FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  DECEMBER 21, 2000

Contact Patrick Tremblay, ptremblay@asomf.org (910) 483-3003 ext. 229

MUSEUM MOVIE TO PREMIER

FAYETTEVILLE NC.  After months of anticipation, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum is proud to premier its exclusive, specially designed Vistascope motion picture to the public on Saturday, December 23, 2000.  With military action footage filmed on Fort Bragg and other Army instillations, the attraction promises to bring added excitement to the new museum.

Descending From the Clouds

Entitled Descending from the Clouds, a title taken from a 1784 Benjamin Franklin quote concerning the feasibility of airborne warfare, the new movie features Army airborne and special operations soldiers in action.  The movie was made exclusively for the museum and will be shown in the 235-seat Yarborough-Bank Vistascope Theater, named for Lieutenant General Bill Yarborough, a member of the Army's first tactical airborne unit and designer of the airborne "jump wings" insignia, and for Colonel Aaron Bank, a WWII Office of Strategic Services (OSS) veteran and a founding father of the modern Special Forces. 

Vistascope

Filmed in Vistascope, a high-speed 8/35 mm horizontal feed process that presents a huge, stunningly clear image, the 15 minute film is projected onto a massive 30-foot by 40-foot screen.  Capturing the exciting footage took nearly a year – special mounts and riggings had to be designed to hold the cameras as they were put through the rigors of airborne operations.  Now the audience can experience the exciting action and see military operations in a way never before experienced by the public.  Designed and built by Vistascope, an Atlanta-based wide-screen production company, Descending from the Clouds brings a new dimension to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum experience.

Admission

There is no charge for the museum’s Exhibit Gallery.  Admission to the movie is $3.00 per person, with children 8 and under free when accompanied by a paying adult (limit 2 children per adult).  Combination tickets to Descending from the Clouds and the Pitch, Roll and Yaw Vista-Dome Motion Simulator are available for $5.00.  Please contact the museum for information on special group rates. 

Located at 100 Bragg Boulevard in downtown Fayetteville, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum is part of the U.S. Army Museum System and tells the story of Army airborne and special operations units from 1940 to the present.  Museum hours: 10am – 5 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, Noon – 5 pm Sundays, Closed Mondays.  Visit the museum website at www.asomf.org.