I was in charge of projection at Pacific Theatre and ArcLight for 34 years. This years
7 film series will present 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY in 70mm and HOW THE WEST WAS WON in it’s original 3 strip Cinema process. The other films in the series are digital prints, all of which except LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, are rectified for the down angle and curve of the Cinema screen. Horizon lines will not dip in the middle. We made digital copies of the 5 Cinema travel adventures and WINDJAMMER for the cost of making a photochemical print of 1 title. With only 3 theatre in the world that can show 3 strip Cinerama, you can understand why we did what we did. We will also be adjusting the bottom masking before each show in order to fill the entire screen. Hope to see you all there. John Sittig
Roger. Warner Bros does not have playable 70mm print of BATTLE OF THE BULGE. Warner’s did make a new print of MGM’s GRAND PRIX but it does not have a soundtrack and takes a hard drive for the film print and will not allow that print to be plattered. Park Circus, distributor for UA classics does not have a playable print of MAD WORLD. The 2 new prints they MGM struck for the 40th anniversary and we played several times are gone. You are correct that The a Dome has 3 strip prints of THIS IS CINERAMA and WEST but those are the only two titles available. BROTHERS GRIMM which we played in 2012 was a collectors print which we had to get signed permission from Warner’s to play and we had to make a new 35mm full coat soundtrack. Other than badly faded and spliced collector prints, there are no other 3 strip prints. As someone who also favors celluloid, I appreciate your enthusiasm.
I was the Director of Projection and Sound at Arclight Cinemas from its opening to my retirement in 2016. I still consult on projection at The Dome. 2001 was shown it the correct aspect ratio 2:20x 1 in the Dome and one the Arclight screens. The Dome has 3 way masking so we can adjust the height and width of the picture. Some theatres, as described earlier, because of the dimensions of their screens a film or digital copy can be cropped in the field to fit their screen or worst yet, when their bigger picture is flat, filling the screen on a scope picture and cutting off the sides by 20% or more. This does not happen at Arclight. The other format problem that kills me is a theatre playing a classic with an aspect ratio of 1:37 x 1. The print is pillar boxed and the theatre blows up the picture so it fits their flat screen, thus cutting off foreheads and feet.
Beginning Sunday Sept 30, Arclight will be playing 4 classic Cinerama titles to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Cinerama Dome. All films will be projected digitally. Sept 30, BATTLE OF THE BULGE, 1965, presented in Ultra-Panavision 70, (2:76 x 1) Others in the series are GRAND PRIX, Super Panavision 70 (2:20 x1) HOW THE WEST WAS WON composite 3 three strip (2:76 x 1) and ending on November 7 with IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD, WORLD Ultra-Panavision 70 2:76 x 1 celebrating the film and The Dome’s 55th anniversary. Tickets will be on sale shortly at arclightcinemas.com. We will be showing HOW THE WEST WAS WON in the future in 3 strip Cinerama but the timing was not right for this engagement as there was not enough time to completely go over the 4 machines as they have only been used twice in the last 6 years. I will make it a priority in 2019 get them in excellent running order again.
The 70mm Norelco projectors at Cinema East were brand new when the theatre opened. they were bought and installed by john Kenny from Ringold Theatre Equipment in Detroit. Second film to open at Cinema East was MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES in 70mm Todd-AO.
Other memorable opening were Planet of the Apes, Jaws, Magnum Force and Jesus Christ Superstar where we made burlap robes for the employees to wear. I was the manager for 1973 to 1975 when Charlie Sugarman opened Cinema North. Wonderful showman and a great theatre.
CINERAMA returns to The Dome in April with the two most popular titles from the 1960’s. Sunday April 19, HOW THE WEST WAS WON presented in its original three- strip format with 7 channel stereophonic sound. Sunday April 26, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY . If you have never experienced these films on the Cinerama screen, you haven’t seen them at all. Tickets on sale at arclightcinemas.com. And for our Cinerama fans in the Midwest, the Detroit Music Hall, the second Cinerama installation in the world, (March 23, 1953) with play digital restorations of CINERAMA HOLIDAY, SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, and select sequences from THIS IS CINERAMA on a specially constructed curved screen, Sunday April 12. Information and tickets available at www.musichall.org.
On March 23, 1953, The Detroit Music Hall became the 2nd theatre in the world to show movies in the revolutionary process know as Cinerama. The first film, THIS IS CINERAMA played here for 100 weeks and grossed $1,896,855. On Sunday April 12, 2015, you can revisit the world of the 1950’s when we present select sequences from THIS IS CINERAMA and the complete roadshow versions of CINERAMA HOLIDAY and SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, projected digitally on a specially constructed curved screen. Tickets for this one of a kind event are available at www.musichall.org.
CINERAMA WEEKEND AT THE DOME. the last two Cinerama 1950’s travelogues make their remastered, restored, premieres at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD (1956) plays Saturday November 1 at 11:00am and SEARCH FOR PARADISE (1957) plays Sunday November 2 at 11:00am. Also showing at 3:00pm on Sunday is 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY. Tickets for all three digital presentations are available at arclightcinemas.com. Prizes will be given to lucky seat holders.
I was in charge of projection at Pacific Theatre and ArcLight for 34 years. This years 7 film series will present 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY in 70mm and HOW THE WEST WAS WON in it’s original 3 strip Cinema process. The other films in the series are digital prints, all of which except LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, are rectified for the down angle and curve of the Cinema screen. Horizon lines will not dip in the middle. We made digital copies of the 5 Cinema travel adventures and WINDJAMMER for the cost of making a photochemical print of 1 title. With only 3 theatre in the world that can show 3 strip Cinerama, you can understand why we did what we did. We will also be adjusting the bottom masking before each show in order to fill the entire screen. Hope to see you all there. John Sittig
Roger. Warner Bros does not have playable 70mm print of BATTLE OF THE BULGE. Warner’s did make a new print of MGM’s GRAND PRIX but it does not have a soundtrack and takes a hard drive for the film print and will not allow that print to be plattered. Park Circus, distributor for UA classics does not have a playable print of MAD WORLD. The 2 new prints they MGM struck for the 40th anniversary and we played several times are gone. You are correct that The a Dome has 3 strip prints of THIS IS CINERAMA and WEST but those are the only two titles available. BROTHERS GRIMM which we played in 2012 was a collectors print which we had to get signed permission from Warner’s to play and we had to make a new 35mm full coat soundtrack. Other than badly faded and spliced collector prints, there are no other 3 strip prints. As someone who also favors celluloid, I appreciate your enthusiasm.
I was the Director of Projection and Sound at Arclight Cinemas from its opening to my retirement in 2016. I still consult on projection at The Dome. 2001 was shown it the correct aspect ratio 2:20x 1 in the Dome and one the Arclight screens. The Dome has 3 way masking so we can adjust the height and width of the picture. Some theatres, as described earlier, because of the dimensions of their screens a film or digital copy can be cropped in the field to fit their screen or worst yet, when their bigger picture is flat, filling the screen on a scope picture and cutting off the sides by 20% or more. This does not happen at Arclight. The other format problem that kills me is a theatre playing a classic with an aspect ratio of 1:37 x 1. The print is pillar boxed and the theatre blows up the picture so it fits their flat screen, thus cutting off foreheads and feet. Beginning Sunday Sept 30, Arclight will be playing 4 classic Cinerama titles to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Cinerama Dome. All films will be projected digitally. Sept 30, BATTLE OF THE BULGE, 1965, presented in Ultra-Panavision 70, (2:76 x 1) Others in the series are GRAND PRIX, Super Panavision 70 (2:20 x1) HOW THE WEST WAS WON composite 3 three strip (2:76 x 1) and ending on November 7 with IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD, WORLD Ultra-Panavision 70 2:76 x 1 celebrating the film and The Dome’s 55th anniversary. Tickets will be on sale shortly at arclightcinemas.com. We will be showing HOW THE WEST WAS WON in the future in 3 strip Cinerama but the timing was not right for this engagement as there was not enough time to completely go over the 4 machines as they have only been used twice in the last 6 years. I will make it a priority in 2019 get them in excellent running order again.
The 70mm Norelco projectors at Cinema East were brand new when the theatre opened. they were bought and installed by john Kenny from Ringold Theatre Equipment in Detroit. Second film to open at Cinema East was MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES in 70mm Todd-AO. Other memorable opening were Planet of the Apes, Jaws, Magnum Force and Jesus Christ Superstar where we made burlap robes for the employees to wear. I was the manager for 1973 to 1975 when Charlie Sugarman opened Cinema North. Wonderful showman and a great theatre.
CINERAMA returns to The Dome in April with the two most popular titles from the 1960’s. Sunday April 19, HOW THE WEST WAS WON presented in its original three- strip format with 7 channel stereophonic sound. Sunday April 26, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY . If you have never experienced these films on the Cinerama screen, you haven’t seen them at all. Tickets on sale at arclightcinemas.com. And for our Cinerama fans in the Midwest, the Detroit Music Hall, the second Cinerama installation in the world, (March 23, 1953) with play digital restorations of CINERAMA HOLIDAY, SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, and select sequences from THIS IS CINERAMA on a specially constructed curved screen, Sunday April 12. Information and tickets available at www.musichall.org.
On March 23, 1953, The Detroit Music Hall became the 2nd theatre in the world to show movies in the revolutionary process know as Cinerama. The first film, THIS IS CINERAMA played here for 100 weeks and grossed $1,896,855. On Sunday April 12, 2015, you can revisit the world of the 1950’s when we present select sequences from THIS IS CINERAMA and the complete roadshow versions of CINERAMA HOLIDAY and SOUTH SEAS ADVENTURE, projected digitally on a specially constructed curved screen. Tickets for this one of a kind event are available at www.musichall.org.
All ArcLight locations including the newest have dual 35mm Kinoton projectors so they can play studio prints reel to reel. Interstellar is plattered.
Interstellar 70mm is 8 reels.
I saw them in the booth at the Cinerama Dome
CINERAMA WEEKEND AT THE DOME. the last two Cinerama 1950’s travelogues make their remastered, restored, premieres at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD (1956) plays Saturday November 1 at 11:00am and SEARCH FOR PARADISE (1957) plays Sunday November 2 at 11:00am. Also showing at 3:00pm on Sunday is 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY. Tickets for all three digital presentations are available at arclightcinemas.com. Prizes will be given to lucky seat holders.