Week 17- Super wide screen panavision 70MM (leading to IMAX)

Super wide screen 70MM was a risky business. It was expensive and not all theatres could show it. When Ben Hur came out, it was at a weird ratio of 2:76. The MGM 65 became Panavision’s Super Panavision 70, similar to the MGM 65 except it used regular spherical lenses (not anamorphic) to create an image with an aspect ratio of 2.20. This system would be used for Lawrence of Arabia which would win the Oscar for Cinematographer Frederick Young for 1962. But 70mm film was expensive. Chemical processes in regular 35mm was catching up, reducing the grain issues so 70mm Film and the its cousin IMAX which came about in the 70s where used for special purposes.