Cinerama Hollywood

“From what I saw, they made a fortune at the snack bar also which we all know is where the real money is made.”

Yeah…and they almost screwed themselves out of a bigger fortune because they were TOTALLY UNPREPARED for the onslaught that hit the snack bar during Intermission. I was literally at the front of the line with a long trail behind me when they abruptly announced that the register I was in was closed. We had a fit and after a crapload of haggling, they quickly assembled a new register and a new line.

The killer of all that was their explanation of why they closed the register:

LOWLY CONCESSION WORKER: We didn’t expect the snack bar to be crowded during intermission.

ME: It’s a ***king sold out show! What did you think was gonna happen?

LOWLY CONCESSION WORKER: I’m sorry. We were unprepared for this.

History tells us that when it comes to single-strip Cinerama, the source came from either Ultra-Panavision or Super Panavision. The Ultra-Panavision films (i.e. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World, Khartoum, etc.) received a rectification that consisted of a gradient squeeze. The experts point out to us that the Super Panavision/Cinerama films (2001, Grand Prix, Ice Station Zebra) did not receive any optical rectification. But I have to agree with the above post and also reiterate my earlier statement: the image fit much better along the curve this time. If I’m not mistaken, this print was struck in 2000. I’ve also wondered about years in the past when “2001” was re-issued at the D-150 theatres: Were there any rectified prints ever struck?

By the way, I can’t get “The Blue Danube” off my head!

JSA

2001: All in all, after braving the LA freeway system, it was a good time last night! The Dome was packed. The movie started about 15 minutes late, and yes, overture and intermission were observed accordingly. For some reason, the picture did not seem as distorted (ie the “banana” effect) as the last time I saw it there in the early 90’s. However, the clicking noise due to the bad track was annoying. As mentioned a few postings above, it occured only during the first half. The second part of the film was much better in sound, and with less visible scratches. The Star Gate sequence looked AWESOME in that giant screen!

Truly, I appreciate “2001” more and more as the years go by. Seen from this vantage point in time, it’s hard to believe that a major studio trusted a director’s vision for a film that transcends its medium.

My thanks to the guys at the booth for putting a good show, and hopefully we will see more 70 MM in the future!

JSA

I’m wondering if this is the same 70mm print the AFI Silver had last Feb ‘07. It had an annoying tapping sound starting with the scene with Bowman rescuing Poole. You can read my experience at the AFI Silver’s page. I don’t know how to do the html thingy, yet.

Yes, that’s true. The Seattle standard screen has a slight curve though. Many years ago, I saw a 70 MM presentation of 2001 in a large flat screen and it looked great, so no doubt that the Seattle shows will be fine. I was planning to make the trip there until the Dome announcement. I’ll definitely make the trip north when they pull out the large Cinerama screen.

And come to think of it, since the print at the Dome is going to be run in a platter, maybe a 70 MM screening of “2001” at the Ziegfeld is not out of the realm of possibility…

JSA

I’m just glad they’re giving Rambo the night off on the 30th.

The “2001” screening is sold out! JSA

It’s nice to see “2001” screening at the Dome. Would it have killed Archlight and AFI to extend it for a weekend? It is the 40th anniversary afterall. They do have 12 other screens to showcase all the other crap. They seem to forget that the Dome is a palace that desrves to host a little royalty beyond one-night stays. The last “classic” to have an extended run(a weekend or more) was “Alien” in 2003. That’s five years ago. Prior to 2002 when it was just the Dome screen, at least a dozen classic films had extended runs every year.I’m talking week-long festivals that coexisted with current studio bookings. And they were always packed. In a span of one year, I saw Apocalypse Now, River Kwai and Close Encounters. You’ve never seen any of those films until you’ve seen them at the Dome. It’s sad that today’s generation can’t experience classic films on its concave screen beyond one night. I don’t know about you but given the choice of screening “Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or “Lawrence of Arabia” on my 65" TV or on the Dome screen, the Dome wins every time. Archlight prides itself on being the movie lover’s choice. It would be nice if they actually showed movies we love.

Thanks Rizzo. Sounds like it’s going to be a good show. My only request is that please allow a reasonable break time during the intermission!

JSA

I have the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission.

JSA

The Dome is considered a “historical landmark” by the city so I believe a renovation to put in a mezzanine-level booth isn’t legally allowed, even if Pacific wanted to spend the money to do it (this is the reason that the seats are still crappy). And if they could, they wouldn’t because 90% or more of the patrons only care about “BIG SCREEN!!” and not about the improvement in quality it would bring from a lower projector and shrinking the screen for digital and 35mm.

Regarding the recent discussion about image distortion… Isn’t the distortion a result of the high projection angle more so than the curved screen?

I attended a 70 mm presentation of “2001” at the Dome back in the early 90’s. To me, the distortions were tolerable, with the notable exception of Discovery’s image during the “Jupiter Mission” segment, as described by Kram a few postings above. To say it looked like a “banana” is kind. But in the end, the good outweighed the bad: the landing at Clavius and the entire “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” sequences were absolutely spectacular. I was engulfed, or rather “enveloped” by the huge images on screen and the terrific soundtrack. Because this film has influenced me in many ways, I would definitely make the trip to the Dome if it plays there again.

JSA