Thank you Michael. Anyway, this topic is more appropriate for the Dome page, but the reason for my question was because I recall seeing “2001” at the Dome one Saturday afternoon in 1992. When we walked out of the theatre, there was a line for a sneak preview of “Far and Away” later in the evening. I’m not sure if my memory is playing tricks on me!
When I saw “2001†at the Cinerama Dome, they screened what I believe to be an “un-rectified†print. There were some minor, but noticeable image distortions. One scene had a major problem. On a long side shot of Discovery during the second act, the spaceship’s image was “bent”, and followed the contour of the Dome’s giant screen. Having said that, the overall presentation was very, very, impressive. I would go back in a second to the Dome if they screen “2001†in 70 mm, rectified or not!
Perhaps Michael Coate can shed some light as to the last time the Dome screened “2001â€â€¦
In my opinion, one of the most unusual movies screened at the Paramount was “The Song Remains the Same”, circa 1978 or 1979. The film chronicled a rock concert at Madison Square Garden by the British group Led Zeppelin. This was the last film I saw there before its conversion into a triplex. During the theater’s triplex years, I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Clash of the Titans”, and “Rocky III”.
Correction to my post from 9/21/06:
The sentence “In comparison, the Cinerama Dome at Los Angeles is 86 feet wide…†should read “In comparison, the Cinerama Dome’s screen at Los Angeles is 86 feet wide…â€
Fred Waller’s “standard" Cinerama screen was approximately 75 feet wide by 26 feet high, with a 146-degree curve (Mr. Waller was the pioneer of Cinerama). Unfortunately I don’t know what the dimensions were for the Teatro Cinerama, but I do remember seeing a few films in that wonderful theatre. In comparison, the Cinerama Dome at Los Angeles is 86 feet wide by 32 feet high with a 126-degree curvature, and seats in the neighborhood of 800. As a side note, the Cinerama Dome at LA did not play 3-strip Cinerama features until recently. “This is Cinerama†and “How the West Was Won†have been screened at the Dome within the last 3 years, after the theatre underwent an extensive renovation. The Dome opened in 1963 with “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World†in single strip 70 mm Cinerama. In LA, the 3-strip Cinerama films were originally screened at the Warner Cinerama (presently closed to the public and also known as the Hollywood Pacific), which had the louvered screen with a 146-degree curve. Back to the Teatro Cinerama: the last film I saw there was the disastrous “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Bandâ€, certainly an unfitting “farewell†to that great cinema.
WSS is arguably the most influential and revolutionary musical of its time, if not all time. Just to see the words “WEST SIDE STORY” appear towards the end of the overture on the giant screen is pure magic. The aerial images of New York City during the opening sequence are spectacular, breathtaking and unforgettable.
For all this and more, among all places, NYC deserves to be THE site for the first public screening of a brand new WSS 70 mm print.
From Michael, a few posts above: “…I’ll take this opportunity to relay just how cool it was to see the new 70mm print of “Grand Prix” just a few weeks agoâ€â€¦
That film demands the big screen!!! Awesome! It’s on my Dome widescreen “wish listâ€! Someday…
Thanks Michael. Hopefully the Ziegfeld will take the necessary steps to demonstrate that they have the skills required to run this film. And hopefully it will find its way here in LA as well. Last time I saw it on the big screen was around the late 80’s at the Cinerama Dome.
Regarding Sony & MGM/UA, I believe Sony still owns a limited stake in MGM. In this era of corporate mergers, it’s very difficult to keep track or ascertain a major studio’s identity solely by the films they produce.
Here’s a list of a few classics screened between May and July of this year in the LA area:
Aero Theatre, Santa Monica:
Sunset Boulevard (May 17)
Cleopatra ( Jun 24, in 70 mm)
The Sound of Music (Jun 25, in 70 mm)
Vertigo (Jun 29, in 70 mm)
A Hard Day’s Night (Jul 15)
Wizard of Oz (Jul 22)
Arclight, Hollywood:
Lawrence of Arabia (Jun 7, in 70 mm DTS)
The King and I (Jun 7)
Bay Theatre, Seal Beach:
Frankenstein (Jun 9-12)
Taxi Driver (Jun 16-19)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Jun 25-28)
The Shining (Jul 7-10)
Bridge on the River Kwai (Jul 23-26)
Egyptian, Hollywood:
Around the World in 80 Days (May 5, in Todd-AO)
South Pacific (May 6, in 70 mm)
Patton (May 7, in 70 mm)
Brainstorm (May 10, in 70 mm)
Mad Max: The Road Warrior (May 11, in 70 mm)
The Guns of Navarone ( May 12)
Some Came Running (May 17)
Revenge of Frankenstein (Jun 8)
Horror of Dracula (Jun 9)
El Capitan, Hollywood:
Dumbo (May 26 – Jun 7)
Warner Grand, San Pedro:
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (May 7)
Mary Poppins (Jun 4)
Seems to me that this article should be re-titled “Promising News for Disney”. The only thing that can be inferred from this survey is that 89 % of the potential “Pirates” audience will flock to the theatres during the first weeks of release, given that the film is available in another medium at the same time. So there would be a relative low risk, and high financial incentive for Disney, if they decide to do that. This is good news to business strategists (not necessarily the “moviegoerâ€, unless you’re a “Pirates†fan), since it suggests that a theatrical saturation release for the third film can yield a big return early on, with a simultaneous DVD release.
Thanks William! It’s good to know that the theater has 70 mm capability. One can only hope that someday the general public may enjoy a few 70 mm presentations at the theatre.
Ron Newman brings up some very interesting – and dreadful – statistics. Probably his comment warrants an entire separate discussion thread. I would be kind of curious to see how this pattern manifests itself in other major cities.
From the moviegoer’s point of view, I don’t mind paying the premium and driving to Pacific’s Arclight/Dome or the Chinese, given that the picture gets my serious attention. I will get a far better presentation and service than at any of my local multiplexes. The Arclight has done, in my opinion, a fantastic job of integrating multiple screening rooms with their trademark Cinerama Dome. In addition, my experiences dealing with the Arclight’s employees have been very pleasant and have found them very courteous. There is also a very decent cafe, and their martinis are pretty good!
Last Friday night I attended the Todd-AO 30 fps presentation of “Around the World in 80 Days” at the Egyptian in LA. According to the gentleman that introduced the picture, this print was struck in 1968. It was a bit more faded than I expected, but still enjoyable. The real minus for me was that the introduction by Ed Murrow was cut short: the “Trip to the Moon” and the rocket firing sequences were missing. I could be wrong, but it seemed that the introduction edit was similar to the one made for network TV. I can only imagine how this picture would look and sound if fully restored. Overall, we had a good time, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this print for the general public. It all depends on how much fading you can tolerate. Certainly fans and enthusiasts of the film will enjoy it. My 7-year old son got a kick out of it! As an extra before the picture, a recently restored “The Miracle of Todd-AO” was shown. The roller coaster and motorcycle ride scenes were fantastic! The other noteworthy 70 mm presentations during the weekend were “Patton†and “South Pacificâ€. Unfortunately, I missed those. Next time perhaps!
Maybe a place to start would be to show classics at the Dome Saturdays and/or Sundays, at a special matinee or other regularly established time. Some smaller theaters do this already.
When it comes to classics such as “Ben-Hur†and “Around the World…†my experience is that people who dislike them fall into two main categories. The first category consists of those who have seen them on a small screen, thus missing essential dramatic impact elements and production values. The second group includes people that have not seen the movies at all, and rely on the judgment of people who happen to fall into the first category. There are variations on these themes, which include “political correctnessâ€, the “it’s too long†factor, and so on. Still, there are some who watch these films in their full glory only to come out disappointed. My grandmother saw “Ben-Hur†way back when, and she hated it. It was too long and perhaps too violent for her sensibilities.
I had the privilege of seeing “Ben-Hur†at the Dome in the early 90’s. William Wyler’s masterpiece is simply spectacular, deserving every single one of its 11 Academy Awards. Since then, I have refused to watch it on TV, no matter what format.
In the Ziegfeld’s CT page, I suggested a coast-to-coast classics revival that could take place simultaneously at flagship theaters in both the East and West Coasts. My thoughts were that, if successfully executed, such an event could demonstrate that there is substantial audience interest in classic films, in terms of proper theatrical presentation. In addition, this revival could offer industry, enthusiasts and the general public, with an opportunity to discuss in an open forum issues of interest such as restoration, preservation, and presentation of classic films. The Cinerama Dome would be the ideal place to host this event, particularly when it comes to 70 mm.
As Bill pointed out, the Ziegfeld is planning another classics series for this November. It would certainly be interesting if both venues coordinated efforts, along with the film distributors, the studios and other technical professionals, to bring out the best possible prints and stage a large-scale classic series.
Thank you Michael. Anyway, this topic is more appropriate for the Dome page, but the reason for my question was because I recall seeing “2001” at the Dome one Saturday afternoon in 1992. When we walked out of the theatre, there was a line for a sneak preview of “Far and Away” later in the evening. I’m not sure if my memory is playing tricks on me!
Once again, Thanks!
JSA
Ed,
When I saw “2001†at the Cinerama Dome, they screened what I believe to be an “un-rectified†print. There were some minor, but noticeable image distortions. One scene had a major problem. On a long side shot of Discovery during the second act, the spaceship’s image was “bent”, and followed the contour of the Dome’s giant screen. Having said that, the overall presentation was very, very, impressive. I would go back in a second to the Dome if they screen “2001†in 70 mm, rectified or not!
Perhaps Michael Coate can shed some light as to the last time the Dome screened “2001â€â€¦
JSA
In my opinion, one of the most unusual movies screened at the Paramount was “The Song Remains the Same”, circa 1978 or 1979. The film chronicled a rock concert at Madison Square Garden by the British group Led Zeppelin. This was the last film I saw there before its conversion into a triplex. During the theater’s triplex years, I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Clash of the Titans”, and “Rocky III”.
Correction to my post from 9/21/06:
The sentence “In comparison, the Cinerama Dome at Los Angeles is 86 feet wide…†should read “In comparison, the Cinerama Dome’s screen at Los Angeles is 86 feet wide…â€
Fred Waller’s “standard" Cinerama screen was approximately 75 feet wide by 26 feet high, with a 146-degree curve (Mr. Waller was the pioneer of Cinerama). Unfortunately I don’t know what the dimensions were for the Teatro Cinerama, but I do remember seeing a few films in that wonderful theatre. In comparison, the Cinerama Dome at Los Angeles is 86 feet wide by 32 feet high with a 126-degree curvature, and seats in the neighborhood of 800. As a side note, the Cinerama Dome at LA did not play 3-strip Cinerama features until recently. “This is Cinerama†and “How the West Was Won†have been screened at the Dome within the last 3 years, after the theatre underwent an extensive renovation. The Dome opened in 1963 with “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World†in single strip 70 mm Cinerama. In LA, the 3-strip Cinerama films were originally screened at the Warner Cinerama (presently closed to the public and also known as the Hollywood Pacific), which had the louvered screen with a 146-degree curve. Back to the Teatro Cinerama: the last film I saw there was the disastrous “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Bandâ€, certainly an unfitting “farewell†to that great cinema.
Bill,
Regarding the Ziegfeld’s “special event”: As a consolation, Grauman’s Chinese is hosting the premiere of “Jackass 2” tonight!
JSA
We’re overdue for a proper theatrical re-release of the Bond films. At least the first 3 or 4.
JSA
If theatres are going to show commercials, they should provide patrons the main feature’s actual start time.
JSA
Bill,
Thanks for the posting! Ten sold out evening shows!
What really gets me is that “Cleopatra” was playing in Todd-AO less than a mile away at the Pantages !!
JSA
How about “American Cinematheque at the Ziegfeld presents…”?
WSS is arguably the most influential and revolutionary musical of its time, if not all time. Just to see the words “WEST SIDE STORY” appear towards the end of the overture on the giant screen is pure magic. The aerial images of New York City during the opening sequence are spectacular, breathtaking and unforgettable.
For all this and more, among all places, NYC deserves to be THE site for the first public screening of a brand new WSS 70 mm print.
From Michael, a few posts above: “…I’ll take this opportunity to relay just how cool it was to see the new 70mm print of “Grand Prix” just a few weeks agoâ€â€¦
That film demands the big screen!!! Awesome! It’s on my Dome widescreen “wish listâ€! Someday…
JSA
Thanks Michael. Hopefully the Ziegfeld will take the necessary steps to demonstrate that they have the skills required to run this film. And hopefully it will find its way here in LA as well. Last time I saw it on the big screen was around the late 80’s at the Cinerama Dome.
Regarding Sony & MGM/UA, I believe Sony still owns a limited stake in MGM. In this era of corporate mergers, it’s very difficult to keep track or ascertain a major studio’s identity solely by the films they produce.
JSA
Michael: WOW!! Wonderful news!!! Any information regarding sound format? Potential screenings?
Regards,
JSA
The Aero screened the restored print of Cleopatra. It was also shown at the Academy of Motion Picures.
Here’s a list of a few classics screened between May and July of this year in the LA area:
Aero Theatre, Santa Monica:
Sunset Boulevard (May 17)
Cleopatra ( Jun 24, in 70 mm)
The Sound of Music (Jun 25, in 70 mm)
Vertigo (Jun 29, in 70 mm)
A Hard Day’s Night (Jul 15)
Wizard of Oz (Jul 22)
Arclight, Hollywood:
Lawrence of Arabia (Jun 7, in 70 mm DTS)
The King and I (Jun 7)
Bay Theatre, Seal Beach:
Frankenstein (Jun 9-12)
Taxi Driver (Jun 16-19)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Jun 25-28)
The Shining (Jul 7-10)
Bridge on the River Kwai (Jul 23-26)
Egyptian, Hollywood:
Around the World in 80 Days (May 5, in Todd-AO)
South Pacific (May 6, in 70 mm)
Patton (May 7, in 70 mm)
Brainstorm (May 10, in 70 mm)
Mad Max: The Road Warrior (May 11, in 70 mm)
The Guns of Navarone ( May 12)
Some Came Running (May 17)
Revenge of Frankenstein (Jun 8)
Horror of Dracula (Jun 9)
El Capitan, Hollywood:
Dumbo (May 26 – Jun 7)
Warner Grand, San Pedro:
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (May 7)
Mary Poppins (Jun 4)
Seems to me that this article should be re-titled “Promising News for Disney”. The only thing that can be inferred from this survey is that 89 % of the potential “Pirates” audience will flock to the theatres during the first weeks of release, given that the film is available in another medium at the same time. So there would be a relative low risk, and high financial incentive for Disney, if they decide to do that. This is good news to business strategists (not necessarily the “moviegoerâ€, unless you’re a “Pirates†fan), since it suggests that a theatrical saturation release for the third film can yield a big return early on, with a simultaneous DVD release.
JSA
Thanks William! It’s good to know that the theater has 70 mm capability. One can only hope that someday the general public may enjoy a few 70 mm presentations at the theatre.
Regards,
JSA
Thank you Michael. Shortly after I posted my question, I searched in the “from script to dvd” site, and found my answer!
It is interesting to note that the Egyptian ran a 70 mm engagement of “Tora! Tora! Tora!” the following year (1971) as well.
JSA
William: When was the last time 70 mm was run at the Pantages?
Ron Newman brings up some very interesting – and dreadful – statistics. Probably his comment warrants an entire separate discussion thread. I would be kind of curious to see how this pattern manifests itself in other major cities.
From the moviegoer’s point of view, I don’t mind paying the premium and driving to Pacific’s Arclight/Dome or the Chinese, given that the picture gets my serious attention. I will get a far better presentation and service than at any of my local multiplexes. The Arclight has done, in my opinion, a fantastic job of integrating multiple screening rooms with their trademark Cinerama Dome. In addition, my experiences dealing with the Arclight’s employees have been very pleasant and have found them very courteous. There is also a very decent cafe, and their martinis are pretty good!
Good presentation, good screen, sound system, showmanship, service, facilities (i.e. café, bar, etc.) and yes, a curtain that works, need not be exclusive domain of a “luxury†or high-end theater/multiplex. These features come at a cost for sure, but they are necessary to make the theater-going experience worth the admission price for the audience, and eventually bring in business.
JSA
More bad news for me: They have to do that the week I’m out of town on a business trip…
To Peter Apruzzese and Bill Huelbig:
Last Friday night I attended the Todd-AO 30 fps presentation of “Around the World in 80 Days” at the Egyptian in LA. According to the gentleman that introduced the picture, this print was struck in 1968. It was a bit more faded than I expected, but still enjoyable. The real minus for me was that the introduction by Ed Murrow was cut short: the “Trip to the Moon” and the rocket firing sequences were missing. I could be wrong, but it seemed that the introduction edit was similar to the one made for network TV. I can only imagine how this picture would look and sound if fully restored. Overall, we had a good time, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this print for the general public. It all depends on how much fading you can tolerate. Certainly fans and enthusiasts of the film will enjoy it. My 7-year old son got a kick out of it! As an extra before the picture, a recently restored “The Miracle of Todd-AO” was shown. The roller coaster and motorcycle ride scenes were fantastic! The other noteworthy 70 mm presentations during the weekend were “Patton†and “South Pacificâ€. Unfortunately, I missed those. Next time perhaps!
Regards,
JSA
Maybe a place to start would be to show classics at the Dome Saturdays and/or Sundays, at a special matinee or other regularly established time. Some smaller theaters do this already.
JSA
When it comes to classics such as “Ben-Hur†and “Around the World…†my experience is that people who dislike them fall into two main categories. The first category consists of those who have seen them on a small screen, thus missing essential dramatic impact elements and production values. The second group includes people that have not seen the movies at all, and rely on the judgment of people who happen to fall into the first category. There are variations on these themes, which include “political correctnessâ€, the “it’s too long†factor, and so on. Still, there are some who watch these films in their full glory only to come out disappointed. My grandmother saw “Ben-Hur†way back when, and she hated it. It was too long and perhaps too violent for her sensibilities.
I had the privilege of seeing “Ben-Hur†at the Dome in the early 90’s. William Wyler’s masterpiece is simply spectacular, deserving every single one of its 11 Academy Awards. Since then, I have refused to watch it on TV, no matter what format.
JSA
In the Ziegfeld’s CT page, I suggested a coast-to-coast classics revival that could take place simultaneously at flagship theaters in both the East and West Coasts. My thoughts were that, if successfully executed, such an event could demonstrate that there is substantial audience interest in classic films, in terms of proper theatrical presentation. In addition, this revival could offer industry, enthusiasts and the general public, with an opportunity to discuss in an open forum issues of interest such as restoration, preservation, and presentation of classic films. The Cinerama Dome would be the ideal place to host this event, particularly when it comes to 70 mm.
As Bill pointed out, the Ziegfeld is planning another classics series for this November. It would certainly be interesting if both venues coordinated efforts, along with the film distributors, the studios and other technical professionals, to bring out the best possible prints and stage a large-scale classic series.
JSA