When SIFF acquired the Seattle Cinerama there were unanswered questions. After some effort I was able to get answers about those previously undisclosed details WRT the theater’s new incarnation, including the story behind the loss of the Cinerama name.
From what I see here if a theater changes management and/or gets a new name there is only one page for all iterations of that theater, a new one is not created. I saw this for the Ritz/Cine/Pussycat/Miracle in Inglewood, CA and suspect it’s the rule, not the exception. This makes more sense to me from a historical perspective rather than creating a different page for each successor, but that seems to be the way it works here at CT anyway.
I’d like to hear the question about the Cinerama process directly from SIFF. My understanding was that SIFF couldn’t license just the name for the theater. It doesn’t mean they couldn’t use the process.
The Seattle Cinerama has closed for renovations—suddenly it seems, and someone tweeted that the staff was laid off without much notice. According to the Seattle Times article renovations include “new carpet, general wear-and-tear refurbishment, and an overhaul to the kitchen, which will allow the theater to expand its food offerings.” Makes me wonder if they’re going to expand the lobby.
As to when it will reopen: “The Vulcan rep declined to give a specific date for the theater’s reopening, saying only that Cinerama would be back in business ‘later this year ahead of the year’s biggest films.’” Sounds like Vulcan is being vague on purpose, as that could mean ahead of the summer releases, or the end of year awards-driven output.
My two-part article on the Seattle Cinerama has been published online, and thought both to be of interest to the folks here.
Part 1, titled “Seattle’s 70mm Film Festival Triumphs and Travails”, is a behind the scenes look that includes answers to some of the issues raised in this forum. The challenges in obtaining 70mm prints are not isolated to this one venue or festival; in this age of instant digital gratification through various formats it’s easy to forget that many titles for 70mm films may be in poor condition if they exist at all—though salvation may still be possible from exhibitors investing in striking new 70mm prints.
The Seattle Cinerama had done that with “2001: A Space Odyssey” for a festival run in 2014. The issue of variety is valid but to address one poster’s concern, sitting through a damaged, faded print years ago will be surpassed by viewing a newer, more pristine print. There are some of us who can, believe it or not, sit through certain movies many times as most of us lack a gigantic screen in a cavernous room at home to accommodate 70mm and matching surround sound. For me when the 1998 restoration of “Vertigo” in 70mm is shown there I don’t think twice about whether I should see it. I can’t duplicate this experience at home, and one day it might not be available at all.
The movie being viewed is only part of the equation, with the other being the theatre itself. “Saving the Seattle Cinerama: Paul Allen’s Gift to Movie Lovers” covers how a billionaire valued history and culture over what could have been a far more profitable (and for some, obvious) quick property investment. This conclusion covers how the Cinerama process and futuristic vibe of the Seattle World’s fair spawned the theater that first featured that process, and how it became the stellar movie palace it is today.
Here are the links to the articles. As a longtime denizen and supporter of this site I hope the readers here enjoy these articles.
Part 1 (70mm Festival):
http://somethingelsereviews.com/2016/09/13/70mm-film-festival-seattle-part-1/
Part 2 (History of Cinerama, the process and the theatre):
http://somethingelsereviews.com/2016/09/14/saving-the-seattle-cinerama-paul-allen/
The Leimert Theatre’s original name needs to somehow be added to search…I didn’t know it was most recently called the Vision until I learned about it on another site.
I was a youngster growing up in L.A. (around 1960) and still remember the Mesa well. Local establishments would have free tickets for Saturday matinees of cheapo films like “The Invisible Boy†along with cartoons (to get the kids to buy consessions, I presume). I remember at one of these events the film was stopped midway, the lights came on, and the theatre owner stormed to the front of the theatre, demanding to know who was responsible for throwing something at the screen that resulted in a large gash (naturally no one ‘fessed up—and no, it wasn’t me :–).
I grew up in Inglewood in the 1960s, and remember the Ritz well. They were a bit clueless about pairing films for their double features—I’ll never forget the double feature of “McHale’s Navy” (the big screen version of the inane TV series) with “Lady in a Cage” (an intense, largely mature-themed thriller).
I was a bit upset to hear that the Cinerama showed “Vertigo” earlier in the year—this is my alltime favorite film. After the restoration release around ten years ago the Cinerama had an exclusive showing of the film for a good period of time (might have been a month), and I saw it at least five times. It was simply amazing. I haven’t seen it in 70mm since, but will now be keeping my eyes open in case it returns—and I hope it does.
When SIFF acquired the Seattle Cinerama there were unanswered questions. After some effort I was able to get answers about those previously undisclosed details WRT the theater’s new incarnation, including the story behind the loss of the Cinerama name.
Read my article here
From what I see here if a theater changes management and/or gets a new name there is only one page for all iterations of that theater, a new one is not created. I saw this for the Ritz/Cine/Pussycat/Miracle in Inglewood, CA and suspect it’s the rule, not the exception. This makes more sense to me from a historical perspective rather than creating a different page for each successor, but that seems to be the way it works here at CT anyway.
I’d like to hear the question about the Cinerama process directly from SIFF. My understanding was that SIFF couldn’t license just the name for the theater. It doesn’t mean they couldn’t use the process.
I wrote a couple of articles about the theater a few years ago. I may write a new one with the updates, and have other questions answered.
Thanks, Neeb! This is incredible news, and who better than SIFF to acquire it!
The Seattle Cinerama has closed for renovations—suddenly it seems, and someone tweeted that the staff was laid off without much notice. According to the Seattle Times article renovations include “new carpet, general wear-and-tear refurbishment, and an overhaul to the kitchen, which will allow the theater to expand its food offerings.” Makes me wonder if they’re going to expand the lobby.
As to when it will reopen: “The Vulcan rep declined to give a specific date for the theater’s reopening, saying only that Cinerama would be back in business ‘later this year ahead of the year’s biggest films.’” Sounds like Vulcan is being vague on purpose, as that could mean ahead of the summer releases, or the end of year awards-driven output.
https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/seattles-cinerama-to-close-for-renovations/
My two-part article on the Seattle Cinerama has been published online, and thought both to be of interest to the folks here.
Part 1, titled “Seattle’s 70mm Film Festival Triumphs and Travails”, is a behind the scenes look that includes answers to some of the issues raised in this forum. The challenges in obtaining 70mm prints are not isolated to this one venue or festival; in this age of instant digital gratification through various formats it’s easy to forget that many titles for 70mm films may be in poor condition if they exist at all—though salvation may still be possible from exhibitors investing in striking new 70mm prints.
The Seattle Cinerama had done that with “2001: A Space Odyssey” for a festival run in 2014. The issue of variety is valid but to address one poster’s concern, sitting through a damaged, faded print years ago will be surpassed by viewing a newer, more pristine print. There are some of us who can, believe it or not, sit through certain movies many times as most of us lack a gigantic screen in a cavernous room at home to accommodate 70mm and matching surround sound. For me when the 1998 restoration of “Vertigo” in 70mm is shown there I don’t think twice about whether I should see it. I can’t duplicate this experience at home, and one day it might not be available at all.
The movie being viewed is only part of the equation, with the other being the theatre itself. “Saving the Seattle Cinerama: Paul Allen’s Gift to Movie Lovers” covers how a billionaire valued history and culture over what could have been a far more profitable (and for some, obvious) quick property investment. This conclusion covers how the Cinerama process and futuristic vibe of the Seattle World’s fair spawned the theater that first featured that process, and how it became the stellar movie palace it is today.
Here are the links to the articles. As a longtime denizen and supporter of this site I hope the readers here enjoy these articles.
Part 1 (70mm Festival): http://somethingelsereviews.com/2016/09/13/70mm-film-festival-seattle-part-1/
Part 2 (History of Cinerama, the process and the theatre): http://somethingelsereviews.com/2016/09/14/saving-the-seattle-cinerama-paul-allen/
Check out my mention of “A Hard Day’s Night” at the Fox in my article here: http://wp.me/p2RI2P-uWA
Can someone fact check what I had to say about the UA in this article?
http://wp.me/p2RI2P-uWA
Wow, PM, that is amazing you remember that same day! Would like to see if we have more in common about those days…email me at if interested.
The Leimert Theatre’s original name needs to somehow be added to search…I didn’t know it was most recently called the Vision until I learned about it on another site.
I was a youngster growing up in L.A. (around 1960) and still remember the Mesa well. Local establishments would have free tickets for Saturday matinees of cheapo films like “The Invisible Boy†along with cartoons (to get the kids to buy consessions, I presume). I remember at one of these events the film was stopped midway, the lights came on, and the theatre owner stormed to the front of the theatre, demanding to know who was responsible for throwing something at the screen that resulted in a large gash (naturally no one ‘fessed up—and no, it wasn’t me :–).
I grew up in Inglewood in the 1960s, and remember the Ritz well. They were a bit clueless about pairing films for their double features—I’ll never forget the double feature of “McHale’s Navy” (the big screen version of the inane TV series) with “Lady in a Cage” (an intense, largely mature-themed thriller).
I was a bit upset to hear that the Cinerama showed “Vertigo” earlier in the year—this is my alltime favorite film. After the restoration release around ten years ago the Cinerama had an exclusive showing of the film for a good period of time (might have been a month), and I saw it at least five times. It was simply amazing. I haven’t seen it in 70mm since, but will now be keeping my eyes open in case it returns—and I hope it does.