The famous documentary
Windjammer, released in 1958 and rarely seen since, is being painstakingly restored by Cinerama expert and documentary maker Dave Strohmaier and John Sittig of Pacific Theatre, the copyright holder of all the Cinerama travelogues.
Windjammer tracked the journey of a Norwegian sailing ship on its world travels. It was released in an era in which the common man's exposure to distant lands was largely relegated to what he saw on film. The movie has never received a major reissue and the master prints had deteriorated with time. Strohmaier, who produced the outstanding documentary
Cinerama Adventure (a history of the format that is included on MGM's
ultimate DVD edition of How the West Was Won) is working with Sittig to restore the original elements which were shot in a widescreen format known as Cinemiracle. The goal is to have a restored version ready for DVD release and select theatrical release sometime in 2010.
Click here for a special preview of this amazing restoration-in-process. For the full story, check out the excellent web site
In 70mm.com