Totalvision


The Totalvision Company was a French corporation that specialized in the design and manufacturing of lenses, cameras, and projection systems primarily focused on anamorphic optics. It was founded in June 1954. Totalvision was created and managed by Georges Bonnerot and Elie Libman students of Professor Henri Chrétien.
Circa 1956, the company experienced significant expansion to foreign markets. Totalvision cameras equipment and lenses were sold in East Germany, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, China, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Totalvision was a competitor of Cinemascope in Europe, providing cheaper licensing fees to European markets while presenting cinematographers with equipment of equal or better quality. The system comprised a wide range of anamorphic lenses, from 32mm to 150mm, that created little distortion and made CinemaScope almost obsolete in Europe.

France

Italy

Polish-born director of photography/cinematographer Henryk Chroscicki bought rights to manufacture Totalvison's equipment in Italy and effectively became a rental house and a distributor for Italian filmmakers. More than 200 major films, including La Dolce Vita, and 300 documentaries have been shot with Totalvision equipment under the brand name of Totalscope. Based on his ownership of rights for Totalvision equipment, Henryk Chroscicki developed the anamorphic lens system Technovision which made its first appearance in 1974.

Films Made with Totalvision

NameYearDirectorCountry
Move and I'll Shoot '1958Mario MattoliItaly
Lui, lei e il nonno1959Anton Giulio MajanoItaly
First Spaceship on Venus '1960Kurt MaetzigEast Germany
Mother Courage and Her Children '1961Peter PalitzschEast Germany
Die Liebe und der Co-Pilot1961Richard GroschoppEast Germany
A Monkey in Winter '1962Henri VerneuilFrance
Die schwarze Galeere1962Martin HellbergEast Germany
The Flying Dutchman '1964Joachim HerzEast Germany
Mir nach, Canaillen1964Ralf KirstenEast Germany
Preludio 111964Kurt MaetzigEast Germany
Schwarzer Samt1964Heinz ThielEast Germany
Karla1965Herrmann ZschocheEast Germany
Hands of a Gunfighter '1965Rafael Romero MarchentItaly
La longue marche1966Alexandre AstrucFrance
The Sons of Great Bear '1966Josef MachEast Germany
Frozen Flashes '1967János VeicziEast Germany
Frau Venus und ihr Teufel1967Ralf KirstenEast Germany
Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors1967David L. HewittUSA
Encrucijada para una monja1967Julio BuchsSpain
Mord am Montag1968Hans KratzertEast Germany
Heißer Sommer1968Joachim HaslerEast Germany
Mit mir nicht, Madam!1969Roland OehmeEast Germany
Lesbo1969Edoardo MulargiaItaly
Verdacht auf einen Toten1969Rainer BärEast Germany
Im Himmel ist doch Jahrmarkt1969Rolf LosanskyEast Germany
Netzwerk1969Ralf KirstenEast Germany
Tödlicher Irrtum1970Konrad PetzoldEast Germany
Tecumseh1972Hans KratzertEast Germany