The BBC has discovered an archive of photos and documents relating to the early days of the Monty Python comedy troupe which first appeared on the network in 1969. The BBC has overseen the restoration of the rare materials which have now been made available to the public. For more click here.
Brian Raftery, writing in the New York Times, has some positive news for those of you of a certain age who bemoan the fact that your favorite movie-themed amusement park rides have gone the way of the Bay City Rollers. The Times examines how some die-hard fans of the rides have allowed their legacies to live on through web sites and YouTube videos, some of which have been viewed tens of millions of times by grateful members of the public who can recall precious moments spent on these "extravaganzas" which were viewed as increasingly quaint in a world that introduces new technologies ever nano second. Yet, through the videos, rides from Universal Studios and Disney live on from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" to "Jaws", "King Kong", "Jurassic Park", "Twister" and "Earthquake". Click here to read.
The very addictive web site www.in70mm.com presents a fascinating and exhaustive list of major films that were shot in standard 35mm format but presented (at least sporadically) in blow-up 70mm format. The list might surprise you. In addition to big budget epics, you'll find in the year-by-year listings such seemingly unlikely blow-ups as "Bye Bye Birdie", "The Cardinal", "The Chase", "Hellfighters" and "Shalako". Some of these 70mm presentations were only shown in limited areas. For example, a 70mm print of the 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice" was apparently restricted to Japan. Click here to access the listings.