VISTAVISION AT THE TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL

For the first time since the 1950s, the TCM Classic Film Festival is proud to present screenings of VistaVision film prints using VistaVision projectors specially installed at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX for these programs. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Archive, the Festival will show two rare VistaVision prints of WE’RE NO ANGELS (1955) and GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957).

These screenings present an exceptionally rare opportunity to see VistaVision as it was meant to be experienced: on the big screen, in stunning clarity and with Perspecta audio. This marks the first time that either feature has been projected in VistaVision for a theatrical audience.

What is VistaVision?

In 1954, Paramount introduced an alternative widescreen format to 20th Century-Fox’s CinemaScope called VistaVision. Unlike the standard practice of shooting on 35mm film, in which the film strip runs vertically through the camera, VistaVision shoots the negative horizontally, exposing each frame across the width of two standard 35mm frames. This larger negative area results in remarkable sharpness, finer detail, and reduced grain, making it one of the highest-quality film formats ever developed.

VistaVision set a new standard for widescreen filmmaking, making it the ideal choice for grand-scale epics, dazzling musicals, and later, pioneering visual effects in Star Wars (1977) and other landmark special effects-heavy films. Despite its technical superiority, VistaVision was rarely projected in its native horizontal format.

EVENTS:  GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957), WE’RE NO ANGELS (1955)