In the Labyrinth
Encyclopedia
In the Labyrinth was a groundbreaking multi-screen presentation at Expo 67
in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. It used 35mm and 70mm film projected simultaneously on multiple screens and was the precursor of today's IMAX
format.
The film split elements across the five screens and also combined them for a mosaic of a single image. It was hailed as a "stunning visual display" by Time magazine, which concludes: "such visual delights as Labyrinth ... suggest that cinema—the most typical of 20th century arts—has just begun to explore its boundaries and possibilities."
In the Labyrinth was co-directed by Roman Kroitor
, Colin Low
and Hugh O'Connor and produced by the National Film Board of Canada
. Kroitor left the NFB shortly after to co-found Multi-Screen Corporation, which later became IMAX Corporation
.
It inspired Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison
to apply similar techniques to his film The Thomas Crown Affair
.
presented an exhibition on the Labyrinth pavilion, marking the 40th anniversary of Expo 67.
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It used 35mm and 70mm film projected simultaneously on multiple screens and was the precursor of today's IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
format.
The film split elements across the five screens and also combined them for a mosaic of a single image. It was hailed as a "stunning visual display" by Time magazine, which concludes: "such visual delights as Labyrinth ... suggest that cinema—the most typical of 20th century arts—has just begun to explore its boundaries and possibilities."
In the Labyrinth was co-directed by Roman Kroitor
Roman Kroitor
Roman Kroitor is a Canadian filmmaker who is known as an early practitioner of Cinéma vérité, as co-founder of IMAX, and as creator of the Sandde hand-drawn stereoscopic animation system...
, Colin Low
Colin Low (filmmaker)
Colin Archibald Low, CM, RCA is a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker.Born in Cardston, Alberta, Low attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology, now known as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology...
and Hugh O'Connor and produced by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
. Kroitor left the NFB shortly after to co-found Multi-Screen Corporation, which later became IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is a Canadian theatre company which designs and manufactures IMAX cameras and projection systems as well as film development, production, post production and distribution to IMAX affiliated theatres worldwide. It was founded in 1968 as a result of Expo 67 in Montreal...
.
It inspired Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison
Norman Jewison
Norman Frederick Jewison, CC, O.Ont is a Canadian film director, producer, actor and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. Highlights of his directing career include In the Heat of the Night , The Thomas Crown Affair , Fiddler on the Roof , Jesus Christ Superstar , Moonstruck , The Hurricane and The...
to apply similar techniques to his film The Thomas Crown Affair
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)
The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 film by Norman Jewison starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. It was nominated for two Academy Awards and won the Award for Best Song with Michel Legrand's "Windmills of Your Mind"...
.
Labyrinth pavilion
The Labyrinth consisted of three main chambers: Theatre One, which ran two 70 mm projectors in a unique floor-and-end-wall combination; The Maze, an apparently limitless series of mirrors and red "grain-of-wheat" bulbs; and Theatre Three, which projected five simultaneous 35 mm projections in a cross formation.Post-1967
In 1979, the NFB re-issued In the Labyrinth in a single-screen format. In May 2007, the NFB and the Cinémathèque québécoiseCinémathèque québécoise
The Cinémathèque québécoise is a film conservatory in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1963, its mission is to "preserve and document film and television heritage in order to make it available to an ever-growing and diversified public."...
presented an exhibition on the Labyrinth pavilion, marking the 40th anniversary of Expo 67.