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Topic: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' turns 30 today...
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 06-13-2011 09:14 AM
Saw RAIDERS at the Astor Plaza in NYC LONG after its opening weekend but still in its initial engagement. I have never been a fan of seeing a film opening weekend with the hordes. I can bide my time and wait till the crowds die down, then go to the first or last show on a Monday or Tuesday when I can have the theatre nearly by myself -- less chance of having too many people around me or especially in front of me. In those days that was important because "stadium seating" hadn't become the in thing yet, although we had the loge, which was essentially "stadium seating" but before they got that catchy label, only it was in the balcony and I always want to sit in the orchestra close enough so the screen takes up most of my peripheral vision -- balcony doesn't cut it, especially in those large theatres.
And of course the Astor Plaza had top draw presentation. I remember marveling at the sound mix which seemed to be 360 degrees and just filled the theatre from everywhere. And this was done without digital, without split surrounds, without EX this or XE that. It was awesome. It sure deserved the special Academy Award for sound editing.
If you wanted to see ANY big film in 70mm or even 35mm done right with decent presentation, you HAD to go to the city (Manhattan). Brooklyn was just a wasteland pockmarked with dismal excuses for movie theatres.
It was the era of transition between the single screens and the multiplex; a time when, at least in Brooklyn, almost EVERY theatre was a single that had been tortured into a twin or triplex -- these weren't REAL multiples built and designed as such, these were nightmares where decent singles were broken up into awful excuses for theatres and as cheaply as possible. Usually along with the physical unpleasantness of those holes in the wall that became Cinema I, II and III, the presentation was equally as painful as the physical hovels you had to sit in. In Brooklyn we still have lots of those places left and very few well-designed (from scratch) multiplexes.
The Astor Plaza was a great venue to see RAIDERS -- it did the film justice. After the last few years of its life being run into the ground, it went the way of most every single screen -- demolished a few years ago.
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Robert Harrison
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 239
From: Harwood Heights, Illinois, USA
Registered: Jun 2005
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posted 06-14-2011 02:16 AM
My first viewing was in glorious 35mm MONO at what was then known as the Plitt Screening Room in the Chicago Theater building. It was an exhibitor's screening and, as happened often at such, the version shown was slightly different than the final release version. The one difference I recall specifically was that when Indy catches up with the German submarine, the sub begins to go under the water, so he held onto the periscope, presumably doing so the whole trip. In the final version, you just see him on top of the sub and then the scene dissolves to the next, even though you do hear an alarm and the men inside the sub apparently getting ready to submerge. I assumed Spielberg or somebody noticed this was similar to a scene in "1941" or it was just deemed kind of dumb, so they cut it and hoped you wouldn't wonder how in the hell he stayed on top of the submarine for the whole voyage without being detected or drowned.
At the time, I was working at the Golf Mill Theaters (in Niles, Illinois; see the list). The 70 print arrived literally at the last minute. The projectionist was ready to assemble the 35 "back-up" print. Then, as the reel containers were brought out of the delivery truck, one of them opened and a reel nearly started rolling through the parking lot.
We had a preview of the film in 35 optical stereo I guess the week before with the Alan Alda film "The Four Seasons." A lot of older customers were grumbling that they had come to see that film and not "Raiders." But, they loved it. I recall people standing and applauding when Indy pulled out his gun and shot the dude who was menacing him with a big sword.
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