Hollywood’s Love Affair with VistaVision

Up First from NPR

NPR

Daily News, News

4.6 • 59K Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Two of this year’s top contenders for the Academy Awards were filmed using a technology from the 1950s: VistaVision. Filmmakers are reviving this visually stunning yet finicky film format at a time when movie theaters are struggling to get audiences back into theaters. Today on The Sunday Story, NPR’s culture correspondent Mandalit Del Barco tells the story of the changing movie industry through the lens of VistaVision technology.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is the Sunday story from Up First,
0:03.5	where we go beyond the news to bring you one big story.
0:09.5	Two of the nominees for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards
0:14.0	are especially beautiful to watch on the big screen.
0:17.0	This is Bob Ferguson.
0:19.0	I was a part of the French 75.
0:22.9	In one battle after another, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a washed-up revolutionary, trying to outrun
0:29.5	his past.
0:30.7	Vive a revolution!
0:32.9	In Bagonia, we see Emma Stone as a high-powered executive who gets kidnapped.
0:38.8	Her captors shave her bald and slather her head and face with white antihistamine cream.
0:44.9	Where is my hair?
0:46.2	Your hair has been destroyed.
0:48.4	To prevent you from contacting your ship.
0:51.4	What ship?
0:53.5	Your mother's ship?
0:55.4	The filmmakers of both of these movies made a very deliberate artistic choice
1:00.3	to use a once obsolete technology from the 1950s.
1:04.7	It's called VistaVision.
1:06.2	VistaVision, the ultimate in film presentation
1:09.1	that will thrill all your senses.
1:11.7	Touch all your emotions with its unbelievable clarity.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.