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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I don’t have any proof, but the $3 for 3D thing sounds like a Disney corporate directive. Last year I saw the Brendan Fraser version of “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, a New Line release, and there was no extra charge for the glasses. “Up” is the first Disney film I’ve seen in 3D, so I don’t know if this has happened before, but it does sound like something they would foist on their enormous public.
Craig, are you listening?
I know I am going to get run over by saying this, but here goes…Al Alverez, Bill Heulbig and Movieguy718 have all just said in the prior 3 posts, exactly the same things I have been saying for many, many years. This is exactly whats wrong with the industry today. I’m sure I haven’t been doing this projection thing as long as Al, but still 34 years is a long time. I remember the days when you would never cancal a show for anyone, or anything. This idea of charging $ 3.00 extra for a pair of glasses you don’t even get to keep (I know, what else can you use them for, its just the principle of it) is pissing off so many people, its not even funny. I see it all day at the theatre I work at. And yes all this digital sound is way, way to loud. And trailers, even going back 30 years were always loud. I dont care what anyone says, the old days were way way better.
For the life of me, I cannot understand how this can happen in a SINGLE SCREEN THEATER: A few posts above, someone complained that the commercials and trailers heading Star Trek were EXCRUCIATINGLY loud. I saw Star Trek here (on the Monday of it’s 1st week) and neither the trailers nor THE FEATURE ITSELF were loud enough. It was hardly the first time this has happened here.
IN A SINGLE SCREEN THEATER! In a DIGITAL CINEMA single screen theater—where they can set separate sound cues for each trailer if they care to.
Over the past 23 years I’ve gone out of my way to see every piece of crap they throw up on the screen here. Like another recent poster, I will no longer bother. I can get crap presentations anywhere – no need to go to the Ziegfeld for that. In fact, the presentation at the E-Walk on 42nd St is superior (sound-wise). And their two large auditoriums have screens that are bigger than the Ziegfeld’s as well. The 4 big screens at Kips Bay also. Hell, the Union Square does a consistently finer job projecting their movies.
Just angry that they can’t even get it consistently right and perfect in a SINGLE SCREEN THEATER. Seriously, their projection staff has nothing else to do. If they’re too lazy to program their expensive state-of-the-art equipment, the least they could do is adjust the volume manually between the trailers and the feature. There really is NO EXCUSE.
“Up” at the Ziegfeld was good last night, if not quite the work of genius I was expecting after reading some of those reviews. One small gripe: they charged an extra $3 for the 3D glasses, and you had to put them in a recycling tray after the movie was over. Also, the sign over the box office still said $12.50, and when you got to the cashier’s window you were told it was actually $15.50. False advertising …
The 3D in “Up” was used in a very subtle way, so much so that at times I didn’t even notice it.
Looks like “Harry Potter” is going to play here, judging from the huge window displays.
I actually worked out of the Ziegfeld for years when it was Cineplex Odeon and once had a good look at Fanny’s shoes.
I have been in the industry my whole life and I know the drill. You get a call a day before a premiere from a distributor flunky telling you they want the theatre a day early for a technical run-through. You tell them it is too late to change the schedule and they need to come in overnight instead. They argue the point and some New York studio hotshot throws a tantrum and calls LA to complain. Someone from LA calls Clearview headquarters in New jersey and plays the Hollywood ‘friend’ card.
If the operations guys at Clearview have no balls, the distributor bullies get their way and the Ziegfeld’s dwindling customers get screwed yet again. You then put an hourly staff member up front to issue refunds for rickets sold and take the abuse for your failure to play the movie you falsely advertised.
We were able to stop this most of the time when I was there since the media used to jump all over Cineplex Odeon so head office backed us up. (We had faces then!)
This customer will now be missing.
ALWAYS call the theatre’s main 2 Numbers BEFORE attending a show. Epically IF the movie has been playing for 2-3 weeks or more.
The Recorded # is 212-765-7600. The office # to reach a LIVE person during operating hours is 212-765-7601
Did you at least get to look at Fannie Brice’s shoe while you were there?
Howard, as I always do, I checked both the Clearview site and Movietickets.com and both showed the movie as playing this morning. Both were updated this afternoon.
Attended a Star Trek showing here on Friday the 22nd. When I arrived at the ticket window I found the showtimes had been changed from what I had just printed out from online (all shows were running 15 minutes later) and the escalator was not working. Enjoyed the movie but the previews and commercials before it were loud and excruciating. HOWEVER…the theater is beautiful, clean and spacious. Lighting is ambient, the carpets mute noise. Picture and sound quality during the film was excellent, and the concession and foyer area are beautiful, and seem unchanged from what I recall back as far as the early 1980s. Thank goodness we still have the Ziegfeld. Over the last 22 years I have only gone to see about 8 or 9 movies here, but I am going to make it a point to get here more often. Not much to look at outside but marvelous within!
The Ziegfeld often has movie premieres, and sometimes goes dark because they don’t always have enough business. Anyone who comments frequently on this site is on the Internet, and should check Clearview’s website to confirm the show is on.
Not being a particularly avid “STAR TREK” fan I decided to go see it anyway since it has received good reviews and it was soon leaving the one remaining large single screen cinema in New York.
Since I live just west of 42nd Street, as usual, I bypassed the two busy multiplexes on that street, with their comfortable chairs and staggered show times, in order to support the Ziegfeld. For the third time this year I was let down. All advertised showings of “STAR TREK” have been cancelled for the remainder of the week and a new film opens Friday.
I have been happily walking that extra New York City mile and bypassing AMC and Regal for two years. It will not happen again.
Bravo, JodarMovieFan, the Uptown DC wasn’t showing it, so you enjoyed it here. I was in London on vacation and was thrilled to see it on a screen larger than the Ziegfeld’s, with 2 curtains used, a THX trailer and fantastic sound, at the Empire at Leicester Square:
/theaters/912/
Maybe one day when I’m at New York City if a Yankee game gets rained out, I would ask my dad to take a trip to this theater that he’s been to a couple of times (he saw Apocalypse Now at this theater).
I finally caught Star Trek, yesterday (Sun 5/25/09), here before it left the Ziegfeld. This was the first time I had to stand and wait before going into the theater. I suppose the last showing was especially trashy. The female usher took our tickets and told us we could sit anywhere we wanted. Wasn’t this always the case?Hoping to surpass my experience watching the last Star Wars movie, I was both pleased and disappointed. The sound and picture were superb. Even the pre-show commercials were unusually bright and colorful that made you take notice of them. I couldn’t believe myself actually watching all the commercials before the show! You’d never see anything like this at a Regal or AMC.
The movie seemed brighter with better contrast than the DP versions I’ve seen. Or, maybe its the fact I sat pretty close to the screen? Soundwise I heard surrounds I’ve never heard before, which was a pleasant surprise but there seemed to be less bass than I’ve been used to, especially in comparison to my local THX cert venue in Annapolis. Punches had less of an ‘oomph’ impact and during the Enterprises ‘escape from the grav pull of a forming black hole (hard to believe), it almost sounded as if the speaker was crackling from the high demands of the soundtrack.
This is the first time we had to wait in line before going in. I’m guessestimating there was a crowd of less than maybe 200, but a very enthusiastic group. Judging from the age range, I suspected most were repeat viewers but I could over hear conversation from behind me of first time viewers, who were familiar with the series, who thoroughly enjoyed the movie as well.
Unfortunately, my expectation of the Ziegfeld’s superb showmanship were diminished somewhat since the curtain was not used during the show. Additionally, they did not show the Dolby Digital Cinema trailer, either. If they aren’t going to consistently use it (curtain), remove the damn thing and be like every other boring multiplex.
Went this past Sunday to STAR TREK!
Excellent Film!
Superb sound and picture.
Great Audience!
It may be true that the Ziegfeld can not compare to the Rivoli or Criterion or some of the other great movie places of the past.
but right now folks..in New York City..
This is all we have…
and we should be greatful for every second we get to spend time there!
If I see Craig on Thursday at the Chelsea Classics film series (hosted by the hilarious Hedda Lettuce and now in its 8th year!) I will ask him about the curtain situation.
But I think it’s been up to the whim of the projectionist. When I see the projectionist before the show (he sometimes stands near the condiment table) I always ask him to operate the curtain, and he usually does. So I guess it’s often by special request only…
Clearview executive Craig O'Connor visits this page occasionally. Maybe he can initiate a curtains-in-use-at-every-show policy?
I attended Saturday’s screening of Star Trek at the Ziegfeld and, once again, had a wonderful experience. Seeing a film here is always a pleasure. The film is one of the best that I’ve seen in many years and I am not a trekkie. It truly was wonderful. The sound was excellent and YES!!!!! They used the curtains and everyone applauded. I would say that for the 7:00 PM performance, it was about 75% full. The line to get into the theater stretched all the way to 6th Avenue. It’s always nice to see, unless of course, I’m at the end of the line.
Thanks Jodar and Bill. But still wonder why any cinema fan visiting NY, of which the Ziegfeld is a “must”, should trust to luck as to whether or not their session will co-incide with the supposedly occassional use of the curtains. Surely Clearview Cinemas should have a firm policy, one way or the other.
Bercy: most theaters in the US don’t have curtains anymore, which is why it’s such a treat to see them in use at the Ziegfeld (when they bother to use them, that is).
Bill, thanks. I hope to make it up there next Sun. :)
Bercy, at the Senator in Baltimore, they would close and open the curtain before the main attraction so I guess it would depend on the venue. Towards the end of their operation though, I did notice that the curtain had to be manually (a worker had to pull them open) operated. Since the rest of the moviehouses in and around the DC Metro/Balto area where I’m at are multiplexes without curtains the discussion is moot.
Am intrigued by the constant “did they/didn’t they” use the curtain comments. Surely in these days of automation the use of screen tabs should be a no-brainer. Here in Australia it’s just accepted that all cinemas with screen curtains are automatically programmed to operate, along with house-to-half lighting, as part of a cinematic presentation. Even when I’m the only person remaining in the auditorium (more often than not) at the conclusion of the credits, I still appreciate the closing of the curtains as a last-remaining vestige of showmanship. Considering the Ziegfeld’s fame in NY, is this a situation peculiar to Clearview, or an accepted practice across America?
Jodar: The presentation of the movie itself was very fine overall (good and loud), but they didn’t use the curtain. There was a long gap between the Clearview pre-show stuff and the trailers, and I was hoping to see those curtains start to close, but no such luck.
The audience was very much into the movie (Friday 10:15 PM show), but there were a number of empty seats way down front and on the sides.
I too enjoyed hearing the 1966 ship sounds displayed so prominently. If I remember right, that’s one of the first things you hear when the movie begins. I do want to see it again.
Bill, we know the movie is ‘trektacular’ but how was the presentation at the Ziegfeld? Did they use the curtain? Did they play the Dolby Digital Cinema trailer prior to the start? On the other hand, were there any noticeable detractions in the presentation? I wanted to come up to see it on Sun but forgot it was Mother’s Day. Hopefully, I can make it up next weekend before it goes. I’ve seen it 4x, 3x in a DCinema set up with THX and in the IMAX-lite set up at the AMC. As far as I’m concerned, the Dolby Digital Cinema set up with THX is superior to IMAX in sound. You can ‘feel’ the punches with a more resounding thud and the surrounds, ship ambient sounds (I love how they mixed the classic TOS ship sounds with modern)…were all far superior. I noticed that the Lincoln and Empire IMAX showtimes were practically sold out the entire weekend, as were the ones in the DC market.