South Pacific (1958)
(Joshua Logan, US 1958, 157 min., 35mm)
Todd-AO was a 65mm filming process that was, within the Fox studios, a successor to the short-lived Grandeur system and conceived with the optimal output being a 70mm print with magnetic tracks that allowed for up to six separate audio channels. It was used for musicals and spectacles primarily, ranging from Oklahoma!, Around the World in 80 Days, Porgy and Bess, and The Alamo to The Sound of Music and, of course, South Pacific.
In this adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor) and Emile De Becque (Rossano Brazzi) are star-crossed lovers on a South Pacific island during World War II. When one of the American military officers asks Nellie to persuade Emile to undertake a dangerous scouting mission on a nearby island, past secrets are revealed that may tear them apart. The memorable song score includes “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame,” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair.”