first instance: two were allotted to the Bombay-Maharashtra territory, and one each to Delhi and U.P. And yet both films were screened in 70mm. at two cinema halls in Delhi ('ATW' at Odeon and Liberty and 'Sholay' at Plaza and Liberty). This was achieved by shuttling the 70mm. print allotted to Delhi between the two halls. Over the decades 'Sholay' has acquired such a dedicated fan following that fans insist that it was India's first film in 70mm and six-track stereophonic sound, even though the film's makers have never made any such claim. All surviving prints (and DVD released by Shemaroo) of 'ATW,' on the other hand, do. | In the case of both 'Around the World' and 'Sholay' exactly four 70mm prints were released in the first instance: two were allotted to the Bombay-Maharashtra territory, and one each to Delhi and U.P. And yet both films were screened in 70mm. at two cinema halls in Delhi ('ATW' at Odeon and Liberty and 'Sholay' at Plaza and Liberty). This was achieved by shuttling the 70mm. print allotted to Delhi between the two halls. Over the decades 'Sholay' has acquired such a dedicated fan following that fans insist that it was India's first film in 70mm and six-track stereophonic sound, even though the film's makers have never made any such claim. All surviving prints (and DVD released by Shemaroo) of 'ATW,' on the other hand, do. | ||
Revision as of 16:24, 13 March 2013
Contents |
CinemaScope and 70mm films in India
‘The Robe’ (USA, 1953) was the world’s first motion picture to be filmed in wide-screen 35mm, CinemaScope. Indian cinema got off to a very early start with this new technology, thanks to a collaboration with Mosfilm Studios.
The 1950s
The bilingual Indo-Soviet film ‘Pardesi’ (Hindi-Urdu/ Russian) was released in 1957. The film is called ‘Khozhdenie za tri morya’ in Russian and its subtitled English version is known as ‘Journey Beyond Three Seas.’ India’s first CinemaScope film was in SovColor. However, even though it starred Nargis, the most successful heroine of the time, this film about a mediæval Russian explorer in India did not get a release beyond left-leaning arthouse cinemas. T-Series has released the film on DVD. The wide-screen CinemaScope format is intact but the colours have faded.
India’s second CinemaScope film, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ (Hindi-Urdu, 1959) was filmed in black and white, in technical collaboration with 20th Century Fox. It had an aspect ratio of 2.35: 1. This film was widely released,got excellent reviews and its soundtrack album was a hit. However, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ flopped at the box office, because the subject was considered too heady for the 1950s.
CinemaScope,thus, had a very shaky start in India.
The 1960s
Initially, CinemaScope was an expensive technology. Only those Indian cinema halls that screened English-language films (and, therefore, catered to the Indian elite) had CinemaScope projectors, lenses and widescreens. Therefore, it is a curious fact that India’s third CinemaScope film, ‘Pyar ki Pyas’ (Hindi-Urdu, 1961),which was in Gevacolour, was a low-budget family weepie. This film, too, tanked without the new screen technology getting noticed by the Indian public.
That was when the Moguls of Indian cinema stepped in. Mehboob Khan was a communist (his company’s logo was the hammer-and-sickle) who used to make the biggest budget films of the era. His ‘Aan’ (Hindi-Urdu, 1953), was the first Indian film to be shot in the extremely expensive Technicolor. Khan followed it up with the 172-minute, Technicolor, multi-star blockbuster ‘Mother India’ (Hindi-Urdu,1957). Therefore, it was only logical that his next film, ‘Son of India’ (Hindi-Urdu,1962) would marry the two pricey technologies to become India’s fourth CinemaScope film and the first in Technicolor.
However, ‘Son of India’ was another arthouse film and, uncharacteristically for a Mehboob Khan opus, featured only unknown actors. Once again CinemaScope failed to draw audiences. The Indian film industry gave CinemaScope one last chance. ‘Leader’ (1964) featured the biggest star of the era, was shot in Technicolor and was a mega-budget entertainer. However, the jinx surrounding CinemaScope (renamed Filmalyascope for this film) continued.
If ‘Son of India’ was Mehboob Khan’s first disaster (and the last film that he ever made), ‘Leader’ was the first of a series of flops for the thitherto hyper-successful Dilip Kumar. (Incidentally, the failure of ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ had shattered its director Guru Dutt.)
Indian cinema gave up on CinemaScope—for the rest of the decade.
The 1970s: Hindi-Urdu cinema
Then, in 1972, came ‘Pakeezah’(Hindi-Urdu), which was the second biggest grosser of the year and the first CinemaScope film to make money in India. However, its mega success was attributed to other factors and CinemaScope continued to have no takers in Hindi-Urdu cinema.
South Indian cinema
India’s Tamil and Telugu film industries are, on some counts, as big as the commercially better-known Hindi-Urdu cinema. Like their counterparts in Bombay (now Mumbai) they make big-budget entertainers. Filmmakers in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were more impressed by the success of ‘Pakeezah’ and it was in South India that CinemaScope struck roots. The historical epic, ‘Rajarajacholan’ (1973) was the first CinemaScope film in Tamil,the freedom struggle blockbuster ‘Alluri Seetharama Raju’ (1974) the first CinemaScope film in Telugu , 'Sonbai ni Chundadi' (1976, dir Girish Manukant) the first in Gujarati, ‘Sose Thanda Soubhagya’ (1977) the first in Kannada , ‘Thacholi Ambu’ (1978) the first in Malayalam and ‘Hisab Nikas’ (1982, d Prashanta Nanda)the first in Odiya.
By the late 1970s the majority of big-budget Tamil and Telugu films, and many in Kannada, were being made in CinemaScope.
Hindi-Urdu cinema, which had started the trend, was slow to catch on this time around.This started changing with the success of ‘Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye’ (Hindi-Urdu, 1977) a low budget CinemaScope film that was the 8th biggest hit of the year.
By the mid 1980s all big-budget films in India, and by the early 1990s all Indian films irrespective of language and budget, were being made in CinemaScope.
70mm
It is frequently, and incorrectly,said that ‘Sholay’ was the first Indian film to have a stereophonic soundtrack, and to be presented in the 70mm widescreen format. In this connection an inaccurate NDTV documentary is cited.[22] It was the second, on both counts,the first having been 'Around the World' (1967). However, since actual 70mm cameras were deemed too expensive at the time, both films were instead shot on traditional 35mm film and the 4:3 picture was subsequently blown up, cropped and matted to a 2.20:1 frame.
Sholay' was the biggest grosser of the era and, according to some calculations,the most successful Indian film ever. Its success made producers with somewhat smaller budgets think of the vastly less expensive CinemaScope instead.
In the case of both 'Around the World' and 'Sholay' exactly four 70mm prints were released in the first instance: two were allotted to the Bombay-Maharashtra territory, and one each to Delhi and U.P. And yet both films were screened in 70mm. at two cinema halls in Delhi ('ATW' at Odeon and Liberty and 'Sholay' at Plaza and Liberty). This was achieved by shuttling the 70mm. print allotted to Delhi between the two halls. Over the decades 'Sholay' has acquired such a dedicated fan following that fans insist that it was India's first film in 70mm and six-track stereophonic sound, even though the film's makers have never made any such claim. All surviving prints (and DVD released by Shemaroo) of 'ATW,' on the other hand, do.
Some Indian films in 70mm
‘Around the world’
(Hindi-Urdu)
1967
"Sholay"
(Hindi-Urdu)
1975
"Padayottam"
(Malayalam,)
1982
"Badle Ki Aag"
(Hindi-Urdu)
"Mahaan"
(Hindi-Urdu)
"Karma"
(Hindi-Urdu)
"Thandara Pappa Rayudu"
(Telugu)
"Samraat"
(Telugu)
"Dayavan"
(Hindi-Urdu)
"Saravegada Sardara"
(Kannada)
"Saagar"
(Hindi-Urdu)
"Maa Veeran"
(Tamil)
"Simhasanam"
(Telugu)
"Razia Sultana"
(Hindi-Urdu)
“The Burning Train”
(Hindi-Urdu)
(1980)
Ram Gopal Varma's "Raat"
(Hindi-Urdu)
‘Swapna Sagar’
(Odiya)
(1983)
SHAAN wasnt that 70MM too? Cinema-Tv-Pop
