"This not a stage play, nor it is a feature picture, nor a travelogue, nor a symphonic concert, nor an opera, but it is a combination of all of them. In fact, it is the first public demonstration of an entirely new medium, which we believe is going to revolutionize the technique of motion picture storytelling. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Cinerama!"
— Lowell Thomas
This is Cinerama is a 1952 American film that serves as a technical demonstration of the new Cinerama process, hosted by Lowell Thomas.
It was rereleased in 1971 through a printdown on a single 70mm film strip. This was the version originally released and restored on Blu-ray by Flicker Alley in 2012, before a full restoration of the original 3-strip film was released in 2018.
Tropes:
- Aspect Ratio Switch: The first 12 minutes are in a 1.37 aspect ratio, as Lowell Thomas describes the history of motion pictures. When he pronounces "ladies and gentlemen, this is Cinerama!" it cuts to footage of a rollercoater in Cinerama's 2.59 aspect ratio.
- Intermission: During this break, Lowell Thomas demonstrates Cinerama's surround sound technology using the film's orchestra.
- Title Drop: At the end of the film's black-and-white prologue, Lowell proclaims "ladies and gentlemen, this is Cinerama!"
- Travelogue Show: Starting a tradition that every Cinerama film will follow, you're taken to various places around the world, to demonstrate the capabilities of Cinerama. From the canals of Venice to the Florida everglades, from Vienna in Austria to an aerial view of America itself.
