35 BL, 35 BLII, 35 BLIII, 35 BL4, 35 BL4S
Introduced in 1972, the ARRIFLEX 35BL was ARRI’s first self-blimped, silent 35 mm film camera. Previous blimped cameras had been heavy and cumbersome, but the compact 35BL weighed less than half as much and enabled sync-sound handheld camerawork. This was put to good use on its very first feature film, “Across 110th Street” (1972), shot by Jack Priestly ASC.
The 35BL II followed in 1975 with a quieter motor, then the 35BL III in 1980 with a new PL mount that did away with lens blimps. The 35BL 4, introduced in 1986, featured an improved viewing system, and three years later the 35BL 4S was the quietest yet, though it was soon to be superseded by the ARRIFLEX 535.
The 35BL was the first 35 mm camera system to incorporate a coaxial magazine, whereby the feed and take up spools sit side by side in separately accessed compartments. This design kept the camera as small as possible and resulted in a stable center of gravity, aiding shoulder-mounted operation.
The low sound level of the 35BL was achieved by isolating the internal workings of the camera from its outer shell. The entire movement floats on sound-absorbing rubber dampers and elastic bearings, dramatically reducing the transmission of noise and vibration from the inner skeleton to the body housing.
The 35BL series was bookended with two Academy Sci-Tech Awards: First a 1973 award to ARRI’s Joachim Gerb and Erich Kaestner for the development and engineering of the original ARRIFLEX 35BL, then a 1990 award to ARRI’s engineering department for continued design improvements, culminating in the 35BL 4S model.
From the moment of its release, the ARRIFLEX 35BL series was seized upon by cinematographers and directors for the advantages it brought to narrative filmmaking. Stanley Kubrick (pictured at top) used it on “Barry Lyndon” (1975), “The Shining” (1980), and “Full Metal Jacket” (1987), and its many other credits include such classics as “Taxi Driver” (1975), “The Terminator” (1984), and “Home Alone” (1990).
