Cinerama Hollywood
6360 Sunset Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6360 Sunset Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
142 people
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Under the title “How the West was Shown”, the in70mm site has posted a short article and some pictures from this weekend’s Cinerama events at the Dome:
View link
I got Russ Tamblyn’s autograph at a sci-fi/horror convention a few years ago and he was extremely nice, talking with me about Cinerama and “The Haunting”, etc. He also posed for a picture with me.
To manwithnoname,
I was one of the autograph hounds “bothering” Russ Tamblyn during intermission of “How the West Was Won.” Mr. Tamblyn was perfectly gracious about giving autographs to my friend and me. He was not bothered in the least.
couchcritic
My last film in the Dome was “Rambo”. The CG expoding disembowelments looked great on the giant curved screen! I saw “Diving Bell & the Butterfly” on the same day. Probably the only person on earth who can say that.
J. Sittig,
I appreciate your response and, regarding the sound issue, somethings things just happen. The problem with these kinds of problems is that you can’t just stop and then start all over again (lest you risk some serious wrath). I certain appreciate the effort you guys put into the show, and I wouldn’t hesitate to attend another show in the future (This is Cinerama- please). I was sitting there during the overture staring up at the ceiling thinking how lucky I am to live in an area where this stuff is commonplace. I’m glad to see you guys finally putting the Dome to some good use (I was also there for the Wednesday showing of The Fly). Despite what some people think, The Dome is one of the few true Cinema Treasures left and I’m always happy to walk up that hallway and enter that auditorium (but more so when the film isn’t something like Scary Movie 17 or Jeepers Creepers 6).
J. Sittig, thanks for the info. I do know that when they finally showed three panel Cinerama there, it was not a louvered screen. But that explains why Mad World looked so good there.
Pictureville Cinema at the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK shows ‘This is Cinerama’ in 3-strip Cinerama from 3 booths and onto a louvered screen on the first Saturday of each month at 1.30pm. Other Cinerama, (plus CineMiracle and Kinopanorama), films are regularly shown during Bradford Film Festival which is held at this cinema every March. Pictureville is able to show any film format and sound process and next door is the IMAX 3D cinema.
As the Director of Sight and Sound for Pacific Theatres, I am respomsible for the Cinerama presenations at the Dome. FYI we did
run the entire film earlier in the week, as well as a short section Sunday morning. We also had outside technican to EQ the auditorium
Friday morning for the magnetic soundtracks for 2001 and HTWWW.
I am personally enbarrassed by the sound problem, but it was not due
to lack of concern.
The Cinerama Dome did have a louvered screen when it opened in 1963
and it was replaced once before we went to a solid sheetin the mid 1970’s. Interestingly, the LA review of Its A Mad Mad Mad Mad World
mentions the cross light reflection.
William, I remember now the drapes covering the other booths, so I was wrong about that part, but not wrong about the fact that they never had the louvered screen, which is the only way to get enough light on the side panels.
Bruce when the Dome originally opened it was designed to handle 3 panel Cinerama and the new Super Cinerama presentaions. The theatre did have three booths. The Able and Charlie booths were covered by drapes.
For those with Blu-ray players the film is presented in two formats to see. First version is what they call a SmileBox version which gives the viewer a somewhat and bigger letterbox of what the Cinerama theatre type screen viewing. And a regular letterbox matted at 2.89:1 aspect ratio. Plus that Wonderful Doc. “Cinerama Adaventure”. The transfers look GREAT on both. The regular DVD edition is three discs with the film on 2 discs (only the regular letterbox version) and the doc on the last disc (with the special SmileBox presentation).
I was also at the HTWWW show and, unfortunately, I walked out about an hour in. The soundtrack mishap was really so annoying and distracting that I couldn’t sit through it. It was exciting to be able to see the film in this format, but the whole thing was just really poorly executed (including starting the show 45-minutes late).
And could they have found worse seats for the special guests? Putting Russ Tamblyn and his family on the floor way over to the side seemed wrong.
I attended the last engagement of HTWWW and there was none of the audio issues. I noticed in the Arclight ad in the LA Times that Tropic Thunder showed in the dome after HTWWW in digital. I think they should have had HTWWW be the only film in the dome that day, do a run through in the morning, work out the kinks, and then play it later in the afternoon or evening for an audience. Its not every day you get to run 3-strip Cinerama and perhaps they should have been more prepared.
I wish I could work up enthusiasm for seeing three-panel Cinerama at the Dome, but they have never had a proper Cinerama screen to project on (louvered) and the image is just too damn dim for it to have the effect it had in true Cinerama theaters. Remember, the Dome was not designed to show true three-panel Cinerama, and a few years ago when they renovated, they should have installed the proper louvered screen – THEN you’d be seeing Cinerama the way it should be seen.
The 8:00 PM “2001” show is sold out as well!
JSA
It looks like Warner Home Video will be giving away to the first 100 Ticket Holders in line, copies in Blu-ray of “2001” and “How The West Was Won” for the upcoming screenings.
It’s nice to see the Arclight actually giving The Godfather/The Godfather Part II a one-week run at the Dome. Too bad they couldn’t have done the same with 2001 and How the West Was Won. Even a weekend for each would have been sufficient.
Dave Strohmaier (“The Cinerama Adventure”) posted a neat flyer for the upcoming Cinerama showings of “HTWWW” and “2001” at the Dome on the “In 70mm” website:
View link
I presume that the Godfather films presented will be the recent restoration effort by Robert Harris, in collaboration with Gordon Willis. If so, I’m giving digital a chance: truly an offer you can’t refuse!
JSA
Before the upgrade in the booth a few years ago at the Dome. On the projectionists control panel there was masking setting buttons for the masking stops on the screen. There was Flat (1.85), Scope (2.40), 70MM (Spherical), 70MM (Widescreen) and Cinerama. Up until the 70’s the Cinerama masking setting button was still wired and could be used (carbon arc lamphouses still in the booth). But after that time and the xenon lamphouses were added to the booth. They only used the masking up to the 70MM (widescreen) setting. There was still more screen hidden behind the main curtains.
The D5 Digital format is Panasonic’s Professional Digital playback deck format. HD-Cam and HD-Cam SR is Sony’s Professional Digital playback deck formats.
However, wouldn’t a Warner Pacific showing be an industry screening closed to the public, thus making the Cinerama Dome showing the proper West Coast premiere for the public?
The D5 was shown over a year ago at the old Warner’s Cinerama (Pacific’s) on Hollywood Blvd. I was there – hardly the premiere.
I have read that the Cinerama screen at the Dome is 126 degrees of an arc, while the Cinerama process was shot with a 146 degree field of view. If that is the case, how does the Dome setup deal with the difference ? Is there cropping ? I have seen Cinerama presentations at both the Dome, and in Seattle. I could be mistaken, but it was my impression that Seattle was more like the original Cinerama experience that I remember. In any case, I have my ticket for Sept. 7th. See you there !
If they used a film print (35mm or 70MM) it would have filled the screen, but in an earlier post said they were going to show the film in a Digital video format. And yes to both of your questions on prints and lens to fill that screen. Fox has restored many of their shot in 65MM features, but they will not let theatres that are not equipped to run in a change-over projection format book these prints. In many cases their are very used or really faded prints still available to book. “2001” being available from Warner Bros. can be plattered for the shows. So this is the case you have back in New York with the Ziegfeld Theatre in Midtown.
Just saw the screening of ‘South Pacific’ at the Cinerama Dome. I am in town for awhile from NYC and I was amazed at this theater that I have waited so long to visit. It really is a bit of a mind blower. The film was introduced by none other than Mitzi Gaynor herself. It was great to see this legend in person, and the print was one of the cleanest I have ever seen. Absolutely crystal clear, colorful, and resonant. I was also in awe of the size of the screen image. The only setback to the whole night was the curvature of the image on the screen. It didn’t 100% fill the screen leaving the areas in the lower left and right noticeably empty. I was really glad to see this film in this theater, but it was a bit of a shame that the perspective of the image was a bit off. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do have a tad of projection booth experience. I’m guessing that this question may have been answered earlier in this thread, but I’m too lazy to backtrack. Were any of these prints designed to fill that screen? Was there ever a lens designed to take standard prints and project them so it could fill the screen? It was a bit distracting. Unfortunately I will be back on the east coast when the screening of ‘2001’ takes place. I’d be interested to see if the same problem exists with that print.
I would venture a guess the platter doesn’t have to be such a bad thing if they were specially designed to handle the film better and much more carefully (ala the IMAX or SHOWSCAN systems) instead of the designs they took for mass manufacturing.
Also apparently they have been experimenting with a new 10k “ultra definition” system at the egyptian which take’s 70mm negatives and transfers them to a new digital format, supposed to look better than Showscan or Imax. I don’t know much about it other than vague reports from the inside, it’s supposed to be mindblowing. Anyone know anything about this?