What 8mm films did I watch last night?

[Melvin England]

I was home alone again last night. Mrs.E. babysitting, and boy, what a session!

I rigged up the cinemascope lens for a change to see stuff in that format. This time, I connected it differently. Instead of using the whole separate lens and barrel, all I did was use the projector's existing lens on the longest throw, and placed the widescreen element of the lens in front of it on a pile of books, wedged it carefully with blu tak either side to stop it moving once I had framed the picture on screen...then wallop!

Oh my goodness! The result was fantastic. Certainly the best definition I have extracted out of that lens.

So.... to the films... (all cinemascope of course)

The Spy Who Loved Me - Trailer
Lawrence of Arabia - Trailer
Close Encounters - Promo and interviews

The Great Escape - I think this was a 2x 400' but fitted comfortably on an 800' spool

Ben Hur - Full length - in glorious stereophonic sound via headphones.

…...basically.... super 8 heaven!

.

[Carter Bradley]

Last night I hosted my movie club, which meets four or five times a year. The theme was "Musicals," and we enjoyed "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell - Ken Films' 400', excellent color), "Xanadu" (Olivia Newton John, Gene Kelly - Universal 8 2X400', excellent color), "Wizard of Oz" (Judy! - Ken/MGM 400', fair color), "Viva Las Vegas" (Elvis, Ann-Margret, Ken/MGM M-38, 3X400', one of the last three releases in 1980, superior color), "Show Boat" (Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Ken/MGM 400', good color), "Can Can" (Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Juliet Prowse, Ken Films' 400', fair color), and, or course, "Singin' in the Rain" (Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Ken/MGM 2X400', good color, plus theatrical trailer, excellent color). When we meet in April, I am planning a "Movie Medley" featuring a film from each of these categories: Sci-fi, Disney, Comedy, Spy, Classic, Action, and Musical.

[Osi Osgood]

We watched an optical sound feature, Starbird and Sweet William, one of those nature films of the 70's. The nice thing about this print is that it has somehow remained unfaded for all these years. Every other super 8 optical sound print I have seen has been faded beet red, and unfortunately, i can't verify the film stock on it, but I really wonder if it is a fuji or agfa color print. it's just lovely to look at.

[Brian Fretwell]

Whilst sorting and re-stacking films last night (I can't believe how many Warner cartoons I have amassed) I decided to view only my own home made (and in some cases home processed) films. Some surprises there I had forgotten I had Cinemascope footage of a couple of friends weddings. Before anyone queries the term, yes they are genuine Cinemascope as they were filmed with the small Henri Cretienne Hypogonar Cinemascope lens giving 2.35:1 ratio

[Steve Klare]

All this week I am showing my old home movies: some of them I shot as a teenager when I first got into Super-8 40 years ago. This is actually a project: there was a time I could tell all these apart by the can they were in or the color of the leader, or by looking at the first few frames. Today they ALL look alike!

Step one is to get them out of the steel cans and into card boxes: everything here is Kodachrome and Ektachrome on acetate. Then we three sit in front of the screen and watch one reel, remember what the title is, explain the 1970s to my son, then put the watched reel in the box with a post-it note so we can tell them apart. Next weekend my wife will do her thing with the label maker and I'll put them in worthy storage.

-fade has not been an issue with any of these, and there is no vinegar smell.

What's interesting is I've forgotten how simple Super-8 is without sound. Normally it's turn on the projectors, turn on the amp, bring the volume up on the amp and do a hum test on each mixer channel to make sure everything's hooked up. This week I power up the projectors and I am done! .

Tonight we are watching the very first film I shot when I was 17 years old and in high school. I bought it on the same shopping trip as my brand new movie camera with my first pay from my first job. It's a pretty decent view into the life I had that spring. The thing is all the constants became variables in the decades since! -Where I live, the family I live with, the pets, the cars, the clothes, the neighborhood, basically has all changed!

-Eh! -maybe you can't go home, but it will be nice to visit for 150 Feet at 18 FPS!

[Chip Gelmini]

Thursday night January 16

Raise the Titanic
super 8 mono sound
full length CinemaScope

The second of three big boat movies

next up is James Cameron's masterpiece from 1997 with Kate Winslet. To be scheduled soon after it arrives 😀👍

[Oliver Feld]

Chip, You will be happy!
I think You won’t find any print closer to 35mm than this glorious Super-8-print!

[Luis Caramelo]

last night i screened one of mine favorite war movies;the heroes of telemark,with kirk Douglas and Richard harris directed by Anthony mann,good color on letter box,full leght in 7x400ft
released by dcr movies,

[Dominique De Bast]

The Sound Of Music, in scope and a dubbed soundtrack (dialogues are in French and the songs in English). I would say not the best Derann release in term of picture quality but very enjoyable . My copy has black soundstripes, which some collectors don't like but the sound is very good (maybe because it has been re-recorded ?). A few days before, another classical : Birth Of A Nation. It's the film that came on (I opened a thread about that in the General Yak section) two 8 mm spools with a 16 mm hub. It was advertised as "tinted" but looked more "faded" to my eyes. It may have been tinted since some scenes look more sepia than red. The overal "result" is not bad at all but some scenes are too dark (few, though). The seller gave me a partial refund (the price was low to start with so not a bad deal).

[Luis Caramelo]

last night shane amazing western great color and razor image full lenght .alan ladd.

[Lee Mannering]

A bit of soak test on a GS1200 I've been repairing all done now. Phew.

Warner Cinema tags daysets and She carved her name with pride. Probably one of the best CC releases ever issued on 5X400. Ended with the last 400ft of Carry on Doctor.

[Brian Fretwell]

Dominique, is your copy of The Sound of Music the 6x600ft edition or the Edited 3x600ft one? I know there were grading problems with the full version at first but the reels I have (5 of the s) though nominally "seconds" have very high picture quality.

[Dominique De Bast]

Brian, I have the full version (mounted on three 1200 ft/360 m spools). There is an Intermission in the middle of the second spool so it would be better on two 2200 ft)660 m ones but it didn't annoy me so I will probably leave the film as it is.

[Luis Caramelo]

last night a great black and white war movie `-hell,s Angeles full lenght by universal

[Janice Glesser]

Watched the amazing 1902 early film classic Trip to the Moon.