Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

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Topic: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Evans A Criswell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1579
From: Huntsville, AL, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-22-2002 10:07 AM

I watched this movie for the first time last Friday night when I had a rather long night with nothing else to do. I saw the version that's on the DVD. Some people have told me they've loved the movie, while others say it wasn't very good. I enjoyed seeing it, and now I realize how much "Rat Race" borrowed from it. After seeing both, I feel that "Rat Race" was funnier. I'm sure that during it's time (1963), IAMMMMW was just as funny to audiences. The movie was very long, and I think the reason I feel that Rat Race was funnier is that the movie was shorter with a faster pace. I read a trivia item on imdb.com saying that the original director's cut was 5 1/2 hours!

When I saw the Three Stooges as firemen in one scene, I was hoping they'd do something and play a part in a scene, but they were just there for a few seconds as the camera panned by them.

One time years ago, I saw the cartoon intro to this movie on TV, and the whole time, the image was having to scroll sideways to try to show all of the names in the credits. Thank goodness for widescreen anamorphic DVD!

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Information Site

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Mitchell Cope
Master Film Handler

Posts: 256
From: Overland Park, KS, United States
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-22-2002 12:56 PM

I'm an original fan of "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". I have owned the laser disc version (which was good) and the one on DVD. I found the DVD to be unwatchable as the picture does not appear to be as sharp as it should. I'm waiting for the next DVD special edition to come out. Note: I'm not saying there is one, but I'm waiting.

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Ron Lacheur
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 650
From: British Columbia, Canada
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 07-22-2002 09:05 PM

Mitchell,

I was reading somewhere that Robert A. Harris is restoring the film to a run time of 187 mins I believe. But he is having problems finding good usable footage.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 07-22-2002 11:40 PM

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Robert Harris will succeed in restoring "IAMMMMW". While I don't consider the movie to be a truly great film, I still laughed out loud at a good number of scenes. Overall, it was pretty entertaining.

And it would be really cool to see it presented in a new Ultra Panavision 70mm print.

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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 07-24-2002 03:15 PM

I attended the New York Premiere of IAMMMMW at the Warner Cinerama Theatre in New York in 1963. I sat in the first row of the balcony. People were hysterical with laughter including my date. I found nothing funny about the film. I could not wait for it to end.

Six months later we were opening a newly renovated theatre in Detroit and the opening picture was IAMMMMW.I scheduled technical rehearsal for the film the morning of the opening.I laughed until it hurt.I could not believe how much I loved this film. There is a moral to this......

Do not attend a movie when you are tired. Go when you are not being rushed. It's a movie, escape reality and enjoy yourself.

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Evans A Criswell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1579
From: Huntsville, AL, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-24-2002 03:58 PM

quote:
Do not attend a movie when you are tired. Go when you are not being rushed. It's a movie, escape reality and enjoy yourself.

AMEN! I've found I've enjoyed many movies much more on their second viewing because I was not feeling well, was upset, or was undeer stress at the time.

A long movie like IAMMMMW is definitely one to see when you're already in a good mood.

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Information Site

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Hillary Charles
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 748
From: York, PA, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 07-24-2002 06:45 PM

I liked the movie when I first saw it, but it has grown on me with repeated viewings. While the comedy comes primarily from excess, some of the performances are wonderful, but initially get lost in all that action. Dick Shawn is a riot!

Some friends and I had the chance to see this in a revival house, but walked out after we became aware that the garage destruction sequence was missing! Shoulda stayed for the rest, but that bothered us so much we couldn't enjoy it anymore.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-02-2002 12:49 AM

This is one of the greatest films ever produced and certainly one of the most remarkable. One has to see it in a theatre with an audience, Never on TV in any format, especially if its your first time! I have personally owned several 35mm prints of this, and a friend had a runnable 70mm print till it went vinegar. It was alot of fun and the 70mm stuff was great and sharp as a tack. His print was red but definately was an anamorphic print. Just being able to see all those great comedians all together in one place is alot of fun and who but who could resist Hackett, Rooney and Backus in the Beachcraft plane, or the garage destruction sequence, or Winters peeking around the rock only to find everyone else waiting for him, or Durante kicking the bucket. I know there were several versions of this film that existed and it was one of Stanley Kramers favorite films to make. Those that are interested should read his autobiography, Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. There is alot of interesting stuff about many of his films that alot of people here would appreciate. Its truely sad that Stanley Kramer is no longer around to assist Bob Harris in his restoration efforts.........
Mark

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Ray Brown
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 111
From: Dayton, WA, USA
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 01-30-2003 07:58 PM

quote:
When I saw the Three Stooges as firemen in one scene, I was hoping they'd do something and play a part in a scene, but they were just there for a few seconds as the camera panned by them.

Just the idea of the 3 Stooges as firemen is funny enough. Jerry Lewis was also funny even though he had no lines. His facial expressions were great.

I picked this up last weekend and my copy looked really sharp. The sound remix especially the music sounded great in Dolby 5.1

According to the documentry included with the DVD, comedians were pleading to be in this movie no matter how small the part.

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Pravin Ratnam
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 844
From: Atlanta, GA,USA
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 01-30-2003 08:42 PM

Rat Race was watchable. But Its A Mad Mad Mad World is a better experience especially if one knows about every single comedian in the movie. I saw it in the theater during rerun as a kid. I watched a lot of B&W reruns of old shows on tv and it was a riot just to see the all star cast. The fact that the threee stooges do nothing is funny enough. If they did the same ole mugging in front of the camera, it would have been same ole same old.

Plus Dick Shawn was just too funny. But the hamminess of the acting and the all star cast was just a lot of fun. Yeah it is a long long long movie, but considering the number of cameos and the large cast, it is like watching a bunch of movies combined.

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-30-2003 11:06 PM

quote:
I was reading somewhere that Robert A. Harris is restoring the film to a run time of 187 mins I believe. But he is having problems finding good usable footage.

Not sure what the status is on the/a restoration, but some of you might be interested to hear that the American Cinematheque in Hollywood ran a new 35mm scope print (interlocked with a six-track mag printmaster) a short while ago as part of a cast and crew reunion. I'm not sure, however, what the running time was of the print screened.

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Ron Lacheur
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 650
From: British Columbia, Canada
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 01-31-2003 10:20 PM

last I heard was it was going slowly, alot of the footage has turned brittle and crumbles easily.

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