This Is Cinerama

This Is Cinerama, directed by Merian C. Cooper and produced by Robert L. Bendick, is a groundbreaking American documentary film of 1952, which revolutionized cinematic history. This visionary exhibition is narrated by Lowell Thomas, a noted American writer, broadcaster, and fervent traveler, who is celebrated for popularizing the legendary figure, T.E. Lawrence, through his dynamic storytelling and charismatic radio engagements. The film also features Kathy Darlyn and Toni Valk.

This Is Cinerama is marked as the pioneering premiere of the three-panel Cinerama process. The film broadened the scope of the visual narrative by using three synchronized projectors, which proffered a panoramic vision that engulfed peripheral vision. This technique was specifically designed for Cinerama's deep-curved screen that stretches 146° of arc, enveloping the audience and immersing them into the story, making it more like a personal experience than a traditional film viewing.

The opening section of This Is Cinerama includes a brief peek into the timeline of imaging technology, seeking to contextualize the upcoming innovation. It includes snippets from the Lumiere Brothers' first public film screening, a Thomas Edison Kinetoscope film reel, and a brief 3D red-and-blue glasses segment.

This Is Cinerama then thrust viewers into a virtual rollercoaster ride at Rockaway's Playland in New York, a scene that became popular for its simulation of the visually thrilling experience. Waves of screams from movie-goers were reported as audiences felt the rush of being on a real rollercoaster—with Thomas’s voice nudging along the excitement. This immersive scene launched the era of 'you-are-there' cinematic events.

Subsequently, the film depicts an assortment of vignettes meticulously shot around the globe. It takes viewers soaring over the edifice of America, crossing meandering rivers and sprawling open fields in a breathtaking helicopter trek. It also carries viewers on a gentle gondola ride during dusk through the quiet, romantic waterways of Venice, Italy. Another scene tours the audience around the culture-rich cityscape of Vienna, Austria, with its horse-driven carriages and stunning architectural constructions. This global journey interspersed with scenes of cultural practices showcases eighteen different languages, highlighting diverse cultures, and rendering the global as local.

The film incorporates a distinctive narrative style that blurs the lines between a travelogue, concert, and documentary. Viewers are shown the rousing final performance of La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy, the stirring poly-tonal, dance-like beat of an Austrian yodel, the spirited American bullfighting show, and the lofty majestics of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City, Utah, performing Handel’s 'Hallelujah Chorus'. One sequence, named 'America the Beautiful', was later featured separately as a short film.

The grandeur is complemented by an intricate seven-channel stereophonic soundtrack, which, along with the wide-angle view, takes viewers on a sensory journey. It merges the real and the cinematic, bringing the viewer directly into the multivalent experience of Cinerama. This seven-track audio system, unheard of in the era, would later influence modern sound systems, including today's Dolby sound.

The disruptive success of This Is Cinerama, both commercially and technically, prompted a shift in the film industry towards widescreen and aspect ratio experiments in the late 1950s and 1960s, leading to the creation of widescreen processes like CinemaScope and VistaVision.

At its core, This Is Cinerama is a panoramic spectacle of auditory and visual experiences. Apart from its technical innovations, the film significantly shifted audience perceptions and expectations of the cinematic experience, creating a profoundly immersive and expansive viewing volume. It’s not merely a film—it's an experience, a cultural voyage that unites diverse geographies, cultures, histories, and atmospheres to offer an evocative visual fiesta.