Re: Portrait of Jenny

Martin Hart wrote:
In article <d709ffdb-ca13-46a5-b928-
8b0b5a6d00be@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, tomservorobot@xxxxxxxxx says...


<SNIP>

On Feb 2, 3:02 am, Martin Hart <oldtornp...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Selznick introduced a major increase in screen size, the greenish
tinting, and even an ersatz surround sound system during the storm
sequence.

I've never heard of the sound system before. Do you have a source for
this? Scott MacQueen made a Dolby stereo mix for the last reel for
repertory prints (in an effort to make up for the Magnascope effect
that nobody will do these days), but as far as I know, that was a
recent addition to the film.


Haver discusses the sound system in "David O. Selznick's Hollywood". I never experienced any of this stuff myself, being of a far too tender age.

Marty

Here’s the description of the creation of the final sequence, from Haver’s book:

“Even after principal photography had been finished in December 1947, Selznick had put the picture back before the cameras for two months of retakes and added scenes. Then, after looking at the assembled footage, he felt that the picture did not take fullest advantage of the final scene … Selznick wanted this sequence to be “built up to equal the …earthquake in ‘San Francisco,’ the hurricane in the picture of the same name…” This meant additional expense not only in the production but in the exhibition plans for the picture, for Selznick wanted the sequence to be shown on an enlarged screen, with multiple sound channels blasting the effects of wind and water throughout the theatre. … Portrait of Jennie was finally finished and released at the beginning of 1949, and in spite of excellent reviews and a high powered publicity and advertising campaign that highlighted everything from the Debussy music to the Cycloramic screen and the Cyclophonic sound, the picture never found its audience... The final hurricane and tidal wave are an error in production judgment, as the sequence all but overwhelms the fragility of the story. But it is an excitingly staged and crafted error, and a sequence that in its original form on the large screen with multiple sound sources overwhelmed the spectators with some of the loudest sound ever heard in a modern motion picture theater.”

The American Film Institute Catalog adds this note:

“According to a 9 Mar 1949 HR news item, New York and Los Angeles screenings of the film featured a "Cycloramic screen together with Multi-sound" during the storm sequences. DV commented that the screen "opens up to thrice normal size for a magnificently lensed hurricane; a spellbinding score by Dimitri Tiomkin; four tints for various sequences--black-and-white during early footage, green for the storm, sepiatone for the lull that follows, and a Technicolor finale." The film's special effects crew received an Academy Award for their efforts on the film, and Joseph August, who died during the film's production, was nominated for Best Cinematographer (b&w).”
.

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