Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
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You know I agree that everyone needs to “calm down”. I’ve been going to the BigScreen Classics at the Lafayette since it started. They had many kinks to work out from the first showing, but in time, it formed to be the great series it is today. I for one was ecxtatic to see “Ben-Hur” on that big screen..I’m hoping and betting that if Ziegfeld does this series again (I HOPE) they will work the kinks out , plan it more and make the next one bigger and better.
Sorry, Ed-you gave me the “heads up” on the list. Too early in the AM!
Gary
Irv:
Thanks, that is a great list by Al—I believe that “Cabaret” was my first Ziegfeld experience. Would love to see that again at the Ziegfeld. If you’re a Liza fan-a restored “Liza with a Z” on Showtime (which is supposed to be a free weekend preview) tonight at 8, I believe. (DVD comes out on Tues.) It’s a great show-and I only saw it at MTR, recently. It was shown at the Ziegfeld a few weeks ago during one of the closed days of the classics. Nobody invited me.
Gary
Was this 30 people total for all 5 shows or 30 people for the show you went too? Being the only theater showing the film in DLP in Manhattan I would expect things to pick up over the weekend. Amd Friday was a beautiful day with temps in the high 70’s.
Also the reiews in the NY Times was not good. The film itself is a very weak sequel to the original. The best bits were the scenes with the squirrel and his nut.
“OPENING DAY of Ice Age. 30 people in attendance”
I love the Ziegfeld and I hate to gloat but…
OPENING DAY of Ice Age. 30 people in attendance.
Gary… the posts above by Peter Apruzzese, Bill Huelbig and REndres regarding “Lust for Life” and “The Professional” refer to that Douglas/Lancaster retrospective. Scroll up about half way up the page back to AlAlvarez' post of January 28th 2006, where he lists every engagement at the Ziegfeld from its opening in 1969 all the way through the ‘80’s. On February 8th, Al followed up with all the engagements during the 1990’s. Those lists make for a nice stroll down memory lane! And take note of how frequently the theater was closed for short periods especially during the '70’s and '80’s.
Jeff and Peter,
Thanks for the info, I had suggested Jaws to Monique—hope to see it on the next go round. Would love to do the intro!!
Here’s a question-anyone think that a few B and W titles might draw an audience. Anyone remember the Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster “Tough Guys” Festival from the 1980’s at the Ziegfeld? I saw a great double bill of “Sweet Smell of Success” and “Ace in the Hole” AKA “The Big Carnival.” Not too many people there, but I loved it. The second film has long been on the “mosted wanted” list on DVD.
I just don’t know if it’s feasible today-maybe more Film Forum territory!
Gary
Gary/Ziegfeld Man:
I ran Jaws at the Lafayette back in 2004 and the print was fine, Universal having struck several new prints about a year before. There’s no need for a “restoration” on that title as Universal’s negative is excellent.
Gary/Ziegfeld Man:
I ran Jaws at the Lafayette back in 2004 and the print was fine, Universal having struck several new prints about a year before. There’s no need for a “restoration” on that title as Universal’s negative is excellent.
Three times is better than one! This system is really bogging…
Gary, you may be confusing dye fade with just bad printing, or prints being made from elements several generations from the negative (which is the case on lots of these prints). Lots of factors as you know will affect the color.
Yes, pink is pink, and that’s faded Eastmancolor for sure. Colors not being as strong isn’t fade. When Eastman fades, everything goes at the same rate, all colors look ‘off’ not just one.
Wow! I didn’t realize that its been 20 years since the Ziegfeld did the “Lust For Life” and “The Professionals” presentation. I remember them well as I was filling in as projectionist for those screenings. I think it was one of the last times I worked at the Ziegfeld, and one of perhaps two times that I worked there after they started showing films with a platter. I also noted the irony that the film that was most based on color, “Lust” was the one that was most faded. Of course our 70mm print of “Exorcist” at Radio City was also almost completely faded as well. I can sympathize with the projectionists at the Ziegfeld who had to patch “Lawrence” together. It took me about two hours to get the “Exorcist” print in (what I hoped) was running condition. We didn’t get a chance to pre-screen anything (a departure at the Hall) for the Warner’s series, which was probably just as well, as I’m not sure the “Exorcist” print would have survived another screening.
Jeff et.al:
Thanks for all the “fade” info—in paricular, I was referring to a recent “Barry Lyndon” at MOMA, a few months ago. The redcoats were certainly not pink, but not as red as I remember, and definitely not as good as the Warner’s DVD. I hear that there is a big problem with fade on “JAWS” prints-Spielberg has said it himself. I suggested “JAWS” as a title for the next classic series. You can be sure that I would bug Craig for Spielberg’s private print, or else, Robert Harris, how about a restoration on “JAWS”?
Gary
Jeff et.al:
Thanks for all the “fade” info—in paricular, I was referring to a recent “Barry Lyndon” at MOMA, a few months ago. The redcoats were certainly not pink, but not as red as I remember, and definitely not as good as the Warner’s DVD. I hear that there is a big problem with fade on “JAWS” prints-Spielberg has said it himself. I suggested “JAWS” as a title for the next classic series. You can be sure that I would bug Craig for Spielberg’s private print, or else, Robert Harris, how about a restoration on “JAWS”?
Gary
Jeff et.al:
Thanks for all the “fade” info—in paricular, I was referring to a recent “Barry Lyndon” at MOMA, a few months ago. The redcoats were certainly not pink, but not as red as I remember, and definitely not as good as the Warner’s DVD. I hear that there is a big problem with fade on “JAWS” prints-Spielberg has said it himself. I suggested “JAWS” as a title for the next classic series. You can be sure that I would bug Craig for Spielberg’s private print, or else, Robert Harris, how about a restoration on “JAWS”?
Gary
Pete – you’re right about “The Professionals” back in 1986. That was a beautiful print, and I was lucky to be seeing the movie for the first time that way instead of on TV.
Hardbop: Back in February, before the “Ben-Hur” show, one of the managers announced that they will most likely bring the revivals back during the theater’s slow times. I believe she specifically mentioned September or October. Since then, the Ziegfeld has had fairly large crowds even on weekday nights, and one of their friendly employees told me that some of the “Indiana Jones” shows did extremely well. So the chances do look good.
Does anyone know if the revivals will continue?
I wish it were true that when you leave your house, travel and pay bucks that the rep houses didn’t use faded prints. I am a frequent patron of BAM, AMMI, WR, MoMA & FF and often you see lousy prints. Most recently the print of “The Dunwich Horror” which screened at BAM recently was completely pink.
Yes, Jeff. There would be no issue with color fading on NbNW or Ben-Hur as they both had prints struck in recent years. Warner and the other majors are very good about not sending out faded prints any longer, but if that’s all they have they do give plenty of notice so that a programmer has the chance to change the booking to something else. I do it all the time.
Bill – I was at the same show of Lust for Life in 1986 and it was sad, but the new print of The Professionals they ran on the second half of the double-feature was spectacular.
The worst faded print I ever saw in a theater was “Lust for Life” (MGM, 1956 – in Metrocolor). It was shown at the Ziegfeld in 1986 and had turned completely pink. It was still worth seeing on a big screen, but what a shame for that particular movie to have faded so badly. It was practically ABOUT color.
Your chances of seeing a faded print at a show like this are low to non-existant. I think the only place that still has faded prints in their libraries is Criterion. Pete A. would know WAY more about this than me. Any self respecting programmer would not show a pink print. The prints you are seeing are all reprints on modern low fade stocks (LPP or Kodak Vision) and are not original release prints. If you were seeing original release prints, only those from 1973/4 through 1984 would have fade, as these would come from what collectors refer to as the “EastmanZone”. It’s the 10-11 year period between the time that no fade IB Tech/Dye Transfer printing ended and LPP film came on the market. “High fade” Eastmancolor was the predominant film stock used during this period.
Gary made a good point that no one else had addressed up to now: I saw 10 different titles in the series, and none of the prints had faded color. In fact, in some cases the color was quite spectacular. “North by Northwest” and “Ben-Hur” come to mind, especially considering how old those prints may have been – we’ll leave “Lawrence” out because that was a special case. Anyway, it’s just more proof that the Ziegfeld got things much more right than wrong during the Classics series.
To Robert Harris: Mr. Harris, I am reading and re-reading your posts here with great interest. I would like to address you privately regarding your comment about the “starting point” for good 70MM presentations.
A link to my e-mail address appears on my member page, accessible by clicking on my name below. Would you be so kind as to send me an e-mail?
You and your colleagues have provided me with hours upon hours of great entertainment. Thank you. I have three home video editions of MY FAIR LADY. The 1994 Laserdisc box set, the 2004 DVD release, and the 1996 Laserdisc that gloriously features Audrey Hepburn’s “Loverly” vocals in the film itself.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I want to see more TRUE 70mm productions on the screen. Ok, the sound was out of sync and I got angry, but the PICTURE! Oh, that picture. It just could not be compared to anything else I’ve seen recently in 35mm on any screen. More 70mm, and not 35mm blowups in 70, but TRUE 70mm.
Any theater can equip itself for 70mm, heck I know collectors that have 70mm equipment in their basement, but it’s not the same. This theater has all the proper pieces of the equasion already in place to put on a show that will let you come away with memories, and it should be utilized as such. I won’t make a special trip into the city for “Raiders”, “Close Encounters”, or even “Ben Hur” in 35mm, but I will do it again for any 70mm presentation.
Irv:
The new issue of Premiere magazine has a survey of the 100 greatest performances in film history. That’s over 100 years-including silents, foreign films, etc. Peter O' Toole’s performance in “Lawrence” is rated # 1. Obviously, this will be as controversial as AFI’s lists, but check out the magazine to see why they picked him as # 1.
I am very happen to see that the spirit here not only has calmed down (that includes me), but also is looking at the series as a whole. I saw “West Side Story,” “Ben-Hur,” “Raiders,” “CE3K,” and “Lawrence.”
Just a suggestion, if , at this point, you want to contact Craig, perhaps sizing up the series as a whole with a listing of what worked for you and what didn’t—that might be helpful. I thought, for example, that “Chicago” was a mistake—the film is too new, and Monique told me that the turnout was not great. I would like to see a few more that parents will bring their children to,e.g. “Mary Poppins.” I loved seeing all the children at “Raiders.” Also,, it would fill more seats.
Although the prints were not new, I did not see one “faded” one-that’s a big issue with me. The “sync” problem with “Lawrence” definitely had to be addressed, but the picture looked great. “Volume” issues, “intermission” issues—all important.
But I really think that there is a nice consensus that IT REALLY HAPPENED!
Let’s work to make it better-and how about every performance introduced by one of us. Enthusiasm is infectious. I feel it every time I visit this site.
Thanks,
Gary