Good to learn SIFF has determined the curved screen, one of the last to be manufactured to original Cinerama specifications, and projectors are intact and functional. Also that is true of the 70mm projectors. What about the lenses used on the 70mm projectors that were custom built to fill the curved screen with an undistorted image? A number of these lenses of various lengths were on sale at the Arclight bookshop during a previous Cinerama Festival in Los Angeles. I assume they came from dozens of theaters where deep curved screens were removed.
Just to clarify, the 70mm prints of Cinerama 3-strip productions are very effective when projected on a deep curved screen. Pacific Theatres was involved in creating these 70mm prints. Apparently they own all the original Cinerama features. Seattle Cinerama presented a terrific
restored Lawrence of Arabia 70mm print on the deep curved screen. It would seem the 70mm Cinerama prints could also be presented on that screen.
Has SIFF engaged in talks with the owner of Cinerama prints, both of original 3-strip and transfers of those titles to 70mm? Exhibition of Cinerama films is certainly a different matter than using a copyrighted name on a building. SIFF could add a small cost to pay for labor setting up the curved screen to each ticket. How committed is SIFF to movie history? Commercial exhibitors are not concerned with history or preservation.
So what is the status of the Cinerama deep curved screen and projectors? I have seen both 70mm presentations combining the 3 Cinerama original 35mm reels on a single 70mm strip, and the 3 projector process itself at the Cinerama Dome in L.A. The big difference was actually the soundtrack transfer to 70mm which did not duplicate the awesome original that required 3 projectionists plus a separate sound operator. The L.A. Dome has a very steep projection angle from high up. Seattle had a better curved screen and 70mm projection location, hopefully both are intact. You cannot duplicate the Cinerama effect on a flat screen.
Absolutely true: the Cinerama Dome in LA was designed to present 70mm single projector “Cinerama”. Stanley Kramer, director of the opening feature Mad Mad Mad World, stated “It’s not Cinerama.” The screen in the Cinerama dome is not louvered but is deeply curved and somehow manages not to wash out the projected image, perhaps using lenticular technology. Despite its large size I did not find it entirely successful at “putting you in the picture” even with the two projectors later added to present three strip Cinerama. This makes losing the Seattle Cinerama an even greater tragedy.
Giving up the Seattle Cinerama leaves only a single Cinerama equipped theatre in the US, namely the Cinerama Dome in LA which has such a steep projection angle the screen is tilted. I find that decreases the Cinerama experience, which probably means a complete loss of the process in the near future. Transferring 3 individual 35mm images to a single 70mm frame will preserve the Cinerama releases, but does not replicate the original experience. I hope the original triple reels will be turned over to the Library of Congress film restoration and preservation division.
Sounds like the Cinerama is going the way of the late UA 150. They were the last Seattle theatres with deep-curved screens. The Blue Mouse was long gone when I lived in Seattle and it may have had a deep-curved screen, ditto the Paramount during its Cinerama phase. Now Seattle will be like everywhere else, a nation of flat screen multiplex exhibitors.
I’m not sure how the current observations apply to the Seattle Cinerama, but it was heartbreaking to see a gem like the United Artists in Detroit run into the ground with adult films and neglect. The United Artists in Los Angeles is often referred to as a twin, but is in fact much larger and more elaborate and beautifully restored. What happens to theatre buildings is a direct reflection of the health of their community. That does apply to the Seattle Cinerama.
I agree the 3-projector original Cinerama is in a class by itself when it comes to putting the audience in the picture. Of all the Cinerama installations I have viewed, the Cooper circular auditoriums were the most effective. Both the Minneapolis and Omaha Cooper Cineramas were torn down years ago. They featured floor to ceiling screens and 3 individual projection booths at the rear of the steeply raked main floor. Their shallow balconies placed viewers in the action unlike the balcony and rear of the main floor at Seattle Cinerama, which is quite distant from the screen. The Los Angeles Cinerama Dome screen has a noticeable tilt to accommodate the steep projection angle from the booth at its rear. We have yet to build a theatre where today’s audiences can see Cinerama at its best.
The labor intensive shift from deep curve Cinerama screen to flat screen is very inefficient. The Bradford England shift process seems more sensible with the flat widescreen dropped in front of the Cinerama screen.
Boston theatre histories credit the Tremont/Astor as the first building in Boston actually designed from its outset for stage performances. Seems incredible all the interior changes to it were never documented as it transitioned to film presentation.
At least we still have the Colonial and the Majestic as living history. Thanks to all who shared memories of the Astor.
The restoration/remodel of the Colonial is a miracle that came to pass. Of all Boston’s legit houses it has the best audience to stage relationship, with more of the audience in close proximity to live actors than any proscenium theatre in the city. I always knew it as a red & gold auditorium, but the discovery of the original blue looks wonderful in the Globe photos. I now live on the west coast, but hope to hear about acoustics when the Colonial reopens. A veteran audience member told me if a grand piano was dropped onstage it would not be heard beyond the 5th row. In this age of electronic sound reinforcement that should no longer be a concern.
My theatre professor, Stanley G Wood, appeared on the Regent stage as a youngster. He went on to head the theatre program at University of Northern Iowa. Three of us inspired by him went on to become theatre professionals in Seattle, two as artistic directors and one as lighting designer at University of Washington who graduated Yale and designed the Strayer-Wood theatre on the UNI campus. Many other went on to inspire students by teaching theatre arts in high schools, colleges and universities.
Thanks for the short comment on Patton. Was it shown on the Cinerama curved screen as the director & Dimension 150 process intended or was it shown on the flat screen? When Fox started allowing Todd-AO presentations to be shown on flat screens the process was considerably less impressive. I saw Can Can in Todd-AO at the Century Cinerama in Minneapolis & shortly thereafter at a reserved seat showing in Milwaukee, but the screen was flat & the presentation quite inferior though it claimed to be Todd-AO. Again, I saw Cleopatra at the Rivoli in New York on a curved screen & it was shown in Boston on a flat screen during the same initial release, both advertised as Todd-AO. I hope programming for the 70mm festivals can accommodate use of the deep curved Cinerama screen for films that were intended to be shown on it.
Donald C. King book has the familiar exterior photo of the Astor when it was the Tremont, but no interior illustration or photo. Apparently there is no visual record of the theatre’s major interior alterations. Soon there will be no one living who can describe them. This theatre was a key player in Boston’s stage and screen history from its construction in 1889 onward.
Does anyone have interior photos of the auditorium? There have been many comments about this theatre’s history of major remodels, including the 70mm installation that covered the proscenium.
The Cinerama will never play to capacity as long as it positions itself in the same category as multiplexes & generic theatres. It is a unique theatre & should program itself accordingly. Why not sell mini-seasons of reserved seats to Cinerama & Todd-AO shown as only Seattle Cinerama can show them? Direct mail marketing to develop an in-house mailing/email list & other techniques used by reserved seat venues do not appear to have been used.
If correct, going from 808 seats to 570 is an incredible loss of capacity. The cost of admission will surely be increased as a result. Although seats at the rear of the main floor and balcony diminished the effect of the large deeply curved screen, there are worse seats by far in other Seattle theatres, including reserved seat houses.
It looked like the wide screen was installed in front of the proscenium along with curtain tracks for that screen. The screen appeared large because of the small auditorium size, but it was certainly wider than the actual proscenium.
Like it or not, the huge silver & lavender tiered curtain Ted Mann installed over the proscenium opening was one of the most spectacular ever created, with color intensity increasing gradually from the pale center to its left & right edges. He followed Boston’s Ben Sack playbook, remodeling old downtown theatres into first-run 70mm roadshows.
Does anyone remember the sound at the Seattle Cinerama before Dolby was installed? It was more realistic & less “pumped up”. This was the only Dolby installation I have heard that was NOT an improvement. From reports since the rescue of the theatre that misfire installation no longer exists.
Good to learn SIFF has determined the curved screen, one of the last to be manufactured to original Cinerama specifications, and projectors are intact and functional. Also that is true of the 70mm projectors. What about the lenses used on the 70mm projectors that were custom built to fill the curved screen with an undistorted image? A number of these lenses of various lengths were on sale at the Arclight bookshop during a previous Cinerama Festival in Los Angeles. I assume they came from dozens of theaters where deep curved screens were removed.
I am looking specifically for images of the auditorium interior toward the screen or front, and of the balconies as seen from the front.
Has anyone found photographs of the Tremont/Astor interior?
Just to clarify, the 70mm prints of Cinerama 3-strip productions are very effective when projected on a deep curved screen. Pacific Theatres was involved in creating these 70mm prints. Apparently they own all the original Cinerama features. Seattle Cinerama presented a terrific restored Lawrence of Arabia 70mm print on the deep curved screen. It would seem the 70mm Cinerama prints could also be presented on that screen.
Has SIFF engaged in talks with the owner of Cinerama prints, both of original 3-strip and transfers of those titles to 70mm? Exhibition of Cinerama films is certainly a different matter than using a copyrighted name on a building. SIFF could add a small cost to pay for labor setting up the curved screen to each ticket. How committed is SIFF to movie history? Commercial exhibitors are not concerned with history or preservation.
So what is the status of the Cinerama deep curved screen and projectors? I have seen both 70mm presentations combining the 3 Cinerama original 35mm reels on a single 70mm strip, and the 3 projector process itself at the Cinerama Dome in L.A. The big difference was actually the soundtrack transfer to 70mm which did not duplicate the awesome original that required 3 projectionists plus a separate sound operator. The L.A. Dome has a very steep projection angle from high up. Seattle had a better curved screen and 70mm projection location, hopefully both are intact. You cannot duplicate the Cinerama effect on a flat screen.
Who is it that will actually decide the fate of the Seattle Cinerama? The city of Chicago purchased the iconic Chicago Theatre to save it.
Absolutely true: the Cinerama Dome in LA was designed to present 70mm single projector “Cinerama”. Stanley Kramer, director of the opening feature Mad Mad Mad World, stated “It’s not Cinerama.” The screen in the Cinerama dome is not louvered but is deeply curved and somehow manages not to wash out the projected image, perhaps using lenticular technology. Despite its large size I did not find it entirely successful at “putting you in the picture” even with the two projectors later added to present three strip Cinerama. This makes losing the Seattle Cinerama an even greater tragedy.
Giving up the Seattle Cinerama leaves only a single Cinerama equipped theatre in the US, namely the Cinerama Dome in LA which has such a steep projection angle the screen is tilted. I find that decreases the Cinerama experience, which probably means a complete loss of the process in the near future. Transferring 3 individual 35mm images to a single 70mm frame will preserve the Cinerama releases, but does not replicate the original experience. I hope the original triple reels will be turned over to the Library of Congress film restoration and preservation division.
Sounds like the Cinerama is going the way of the late UA 150. They were the last Seattle theatres with deep-curved screens. The Blue Mouse was long gone when I lived in Seattle and it may have had a deep-curved screen, ditto the Paramount during its Cinerama phase. Now Seattle will be like everywhere else, a nation of flat screen multiplex exhibitors.
I’m not sure how the current observations apply to the Seattle Cinerama, but it was heartbreaking to see a gem like the United Artists in Detroit run into the ground with adult films and neglect. The United Artists in Los Angeles is often referred to as a twin, but is in fact much larger and more elaborate and beautifully restored. What happens to theatre buildings is a direct reflection of the health of their community. That does apply to the Seattle Cinerama.
Goodbye Mr Chips shown at the Colosseum in 70mm. Sound of Music shown at the Music Box in 70mm. Both were first run Seattle theaters in city center.
I agree the 3-projector original Cinerama is in a class by itself when it comes to putting the audience in the picture. Of all the Cinerama installations I have viewed, the Cooper circular auditoriums were the most effective. Both the Minneapolis and Omaha Cooper Cineramas were torn down years ago. They featured floor to ceiling screens and 3 individual projection booths at the rear of the steeply raked main floor. Their shallow balconies placed viewers in the action unlike the balcony and rear of the main floor at Seattle Cinerama, which is quite distant from the screen. The Los Angeles Cinerama Dome screen has a noticeable tilt to accommodate the steep projection angle from the booth at its rear. We have yet to build a theatre where today’s audiences can see Cinerama at its best.
The labor intensive shift from deep curve Cinerama screen to flat screen is very inefficient. The Bradford England shift process seems more sensible with the flat widescreen dropped in front of the Cinerama screen.
Boston theatre histories credit the Tremont/Astor as the first building in Boston actually designed from its outset for stage performances. Seems incredible all the interior changes to it were never documented as it transitioned to film presentation. At least we still have the Colonial and the Majestic as living history. Thanks to all who shared memories of the Astor.
The restoration/remodel of the Colonial is a miracle that came to pass. Of all Boston’s legit houses it has the best audience to stage relationship, with more of the audience in close proximity to live actors than any proscenium theatre in the city. I always knew it as a red & gold auditorium, but the discovery of the original blue looks wonderful in the Globe photos. I now live on the west coast, but hope to hear about acoustics when the Colonial reopens. A veteran audience member told me if a grand piano was dropped onstage it would not be heard beyond the 5th row. In this age of electronic sound reinforcement that should no longer be a concern.
My theatre professor, Stanley G Wood, appeared on the Regent stage as a youngster. He went on to head the theatre program at University of Northern Iowa. Three of us inspired by him went on to become theatre professionals in Seattle, two as artistic directors and one as lighting designer at University of Washington who graduated Yale and designed the Strayer-Wood theatre on the UNI campus. Many other went on to inspire students by teaching theatre arts in high schools, colleges and universities.
Thanks for the short comment on Patton. Was it shown on the Cinerama curved screen as the director & Dimension 150 process intended or was it shown on the flat screen? When Fox started allowing Todd-AO presentations to be shown on flat screens the process was considerably less impressive. I saw Can Can in Todd-AO at the Century Cinerama in Minneapolis & shortly thereafter at a reserved seat showing in Milwaukee, but the screen was flat & the presentation quite inferior though it claimed to be Todd-AO. Again, I saw Cleopatra at the Rivoli in New York on a curved screen & it was shown in Boston on a flat screen during the same initial release, both advertised as Todd-AO. I hope programming for the 70mm festivals can accommodate use of the deep curved Cinerama screen for films that were intended to be shown on it.
Donald C. King book has the familiar exterior photo of the Astor when it was the Tremont, but no interior illustration or photo. Apparently there is no visual record of the theatre’s major interior alterations. Soon there will be no one living who can describe them. This theatre was a key player in Boston’s stage and screen history from its construction in 1889 onward.
Does anyone have interior photos of the auditorium? There have been many comments about this theatre’s history of major remodels, including the 70mm installation that covered the proscenium.
The Cinerama will never play to capacity as long as it positions itself in the same category as multiplexes & generic theatres. It is a unique theatre & should program itself accordingly. Why not sell mini-seasons of reserved seats to Cinerama & Todd-AO shown as only Seattle Cinerama can show them? Direct mail marketing to develop an in-house mailing/email list & other techniques used by reserved seat venues do not appear to have been used.
If correct, going from 808 seats to 570 is an incredible loss of capacity. The cost of admission will surely be increased as a result. Although seats at the rear of the main floor and balcony diminished the effect of the large deeply curved screen, there are worse seats by far in other Seattle theatres, including reserved seat houses.
It looked like the wide screen was installed in front of the proscenium along with curtain tracks for that screen. The screen appeared large because of the small auditorium size, but it was certainly wider than the actual proscenium.
Like it or not, the huge silver & lavender tiered curtain Ted Mann installed over the proscenium opening was one of the most spectacular ever created, with color intensity increasing gradually from the pale center to its left & right edges. He followed Boston’s Ben Sack playbook, remodeling old downtown theatres into first-run 70mm roadshows.
Does anyone remember the sound at the Seattle Cinerama before Dolby was installed? It was more realistic & less “pumped up”. This was the only Dolby installation I have heard that was NOT an improvement. From reports since the rescue of the theatre that misfire installation no longer exists.