Supersize without guilt at widescreen tribute

There was a time, long, long ago -- from 1955 to 1970, to be exact -- when bigger was better on the big screen.

To entice audiences away from their televisions, movie studios produced eye-popping spectacles and musicals filmed in a widescreen process, whether it was Super Technirama 70, Ultra Panavision or Dimension 150, to name just a few. In fact, nearly 60 movies were produced in widescreen during that period.

The American Cinematheque celebrates the golden age of widescreen with its fifth Great Big 70MM Festival!, which begins Friday at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and moves to the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on Jan. 28. The festival offers an opportunity to see these classics in 70-millimeter splendor, complete with six-track multi-channel sound.

This year’s retrospective includes new restorations from 20th Century Fox of the 1965 historical drama “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo, and the 1967 musical “Doctor Dolittle,” starring Rex Harrison. They’ll be shown in Todd AO 70-millimeter.

Other noteworthy films include Jacques Tati’s 1967 French comedy “Playtime”; “Lord Jim,” the 1965 adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novel starring Peter O’Toole; David Lean’s 1962 biographical drama “Lawrence of Arabia”; Stanley Kubrick’s landmark 1968 sci-fi allegory “2001: A Space Odyssey”; Stanley Kramer’s 1963 all-star comedy “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”; and Ken Annakin’s 1965 comedy adventure “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.”

Susan King

*

The Great Big 70MM Festival!, Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Friday-Sunday; moves to the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, Jan. 28-30, Feb. 2-6. $9; $8, seniors and students; $6, Cinematheque members. (323) 466-FILM; www.americancinema theque.com.