8mm Forum: A Super 8 optical sound surprise ...

This is topic A Super 8 optical sound surprise ... in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=006603

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on November 05, 2011, 09:54 AM:

After a wait of three months (minus a day), my package of super 8 features arrived from south africa.

One of the features is "The Man Who Love Cat Dancing", which I've always been fond of, (very gooid cast as well).

The surprise was, at the beginning, where I expected the MGM title, I did in fact find an MGM title, but from the forties or fifties and in sepia tone.

I thought, "Well they must be doing a gimmick sort of thing for the beginning", so I unspooled some more, and saw that the titles were sepia as well, but it looked more like a news reel.

What is turned out to be was a "Pete Smith Speciality", (with a little joke near the bottom stating, "Nararrated by a Smith named Pete", funny).

"Cat Dancing" was in fact an MGM release. Now, I have not officially ran the short subject yet, entitled, "Dog's N Ducks", but perhaps, it has some relation to the feature. It nearly completely fills a 200ft reel and being optical sound, that must make it about ten minutes long.

Curiously, the short subject is extremely sharp, while the feature (In color, just slightly faded but not bad at all), is very grainy and while it's "focus-able" is certainly is nowhere near as sharp as the short subject.

However, I think it's pretty cool that even in these Super 8 optical sound features released for the South African market, MGM thought enough of thier product to add that extra little pizzazz that used to be a part of the program.

Now, if only there was a cartoon short and a newsreel ...

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2