THE BIG TRAIL

[Leo Anthony Vale]

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Trail-John-Wayne...1877&sr=8-1

 

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4227358

 

The widescreen version of 'The Big Trail' is coming out in a 2 disc DVD set next month.

 

It was filmed in 1930 in a 70mm Fox Grandeur version and a 35mm version.

The widescreen version was shown on the old AMC, but only the 35mm version has been available on DVD and VHS.

 

Itwas John Wayne's first starring role & it did such great box office that Wayne didn't get another A-picture until 'Stagecoach'. That had maybe more to do with large format movies not catching on.

The theatre had installed sound and weren't wild about spending on another upgrade.

 

It was directed by Raoul Walsh and photographed by Arthur Edeson.

[David Mullen ASC]

It was directed by Raoul Walsh and photographed by Arthur Edeson.

 

You can read an article by Edeson about the shoot here:

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen...eur-sep1930.htm

[Mitch Gross]

Wasn't it some odd format like 55mm? It's been about 20 years since I saw it projected.

[John Holland]

Wasn't it some odd format like 55mm? It's been about 20 years since I saw it projected.

Hi Mitch i think it was 70mm neg and print as then space for 6 track mag sound wasnt yet invented .

[Leo Anthony Vale]

Wasn't it some odd format like 55mm? It's been about 20 years since I saw it projected.

 

There were a number of wide film formats in 1930:

 

1926 - 63,5mm Natural Vision, R.K.O.

1929 - 70mm Grandeur of Twentieth Century Fox

1930 - 56mm Magnafilm Paramount

1930 - 70mm Realife, M.G.M.

1930 - 65mm Vitascope Warner Bros.

 

After spending all that money to convert to sound, it's understandable that theatre owners balked.

Particularly if there's 4 or 5 different formats.

 

The perfs on Grandeur are the same as on 70mm still film.

The 65mm is the same as current 65mm. the cameras were eventually used for Todd-AO.

The Natural Vision was around 1.66:1, giving the greatest height of the batch.