In 1952, This Is Cinerama introduced one of the most immersive ways to experience a motion picture yet. Three separate projectors were synced with each other and broadcast onto a single curved screen a film that enveloped the viewer's peripheral vision. Audiences were treated to a travelogue the likes of which they hadn't seen, as the flick provided a towering new perspective to such scenarios as a rollercoaster ride and a tour of Niagara Falls. The movie was a smash hit, and for a few years, Cinerama was all the rage. But while a few fiction titles were released with a Cinerama makeover, it was in thrilling moviegoers with images of the world they already lived in that the company found its greatest successes. Theaters properly outfitted to give people the real Cinerama experience are few and far between these days, but with their new Blu-ray/DVD restorations of the documentaries Search for Paradise and Seven Wonders of the World, the folks over at Flicker Alley have supplied fans with the next best thing.
 
 SEARCH FOR PARADISE (1957) 
 
Modernity is fast encroaching upon the old world. Those far-off lands cloaked in ancient beauty and myth are now in the position of either joining the march of technological progress or getting left in the dust. Fueled by the possibility of losing the wonders these nations possess to time, the folks at Cinerama have mounted a special expedition, one aimed at bringing multiple candidates for paradise on earth to the greatest movie screen of them all. From the craggy Hunza valleys to the royal courts of Kathmandu, the Cinerama crew leaves no stone unturned in its quest for any places on God's green earth that the push-button age hasn't yet overwhelmed.

Although the primary purpose of all Cinerama films is to look really pretty, Search for Paradise feels genuine in its endeavor to chronicle foreign cultures. Save for particular sequences that are accompanied by silly lounge singer-quality music, it never feels as if the filmmakers are trying to cheapen their subjects in the name of making them more "entertaining" for us Americans. It sets out to simply admire the resilience and awe that such cultures already exuded, letting us observe their customs and ways of living firsthand without a stagey aftertaste (well, for the most part). As for the all-important photography, the Cinerama method goes a long way towards enhancing the rich environments it surveys. "What a sight!" exclaims an airman as the screen expands to cover a sky filling with parachutists at the film's beginning, with the sights only growing more gorgeous from there. Search for Paradise could have benefitted from widening its hunt for then-present day utopias from its small handful of selected regions, but its adventurous spirit comes across as undeniable as its gob-smackingly beautiful images.
 
BONUS FEATURES:

-Trailers

-A "breakdown reel" that was played, should any Search for Paradise screenings have experienced projector malfunctions

-Behind-the-scenes footage

-Samples from the Search for Paradise restoration process

-In the Picture, a Cinerama short made in 2012

-The Last Days of Cinerama, a mini-documentary

-An interview with director Otto Lang from 1998

-A video essay covering Search for Paradise's creation and legacy

-A slideshow gallery

-A replica of the original souvenir booklet
 
 
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD (1956)
 
Thousands of years ago, the Greeks spoke of seven awe-inspiring sights that would come to be heralded as the Wonders of the Ancient World. Flash forward to 1956, where just one from the original list -- the Great Pyramid of Giza -- is still standing (and only somewhat intact). With our planet having come a long way since the first unofficial Wonders were declared, who better than Cinerama to guide moviegoers on a cross-continental journey to see what achievements hanging around today might succeed them? Could Japan's legendary cherry blossoms secure it a spot on the list? And what of Rio de Janeiro, a vibrant city unique in culture and geographical make-up? Cinerama hops from country to country, tirelessly searching for those spectacles that continue to wow tourists and locals alike...and uncovering so many candidates for an updated list, selecting only seven would be a fool's errand.

Seven Wonders of the World isn't far removed from Search for Paradise for multiple reasons. Both pictures use the conceit of cataloguing mankind's astounding accomplishments for posterity as a reason to put tons of awesome-looking stuff on the screen, and each seems earnest enough with their intentions for us to buy the academic pretense. But what gives Seven Wonders of the World the decided edge over its comrade is its greatly expanded scope. Not being restricted to a particular region, the film's sense of exploration really opens up, as does the Cinerama screen itself. A vast variety of views are offered up here, each sumptuously photographed and treated with equal reverence by the filmmakers. That America's contribution is saved for the movie's tail end is a little odd, as well as the overtly jingoistic attitude with which it's presented, as if to say, "Don't worry, we're still the bestest country ever." But on the whole, the essence of brotherhood woven throughout Seven Wonders of the World holds up very well, celebrating what makes us different from one another and concluding that Earth has too many cool things on it for someone to even think about ranking them.
 
BONUS FEATURES:

-Trailers

-A "breakdown reel" that was played, should any Seven Wonders of the World screenings have experienced projector malfunctions

-Newsreel footage of the film's New York opening night

-Samples from the Seven Wonders of the World restoration process

-The Best in the Biz, a documentary about the various Cinerama composers

-Cinerama Everywhere, a French short about Cinerama's impact overseas

-A slideshow gallery

-A replica of the original souvenir booklet