This Is Cinerama is a 1952 Americandocumentary film directed byMike Todd,Michael Todd Jr., Walter A. Thompson and Fred Rickey and starringLowell Thomas.^[1] It is designed to introduce the widescreen processCinerama, which broadens theaspect ratio so that the viewer's peripheral vision is involved.This Is Cinerama premiered on September 30, 1952, at theBroadway Theatre inNew York City.

This Is Cinerama
US re-releasefilm poster
Directed by	Mike Todd Michael Todd, Jr. Walter A. Thompson Fred Rickey
Produced by	Robert L. Bendick Merian C. Cooper
Starring	Lowell Thomas
Cinematography	Harry Squire
Edited by	William Henry Milton Shifman
Music by	Louis Forbes[1]
Production company	Cinerama Productions
Distributed by	Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Release dates	September 30, 1952 (1952-09-30) (New York, premiere)
Running time	115 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1 million
Box office	$41.6 million[2]

The film begins in black and white and the standardAcademy ratio (also presented in mono sound) as travel writer and newscasterLowell Thomas appears to discuss the evolution of film entertainment, from the earliestcave paintings designed to suggest movement to the introduction of color and sound. At the conclusion of the 12-minute lecture, Thomas speaks the words "This Is Cinerama" and the screen expands into the full Cinerama 2.65:1 aspect ratio and full color as a series of vignettes, narrated by Thomas, begins.

The film includespoint-of-view scenes of the now defunct Atom Smasherroller coaster from the now defunctRockaways' Playland,^[3] then moves on to a scene of the temple dance from theLa Scala opera company's production ofAïda. Also seen are views ofNiagara Falls, a performance by a church choir (in sepia-toned black and white), a performance by theVienna Boys' Choir, scenes of the canals ofVenice, amilitary tattoo inEdinburgh, abullfight in Spain, the "triumphal scene" fromAïda, a sound demonstration instereo and scenes from the now defunctCypress Gardens amusement park featuring an elaboratewaterskiing show.^[4] The film closes with a sequence featuring soaring scenes of the natural landmarks of theAmerican West, filmed from the nose of a low flyingB-25, as theMormon Tabernacle Choir sings "America the Beautiful," "Come, Come Ye Saints," and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."^[5]

The film's producers were Lowell Thomas,Merian C. Cooper and Robert L. Bendick. The film was also directed by Bendick (and an uncreditedMike Todd Jr.). Cooper, who had directed the original 1933King Kong, had a long history of technical innovation in cinema.

Parts of the film were shot in theKennecott open-pit mine and inZion National Park inUtah.^[6] The movie was shot inEastmancolor and released with Technicolor prints.^[7]

Because the new technology required a special setup of three projectors and multiple soundtracks, the film's distribution was also revolutionary. It was shown in a single theater in most cities, with reserved seats and lengthy runs—a distribution model known as aroad show.

Audience members were asked to complete suggestion cards with their ideas for the next Cinerama demonstration film. In 1955,Cinerama Holiday was released.^[8]

For years the entire film could be shown only by one of the three remaining three-projector Cinerama installations capable of projecting 35mm prints. In September 2012, in celebration of the road show's 60th anniversary, Flicker Alley released the film in its original format onBlu-ray disc.^[9] The image was adjusted with theSmileBox format, as was the Blu-ray release ofHow the West was Won, and the disc includes an audio commentary and other special features. On October 18, 2012, theTurner Classic Movies cable network airedThis Is Cinerama in its original aspect ratio for the first time (also in the Smilebox format).

In May 2018, Flicker Alley rereleased the film on Blu-ray disc with a remastered audio and video presentation again in the original Cinerama format. However, unlike the original 2012 Blu-ray release that was sourced from a 65mm duplicate negative because of financial constraints, the 2018 Deluxe Edition was a full restoration sourced from the original camera negative.^[10]

The film's copyright status is unclear. It fell into thepublic domain in 1980, 28 years after its initial copyright filing, but some allege that it was renewed soon after the expiration.^{[citation needed]}

In its opening week in New York,This Is Cinerama was shown twice per day, with an additional 5:00 p.m. showing on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It saw near-capacity (1,250) attendance, grossing $35,000 from 17 performances with a top price of $2.80. The initial eight-week advance sale was increased to 16 weeks after the film proved to be popular. Early matinee attendance was impacted by the1952 World Series between theNew York Yankees and theBrooklyn Dodgers.^[11] After one year, the film had played in four cities (New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Chicago) and had sold 2,225,000 tickets, grossing $4,305,000, with $2,208,000 in New York alone.^[12]

At theWarner Hollywood in Los Angeles, the film played for 115 weeks, grossing an L.A. record of $3,845,200.^[13] The film played for a record 99 weeks in Chicago.^[14]

By January 1954, the film had grossed $6.5 million from seven cities in the United States and Canada.^[15] A year later,Variety noted that the film was estimated to gross $25 million and included it on its all-time chart with rentals of $12.5 million.^[16] By 1995,Variety noted that the film had grossed $41.6 million.^[2][17]

At the26th Academy Awards,This Is Cinerama was nominated for the award forBest Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Although the score was credited to Louis Forbes, who conducted the music, it was composed byPaul Sawtell,Roy Webb andMax Steiner (who composed the opening and ending sequences and those featuring Cypress Gardens and the flight across the country).

In 2002, theLibrary of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and inducted it into theNational Film Registry for permanent preservation.^[18][19]

• Cinerama
• Cinerama Adventure

• This Is Cinerama essay[1] by Kyle Westphal atNational Film Registry.
• This Is Cinerama essay by Daniel Eagan in[2] America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010ISBN 0826429777, pages 460–462.
• This Is Cinerama atIMDb