Polyvision

Polyvision was the name given to a specialized widescreen film format devised exclusively for the filming and projection of Abel Gance's 1927 film Napoleon. It involved the simultaneous projection of three reels of silent film arrayed in a horizontal row, making for a total aspect ratio of 4.00:1 (1.33:1 x 3). This configuration is considered a largely similar precursor to Cinerama, which would debut a quarter of a century later; however, it is uncertain whether or not it was a direct inspiration, as the Polyvision sequence of Napoleon was cut from the film by its distributors after only a few screenings and was not restored again until Kevin Brownlow compiled his restorations from the 1970s onwards.

Three cameras were stacked vertically to shoot the widescreen compositions which would be viewed across all three sections. Gance also used the three strips to create triptych compositions of panels contrasting or simultaneous action, mirrored sides framing the center strip, and perceptual cross-cutting. In this respect, Polyvision can arguably be said to have inspired split screen compositions as well as in-eye edited experiments such as Mike Figgis's Timecode.

Polyvision was only used for the final reel of Napoleon, both to create a climactic finale, and also due to the problems of projector interlock and changeovers which would remain unsolved until the development of Cinerama. When the film was severely re-cut by the distributors very early on during exhibition, the new version only retained the center strip in order to allow projection in standard single-projector cinemas. Brownlow's restored version not only shows off the format as intended by Gance, but finishes with a flourish. By using tinting in conjunction with the last shot of the film, Napoleon ends with three black and white panels of his soldiers marching, which then cuts to the same composition, only with the left and right strips tinted blue and red respectively, thus creating a "living" French flag of Napoleon's triumphant army. Brownlow then cuts to a white-on-black signature of Abel Gance which is spread out across the three strips. Difficulties in mounting a full screening of Napoleon with three simultaneous projectors mean that a true Polyvision presentation is rarely seen, and the last documented screening of Polyvision were the December 2004 Royal Festival Hall and December 2009 Cité de la Musique screenings of Napoleon.

Gance continued to tinker with the system with Andre Debrie for several decades afterwards, and by 1956, it evolved into a system called Magirama very similar to the later Cinemiracle format. Magirama used three 35 mm film cameras at Academy format with the two side cameras shooting into mirrors; the projectors then used mirrors in an identical configuration in order to reverse the side images back properly. This system was only used on a limited number of shots.

Polyvision today

82 years after the release of Napoleon, a video game called Burnout Paradise was released with the same aspect ratio when three 4:3 monitors are used. Polyvision is also the name of a company selling whiteboards.

See also

• List of film formats