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208.58.2.83
[Just let me say at the outset, nearly every time I post a good piece of writing, I am instructed by various schoolmarms here to write my own. So bring it on!]
First, though, a Cinematheque host welcomed the audience -- the 425-seat house was full -- and asked how many people had ever seen the film [2001]projected. Fewer than half raised their hands.
He didn't mean projected in 70mm as opposed to 35mm, but projected at all, as opposed to displayed on a TV. The audience response suggested how far the movie medium has strayed from the eye-popping, soul-filling images that used to be its stock-in-trade. For most of these moviegoers, Kubrick's universe had been shrunk to fit the dinky dimensions of a home appliance.
Shrunk to fit the dinky dimensions of a home appliance.
And there you have it.
clark
Follow Ups:
...they want escapism packaged conveniently. Going to the theater is a problem. They have to venture out from their abode, someone tall could sit in front of them or spill cola or pop corn all over them. I grew up in the era of CINERAMA and saw many 70mm presentations both projected in CINERAMA and other theaters in the late 60s and early 70. I must say I have never heard better cinema sound or experienced seeing a clearer cinema image. But those who crave such quality are rare. Most people don't care and the theater owners know this. I was a projectionist and worked my way through college in a theater booth working for the IATSE&MPMO. While there, numerous prints with mag track 4 channel stereo arrived at our theaters. I was commanded by the management to project these films with standard optical sound. Not even on Friday or Saturday night full houses. We had 5 amplifiers sitting there idle, a Century JJ2 70/35mm projector. They just don't care. Most of the theaters I worked in had nice stereo systems that were only used once in their lives. Ray Hughes
Little boxes on the hillside... Little boxes made of ticky tacky. Theres a red one and a green one and blue one and a yellow one... And the're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same... Malvina Reynolds (song from the 60s)
...and a living legend: Baltimore's historic Senator Theater. It still seats 900!
Just saw "Iron Man" there, and a lovely prints of "Blade Runner" and "Laurence of Arabia" recently.
It takes character to hold to the "Golden Gauge".
s
They thought if they used the mag tracks they would have to replace the heads after a full 2 weeks of run. They said if we don't advertise it in stereo we don't have to play it in stereo. So this nice stereo system sat idle. Also they were afraid of damaging the mag print and might have to pay for it.
Little boxes on the hillside... Little boxes made of ticky tacky. Theres a red one and a green one and blue one and a yellow one... And the're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same... Malvina Reynolds (song from the 60s)
x
...the mag heads were in a penthouse above the lens and the optical head were below the lens. All prints had optical tracks as well as magnetic tracks. You just threaded the projector to bypass the mag head penthouse. Optical tracks seldom had a frequency response past 8K max and mono of course.
Little boxes on the hillside... Little boxes made of ticky tacky. Theres a red one and a green one and blue one and a yellow one... And the're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same... Malvina Reynolds (song from the 60s)
Sad, sad, sad....In Washington DC we have the Uptown Theatre, which, although still equipped with its venerable Century CCs (35 and 70mm capable) hasn't shown anything in the Golden Gauge for almost a couple of decades now.
They Had 'Alien' in 70mm in 1979. They ran 'Apocalypse Now', '2001'...the list goes on. 70 was and is unique for picture quality, much like medium-format photography.
I was a projectionist for a summer in the mid-80es; ran 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' first in 70mm and then at a single-room place in 35mm some 260 times.
It wasn't until I settled in one night to watch a film on TV that I realized something must be wrong with the set: it looked fuzzy (in additition to small.)
The many hours looking at 35 and 70 had taken their toll, in a good way :-)
My HiDef 58 plasma is an improvement, but nothing beats a 70mm print in a theatre.
Claus.
d
One of our instructors used to explain to the students that you could not get emotionally involved in a character on TV because all his problems,worries and triumphs were smaller than you so who cares.
Later
Rich
s
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