![\"Mask_EyesOfHell_poster\"](\"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mask_EyesOfHell_poster.jpg\")
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Back in the fall of 2012, a 35mm print of Julian Roffman\u2019s The Mask\u00a0\/ aka The Eyes of Hell<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(1961) was screened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, and the curators made a point of saying this was the first and last time they\u2019d screen the print due to its rarity.<\/p>\n The pre-screening set-up implied a print in a fragile state, but after the show we all agreed it looked pretty damn good. Still, the film was slated for a restoration program, and 3 years later TIFF\u2019s efforts in conjunction with the 3-D Film Archive were shown in a gorgeous DCP that also boasted rich sound.<\/p>\n Most interestingly, they retained the red-blue anaglyph 3D system rather than update it for one of the more popular digital versions. I got the impression the reasoning may have been to retain the film\u2019s fun factor, since audiences are prompted to join the hero and raise their dainty Magic Mystic Masks just before he\u2019s plunged into his own brand of hell.<\/p>\n A month later KINO released separate Blu-ray and DVD editions, and fans could put away the old Elvira VHS tape that featured classic fuzzy 3D TV effects which rarely worked well.<\/p>\n Roffman\u2019s career was victimized by that weird Canuckle mentality which permeated snooty critics who felt Canada\u2019s domain was documentaries, not commercial cinema, and they probably felt he was a sell-out, which in 2016, can be reassessed, without any hesitation, as bullshit.<\/p>\n It took more than 50 years, and while a flawed B-movie, The Mask<\/strong> is available to anyone, instead of idling in the vault of a deep catalogue holder who has little interest in exploiting an exploitation title for connoisseurs of gimmicky cheesy fun.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unsurprising it took several independent organizations to collaborate on such a unique title, but as is typical for many older Canadian films, it\u2019s not on a domestic label, so a local distributor has to import it so we can enjoy the rewards that originated in this Toronto-shot movie.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s okay, because we\u2019re used to the peculiar route local films take to get domestic distribution, let alone on Blu. What may have saved the film from oblivion was 3D, because it\u2019s legend lies in having three very long, very trippy sequences, and stereoscopic effects that work really well<\/em>. These sequences also feature early electronic work by Myron Schaeffer, an experimental composer who created a 35mm tape loop system to create the weird wavering distortion and reverb that makes each sequence so memorable. It\u2019s a wonderful example of early sound design, and while the concept of crafting a sequence that relied on images and sound (read: no dialogue) isn\u2019t new \u2013 Rouben Mamoulian\u2019s early sound design in Dr. Jeyll and Mr. Hyde<\/a><\/strong> (1931) is still very affecting \u2013 it wasn\u2019t the norm to devote so much effort for a trippy sequence.<\/p>\n Schaeffer\u2019s work, sandwiched between more traditional score material by Louis Applebaum, is very unique, and was treated to a vinyl release<\/a> with newly scored 3D music by the experimental group Larva (which I\u2019ll cover in a future review). In cinemas and on Blu, the 5.1 mix stays mono until the 3D sequences, during which Schaeffer\u2019s music surrounds the listener in something dubbed \u201cElectro-Magic Sound.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ve posted a review of KINO\u2019s releases \u2013 a comparison between the Blu and DVD contents \u2013 with some very critical views on the separation of special features and 3D sequences, and I\u2019ve gathered the two pre-screening intros from 2012 and 2015 in a podcast that\u2019s audio-only on iTunes<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Libsyn<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being a 3D extravanagza, the podcast makes use of some choice Mask<\/strong> sound effects, but those inclined to experience trippier material should check out the visual podcast on YouTube where I used an oscilloscope (intro 2012) and an Atari Video Music gizmo (intro 2015).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Mask1961_BR_s\"](\"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Mask1961_BR_s.jpg\")
As the extras on KINO\u2019s discs make clear, Roffman lived\u00a0 a remarkable life, moving from the NFB to U.S. productions, then back to Canada where he valiantly attempted to give the puny film industry an adrenaline hit by showing what else <\/em>could be done outside of government agencies. That uphill battle proved more than tough, and although\u00a0he succeeded in making Canada\u2019s first feature-length 3D and horror film, not to mention the first feature successfully distributed in the U.S. by a major studio and<\/em> during the 1960s, Canada\u2019s most financially profitable film, critics weren\u2019t impressed.<\/p>\n![\"Mask_2012_c\"](\"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Mask_2012_c-1024x576.jpg\")
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