No. The movie starts with curtains opening on a short little 4x3 black & white sequence showing the comic book pages and then moves into a shot of the Daily Planet building. Then as the camera moves into space, the screen widens and the music comes up loud for the very long title sequence. For another 45 minutes or so, we’ve got a great movie. Then Clark Kent comes to Metropolis and we end up with a silly farce. ;)
Blu-ray as good as 35mm? Really? Cinema DLP isn’t even as good as 35mm, so how could a consumer format with lower resolution equal it? When was the last time the Ziegfeld ran a 70mm print other than Lawrence of Arabia a couple of years ago? And those ‘fully restored 35mm prints’ that Clearview gets are the same that circulate to other theatres. Hopefully, the other theatres get them first before Clearview’s platter jockeys tear them up.
The above information re: Universal is not exactly correct. They did not lose all of their rep prints in the fire. Many, many prints of theirs were stored off-site at various depots/storage facilities, etc. And they have been going back and striking new prints of several titles lost in the fire.
Bill – glad you enjoyed the show. Our friend Jeff S. reminded me that he wanted the CinemaScope logo and fanfare LOUD, so that’s what you got :) And who else would have thought to run that unused Herrmann finale as exit music but me? You probably left before the next piece came on, the full recording of the unused “Twice as Tall” vocal.
It’s always possible, though the studios are strange sometimes with older films in a series. This year they withdrew from theatrical showings the first three Indiana Jones films with the new one coming out, which seems backwards to me. Although that might have been Lucas.
For Trek, I’d love to show the first one as it’s the ‘biggest’ of all the films. But I’d want to show the Director’s Cut and I’m not sure they made 35mm prints of it. A marathon of all would be fun, that’s certain, although I think everyone would fall asleep during Nemesis :)
Finished inspecting the films for the weekend last night – we’ve got some real beauties. The War of the Worlds is virtually brand new (fantastic color), the Journey to Center of the Earth is amazing with a really big-sounding stereo track. The Creeping Unknown is the longer British version, the Rodan is genuine Technicolor, the Man from Planet X is in excellent shape and almost never shown anywhere, the Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is an original release print as approved by Ray Harryhausen, and the Metropolis is Kino’s best print and the longest version currently available.
Hope to see you there – or make sure to listen in on the radio Friday night at 8pm (Eastern, we’ll be on about 8:07 after the national news): 1300AM or www.wrcr.com
Just noticed an embarrasing typo I made – that should be “Rodan”, not ‘Roadan’. Too many late nights getting everything ready ;)
Finished inspecting the films for the weekend tonight – we’ve got some real beauties. The War of the Worlds is virtually brand new (fantastic color), the Journey to Center of the Earth is amazing with a really big-sounding stereo track. The Creeping Unknown is the longer British version, the Rodan is genuine Technicolor, the Man from Planet X is in excellent shape and almost never shown anywhere, the Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is an original release print as approved by Ray Harryhausen, and the Metropolis is Kino’s best print and the longest version currently available.
Hope to see you there – or make sure to listen in on the radio Friday night at 8pm: 1300AM or www.wrcr.com
Thursday night, October 30 at 7:30 pm, we’re happy to present – by popular demand – the 1925 silent horror classic THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, starring Lon Chaney, with LIVE musical accompaniment by Jeff Barker on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Tickets are $10 for this special event and are on sale at the door.
=====
Then, on Friday, October 31, the Lafayette Theatre’s SCIENCE FICTION SPECTACULAR begins!
Here’s the complete SCIENCE FICTION SPECTACULAR 2008 line-up:
Friday, October 31 – War of the Worlds Tribute Night!
7:30pm – THE WAR OF THE WORLDS – LIVE ON STAGE & ON THE AIR! Our tribute begins with a 70th Anniversary live presentation of the 1938 Orson Welles ‘panic broadcast’, performed by a 5-person professional cast along with chilling sound effects using the original 1938 Howard W. Koch script. This special once-in-a-lifetime event will also be broadcast live on WRCR, Rockland County Radio, AM1300, or streamed on the internet at www.wrcr.com beginning at 8:07 pm (after the national news).
9:45pm – THE WAR OF THE WORLDS – The 1953 film will be shown, in tribute to the Centennial of the birth of its visionary producer George Pal. Presented in an archive vault print from Paramount Pictures.
(separate admission required for each event)
Saturday, November 1
1:30pm – EARTH V.S THE FLYING SAUCERS, featuring special visual effect by Ray Harryhausen, print courtesy Sony Pictures.
3:45pm – THE MAN FROM PLANET X, starring Robert Clarke and directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, rare showing of MGM’s vault print.
7:45pm – JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, starring James Mason and Pat Boone. Presented in CinemaScope & stereophonic sound via the East Coast premiere of a new vault print from 20th Century Fox!
Sunday, November 2
1:30pm – RODAN: THE FLYING MONSTER, presented in its original American release version and in Technicolor.
3:45pm – THE CREEPING UNKNOWN (aka THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT) starring Brian Donlevy – uncut British version.
7:30pm – Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS, this silent science fiction epic will be presented in its 2002 restored version and feature LIVE musical accompaniment by John Baratta on the Mighty Wurlitzer!
All tickets – $9 per show. Separate admission required. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each showtime and you can buy your tickets at the door. Go to: View link for more information.
It’s an illusion. The screen masking is a correct rectangle, but the aperture plates in the projector are cut in a keystoned pattern which would project as a perfect rectangle from that high angle. You can see that the image is actually wider at the bottom when the end credits roll, especially if they go from side to side. The image is actually being cropped slightly on left and rights sides, varying from a tiny bit at the top to a bit more at the bottom. Most of the time, it’s not noticeable.
How did the Wonder Weekend go? I know Dennis James was playing the Saturday night movie (we had him at the Lafayette a few years ago and he was terrific).
Welcome to the Fall 2008 season of special events at the historic Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, New York: movies, the way they were meant to be seen! We’d like to thank you for all of your support for our past events and hope to see you in the future. The Fall Season begins September 6 at 11:30 am – doors open at 11:00am for pre-show music with Jeff Barker on the Mighty Wurlitzer! All tickets – $7.00
Don’t forget our “Science Fiction Spectacular” weekend October 31 – November 2, featuring a special stage & screen tribute to “War of the Worlds”, as well as a rare screening of the 1959 CinemaScope spectacular “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, presented in a new DolbySR stereophonic print from the Fox archive.
You’ve been waiting for it and asking for it, so here it is: the Big Screen Classics Fall 2008 line-up, it’s taken a little extra time as we’ve been working behind the scenes to dig up some real treasures, but we think it’s a very special schedule:
9/6 – Robert Wise’s THE SAND PEBBLES, starring Steve McQueen, showing in a new print from the Fox archive with Stereo sound – a Roadshow presentation!
9/13 – 12 ANGRY MEN, starring Henry Fonda & Lee J. Cobb
9/20 – ANOTHER THIN MAN, starring William Powell & Myrna Loy
9/27 – THE GRAPES OF WRATH, starring Henry Fonda & Jane Darwell, showing in a new print from the Fox archive
10/4 – BORN YESTERDAY, starring Judy Holliday & William Holden
10/11 – A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, starring Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, & Orson Welles, presented in IB Technicolor
10/18 – THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, starring Richard Widmark & Sidney Poitier
10/25 – Fritz Lang’s THE BIG HEAT, starring Glenn Ford & Gloria Grahame, presented in Columbia’s archive print
11/8 – WOMAN OF THE YEAR, starring Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn
11/15 – THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, starring Cary Grant, James Stewart, & Katharine Hepburn
11/22 – Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS, starring Robert Donat & Madeleine Carroll
11/29 – THE WIZARD OF OZ, starring Judy Garland, presented in IB Technicolor – BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
12/6 – JOLSON SINGS AGAIN, starring Larry Parks & Barbara Hale
12/13 – HOLIDAY INN, starring Fred Astaire & Bing Crosby, print saved from the Universal fire!
12/20 – Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, starring James Stewart & Donna Reed PLUS the Lafayette’s pre-show Christmas Spectacular!
You can also read the entire schedule online HERE or download a flyer HERE.
Thank you again for all of your support and hope to see you at the shows.Don’t forget our “Science Fiction Spectacular” weekend October 31 – November 2, featuring a special stage & screen tribute to War of the Worlds, as well as a rare screening of the 1959 CinemaScope spectacular “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, presented in a new DolbySR stereophonic print from the Fox archive.
Here is the Big Screen Classics Fall 2008 line-up, it’s taken a little extra time as we’ve been working behind the scenes to dig up some real treasures, but we think it’s a very special schedule:
9/6 – Robert Wise’s THE SAND PEBBLES, starring Steve McQueen, showing in a new print from the Fox archive with Stereo sound – a Roadshow presentation!
9/13 – 12 ANGRY MEN, starring Henry Fonda & Lee J. Cobb
9/20 – ANOTHER THIN MAN, starring William Powell & Myrna Loy
9/27 – THE GRAPES OF WRATH, starring Henry Fonda & Jane Darwell, showing in a new print from the Fox archive
10/4 – BORN YESTERDAY, starring Judy Holliday & William Holden
10/11 – A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, starring Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, & Orson Welles, presented in IB Technicolor
10/18 – THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, starring Richard Widmark & Sidney Poitier
10/25 – Fritz Lang’s THE BIG HEAT, starring Glenn Ford & Gloria Grahame, presented in Columbia’s archive print
11/8 – WOMAN OF THE YEAR, starring Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn
11/15 – THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, starring Cary Grant, James Stewart, & Katharine Hepburn
11/22 – Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS, starring Robert Donat & Madeleine Carroll
11/29 – THE WIZARD OF OZ, starring Judy Garland, presented in IB Technicolor – BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
12/6 – JOLSON SINGS AGAIN, starring Larry Parks & Barbara Hale
12/13 – HOLIDAY INN, starring Fred Astaire & Bing Crosby, print saved from the Universal fire!
12/20 – Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, starring James Stewart & Donna Reed PLUS the Lafayette’s pre-show Christmas Spectacular!
You can also read the entire schedule online HERE or download a flyer HERE.
Thank you again for all of your support and hope to see you at the shows.
We’ve already run 2001 and Dr. Zhivago; Sound of Music and West Side Story will show up some day, though their length makes them difficult to run during the Saturday morning series.
OK, sorry I misunderstood. When I saw it opening night at the Route 4 Paramus in NJ, there was nothing on the screen except the massive curtain.
No. The movie starts with curtains opening on a short little 4x3 black & white sequence showing the comic book pages and then moves into a shot of the Daily Planet building. Then as the camera moves into space, the screen widens and the music comes up loud for the very long title sequence. For another 45 minutes or so, we’ve got a great movie. Then Clark Kent comes to Metropolis and we end up with a silly farce. ;)
Very cool, Howard!
Blu-ray as good as 35mm? Really? Cinema DLP isn’t even as good as 35mm, so how could a consumer format with lower resolution equal it? When was the last time the Ziegfeld ran a 70mm print other than Lawrence of Arabia a couple of years ago? And those ‘fully restored 35mm prints’ that Clearview gets are the same that circulate to other theatres. Hopefully, the other theatres get them first before Clearview’s platter jockeys tear them up.
The above information re: Universal is not exactly correct. They did not lose all of their rep prints in the fire. Many, many prints of theirs were stored off-site at various depots/storage facilities, etc. And they have been going back and striking new prints of several titles lost in the fire.
Bob – Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.
Jeff – Thanks for posting those pictures, I will have a complete gallery of your shots posted on the Lafayette website this weekend.
Yes, please post some photos, Jeff. It’ll be a while before I can add them to the Lafayette’s website. Don’t forget Ro-man!
Bill – glad you enjoyed the show. Our friend Jeff S. reminded me that he wanted the CinemaScope logo and fanfare LOUD, so that’s what you got :) And who else would have thought to run that unused Herrmann finale as exit music but me? You probably left before the next piece came on, the full recording of the unused “Twice as Tall” vocal.
I’ll certainly try, JMF.
I’m off for the show – everyone please tune in tonight! 8:00 pm at www.wrcr.com or 1300AM in the Rockland County area.
It’s always possible, though the studios are strange sometimes with older films in a series. This year they withdrew from theatrical showings the first three Indiana Jones films with the new one coming out, which seems backwards to me. Although that might have been Lucas.
For Trek, I’d love to show the first one as it’s the ‘biggest’ of all the films. But I’d want to show the Director’s Cut and I’m not sure they made 35mm prints of it. A marathon of all would be fun, that’s certain, although I think everyone would fall asleep during Nemesis :)
Finished inspecting the films for the weekend last night – we’ve got some real beauties. The War of the Worlds is virtually brand new (fantastic color), the Journey to Center of the Earth is amazing with a really big-sounding stereo track. The Creeping Unknown is the longer British version, the Rodan is genuine Technicolor, the Man from Planet X is in excellent shape and almost never shown anywhere, the Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is an original release print as approved by Ray Harryhausen, and the Metropolis is Kino’s best print and the longest version currently available.
Hope to see you there – or make sure to listen in on the radio Friday night at 8pm (Eastern, we’ll be on about 8:07 after the national news): 1300AM or www.wrcr.com
Just noticed an embarrasing typo I made – that should be “Rodan”, not ‘Roadan’. Too many late nights getting everything ready ;)
Finished inspecting the films for the weekend tonight – we’ve got some real beauties. The War of the Worlds is virtually brand new (fantastic color), the Journey to Center of the Earth is amazing with a really big-sounding stereo track. The Creeping Unknown is the longer British version, the Rodan is genuine Technicolor, the Man from Planet X is in excellent shape and almost never shown anywhere, the Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is an original release print as approved by Ray Harryhausen, and the Metropolis is Kino’s best print and the longest version currently available.
Hope to see you there – or make sure to listen in on the radio Friday night at 8pm: 1300AM or www.wrcr.com
Very cool! I’ve seen a few similar messages over the years, including ones with electioneering such as “Vote Tony D. for Local 1234”.
We’ve got a busy week in store for you!
Thursday night, October 30 at 7:30 pm, we’re happy to present – by popular demand – the 1925 silent horror classic THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, starring Lon Chaney, with LIVE musical accompaniment by Jeff Barker on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Tickets are $10 for this special event and are on sale at the door.
=====
Then, on Friday, October 31, the Lafayette Theatre’s SCIENCE FICTION SPECTACULAR begins!
Here’s the complete SCIENCE FICTION SPECTACULAR 2008 line-up:
Friday, October 31 – War of the Worlds Tribute Night!
7:30pm – THE WAR OF THE WORLDS – LIVE ON STAGE & ON THE AIR! Our tribute begins with a 70th Anniversary live presentation of the 1938 Orson Welles ‘panic broadcast’, performed by a 5-person professional cast along with chilling sound effects using the original 1938 Howard W. Koch script. This special once-in-a-lifetime event will also be broadcast live on WRCR, Rockland County Radio, AM1300, or streamed on the internet at www.wrcr.com beginning at 8:07 pm (after the national news).
9:45pm – THE WAR OF THE WORLDS – The 1953 film will be shown, in tribute to the Centennial of the birth of its visionary producer George Pal. Presented in an archive vault print from Paramount Pictures.
(separate admission required for each event)
Saturday, November 1
1:30pm – EARTH V.S THE FLYING SAUCERS, featuring special visual effect by Ray Harryhausen, print courtesy Sony Pictures.
3:45pm – THE MAN FROM PLANET X, starring Robert Clarke and directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, rare showing of MGM’s vault print.
7:45pm – JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, starring James Mason and Pat Boone. Presented in CinemaScope & stereophonic sound via the East Coast premiere of a new vault print from 20th Century Fox!
Sunday, November 2
1:30pm – RODAN: THE FLYING MONSTER, presented in its original American release version and in Technicolor.
3:45pm – THE CREEPING UNKNOWN (aka THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT) starring Brian Donlevy – uncut British version.
7:30pm – Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS, this silent science fiction epic will be presented in its 2002 restored version and feature LIVE musical accompaniment by John Baratta on the Mighty Wurlitzer!
All tickets – $9 per show. Separate admission required. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each showtime and you can buy your tickets at the door. Go to: View link for more information.
$54 to see bad 70s and 80s movie ‘villains’, no thanks. Give me Karloff, Lugosi, Cushing, Lee and Price any day of the week.
It’s an illusion. The screen masking is a correct rectangle, but the aperture plates in the projector are cut in a keystoned pattern which would project as a perfect rectangle from that high angle. You can see that the image is actually wider at the bottom when the end credits roll, especially if they go from side to side. The image is actually being cropped slightly on left and rights sides, varying from a tiny bit at the top to a bit more at the bottom. Most of the time, it’s not noticeable.
How did the Wonder Weekend go? I know Dennis James was playing the Saturday night movie (we had him at the Lafayette a few years ago and he was terrific).
Oops, here’s the links:
Schedule: http://www.bigscreenclassics.com/newschedule.htm
Flyer: View link
Welcome to the Fall 2008 season of special events at the historic Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, New York: movies, the way they were meant to be seen! We’d like to thank you for all of your support for our past events and hope to see you in the future. The Fall Season begins September 6 at 11:30 am – doors open at 11:00am for pre-show music with Jeff Barker on the Mighty Wurlitzer! All tickets – $7.00
Don’t forget our “Science Fiction Spectacular” weekend October 31 – November 2, featuring a special stage & screen tribute to “War of the Worlds”, as well as a rare screening of the 1959 CinemaScope spectacular “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, presented in a new DolbySR stereophonic print from the Fox archive.
You’ve been waiting for it and asking for it, so here it is: the Big Screen Classics Fall 2008 line-up, it’s taken a little extra time as we’ve been working behind the scenes to dig up some real treasures, but we think it’s a very special schedule:
9/6 – Robert Wise’s THE SAND PEBBLES, starring Steve McQueen, showing in a new print from the Fox archive with Stereo sound – a Roadshow presentation!
9/13 – 12 ANGRY MEN, starring Henry Fonda & Lee J. Cobb
9/20 – ANOTHER THIN MAN, starring William Powell & Myrna Loy
9/27 – THE GRAPES OF WRATH, starring Henry Fonda & Jane Darwell, showing in a new print from the Fox archive
10/4 – BORN YESTERDAY, starring Judy Holliday & William Holden
10/11 – A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, starring Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, & Orson Welles, presented in IB Technicolor
10/18 – THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, starring Richard Widmark & Sidney Poitier
10/25 – Fritz Lang’s THE BIG HEAT, starring Glenn Ford & Gloria Grahame, presented in Columbia’s archive print
11/8 – WOMAN OF THE YEAR, starring Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn
11/15 – THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, starring Cary Grant, James Stewart, & Katharine Hepburn
11/22 – Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS, starring Robert Donat & Madeleine Carroll
11/29 – THE WIZARD OF OZ, starring Judy Garland, presented in IB Technicolor – BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
12/6 – JOLSON SINGS AGAIN, starring Larry Parks & Barbara Hale
12/13 – HOLIDAY INN, starring Fred Astaire & Bing Crosby, print saved from the Universal fire!
12/20 – Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, starring James Stewart & Donna Reed PLUS the Lafayette’s pre-show Christmas Spectacular!
You can also read the entire schedule online HERE or download a flyer HERE.
Thank you again for all of your support and hope to see you at the shows.Don’t forget our “Science Fiction Spectacular” weekend October 31 – November 2, featuring a special stage & screen tribute to War of the Worlds, as well as a rare screening of the 1959 CinemaScope spectacular “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, presented in a new DolbySR stereophonic print from the Fox archive.
Here is the Big Screen Classics Fall 2008 line-up, it’s taken a little extra time as we’ve been working behind the scenes to dig up some real treasures, but we think it’s a very special schedule:
9/6 – Robert Wise’s THE SAND PEBBLES, starring Steve McQueen, showing in a new print from the Fox archive with Stereo sound – a Roadshow presentation!
9/13 – 12 ANGRY MEN, starring Henry Fonda & Lee J. Cobb
9/20 – ANOTHER THIN MAN, starring William Powell & Myrna Loy
9/27 – THE GRAPES OF WRATH, starring Henry Fonda & Jane Darwell, showing in a new print from the Fox archive
10/4 – BORN YESTERDAY, starring Judy Holliday & William Holden
10/11 – A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, starring Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, & Orson Welles, presented in IB Technicolor
10/18 – THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, starring Richard Widmark & Sidney Poitier
10/25 – Fritz Lang’s THE BIG HEAT, starring Glenn Ford & Gloria Grahame, presented in Columbia’s archive print
11/8 – WOMAN OF THE YEAR, starring Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn
11/15 – THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, starring Cary Grant, James Stewart, & Katharine Hepburn
11/22 – Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS, starring Robert Donat & Madeleine Carroll
11/29 – THE WIZARD OF OZ, starring Judy Garland, presented in IB Technicolor – BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
12/6 – JOLSON SINGS AGAIN, starring Larry Parks & Barbara Hale
12/13 – HOLIDAY INN, starring Fred Astaire & Bing Crosby, print saved from the Universal fire!
12/20 – Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, starring James Stewart & Donna Reed PLUS the Lafayette’s pre-show Christmas Spectacular!
You can also read the entire schedule online HERE or download a flyer HERE.
Thank you again for all of your support and hope to see you at the shows.
We’ve already run 2001 and Dr. Zhivago; Sound of Music and West Side Story will show up some day, though their length makes them difficult to run during the Saturday morning series.
Thanks for the article, Warren. They were hoping for 500 to show, so they did 20% better than expectations.
Here’s an article/review from yesterday’s New York Times:
View link
RE: “And why The Trolley Song…”
Perhaps he thinks it’s a good tune?
The big organ concert event is tomorrow night!
Here’s an article in the NY Post from the other day about it:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6zh3om
Ziegfeld Man –
Regarding Steve McQueen in “The Sand Pebbles”, keep September 6 open for a drive to the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern… :)