Cinerama.; Producer Merian C. Cooper, Thomas Conroy; Editor Lovel S. Ellis, Norman Karlin, William E. Wild
As title indicates, footage is drawn from portions of company's five travelogs, starting with This Is Cinerama, which launched the three panel process. Derived from This Is Cinerama, Cinerama Holiday, 7 Wonders of the World, Search for Paradise and Cinerama South Seas Adventure, no attempt is made at any definite pattern. This is out-and-out travelog.
Feature is in two parts, first of 69 minutes and second 73 minutes. The three panel Cinerama projection is utilized, but sufficient strides have been made toward toning down the jumping of the panels that the seam-effect seems to be reduced to a minimum in most parts. Special narration was written, with Lowell Thomas handling commentary.
Opening picks up the well-remembered roller-coaster sequence. Close atention is paid to fast movement, other rapido being caught in such sequences as bobsledding at St Moritz, the runaway train going up to Darjeeling in the Himalayas, acrobatic water skiing in Florida, surfboarding at Waikiki. There is much aerial photography.
Other highlights include such sequences as La Scala Opera House in Milan, with the triumphal scene from Aida; gondola ride through Venice and St Marks Square; a Papal ceremony in Rome; the Taj Mahal; Victoria Falls; native dancing in Tahiti and Africa; men jumping from a 100-foot tower in the New Hebrides with vines bound around their ankles.
(Color) Widescreen. Extract of a review from 1963. Running time: 141 MIN.
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