Vintage movie cameras on display at KIFF

From bulky Mitchell 35mm professional movie camera, which auteur Satyajit Ray used to shoot his masterpiece "Pather Panchali", to a Maurer 16mm camera with Apollo 11 spacecraft -- all these were on display at an exhibition of vintage cameras and equipment at the 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) here on Saturday.

The "Look Thru" exhibition was unveiled here with an assemblage of at least 12 pieces of equipment.

Among the highlights is the Arriflex Blimp (35 mm) that shot films like "Bhagini Nivedita" (1962) and "Raja Rammohan" (1965).

Also showcased is the Super Parvo camera which was used to shoot Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar-starrers "Ora Thake Odhare" and "Sadanander Mela", both released in 1954.

Parvos were immensely popular in Europe during the silent movie era.

Super Parvo cameras recorded sound and picture simultaneously in the form of picture negative and sound negative.

The exposition also displays the small and compact Eyemo 35mm motion picture film camera, which was manufactured by the Bell & Howell Co of Chicago. It was a popular choice for newsreel and combat cameramen. It was used extensively throughout World War II and the Vietnam War.

--IANS

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