This is topic From Here To Eternity in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000899
Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 04-22-2000, 04:11 PM:
Our print of From Here To Eternity is strange. It is in good shape, but it has a strange feature.The film is marked with shoe polish. Who still uses shoe polish? The leader and tails are put on with what look like ultrasonic splices and they are covered by clear splicing tape. There was no extra reference frame left on the print. I have to cut a new cut to splice the print together. Also the splice is right where the changeover cue is on the film. So where are the other 24 frames? Perhaps the changeover cues are leftover from the origional elements.
Anyway, I'm glad that it's in good shape.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-22-2000, 04:36 PM:
This sort of thing is precisely why I would never run an art house. Prints are almost always used and generally in poor condition. You are lucky the print projects well.I'm sure the last guy who had it got tired of having 23 splices in a row and just cut them out. I know I always do that. Even if it would run through a projector, it would be incredibly unprofessional to let those splices show on screen.
Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 04-22-2000, 11:13 PM:
Until about a year ago, we used the zebra tape. Then it was decided to only issue clear tape. Shortly after, the shoe polish showed up. I threw it out. Another showed up. I yelled. They replied: We can't see the splices during breakdown. I showed them how to llook for splices: positioning a light, feeling for the splice edge; looking at the 'grain' edge texture; etc.My point is that while I rarely see a person who does a poor job, I often see a person who was trained wrong or not at all. Shoe polish is still used a lot by lazy and incorrectly trained people.
You know how car repair shops have plaques on the wall saying that "'so and so' is an AST certified mechanic," or "'so and so' is a Microsoft Network Enginneer"- we need one for projectionists.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-23-2000, 08:25 AM:
My experience to date has been only in art houses, and I agree completely with Brad's sentiments. Since prints move more frequently from theatre to theatre than is the case with typical mainstream films, there are far more chances for any given print to fall into the hands of an incompetent operator.
On the other hand, working in art houses can be potentially really rewarding...the chance to see so many foreign and independent films that would never play in a typical multiplex is pretty important, as is the occasional mint-condition repertory prints that show up (like the mint-condition, never-been-on-a-platter print of "Blade Runner" that I showed a little over a year ago).
Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 04-23-2000, 09:15 AM:
How many different versions of, "Blade Runner" are there, anyway? There's the original, (with the voice-over) another with no voice-over, another where you get to see Tyrell's eyes get squished out, Deckert gotta get 6 replicants, he's only gotta get 4, Deckert is normal, he's a replicant, Tyrell is a replicant and the real Tyrell is really dead, Leon kills his interviewer, the interviewer is still alive.... Pan Am is in business, out of business, in again....
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 04-23-2000, 01:52 PM:
Blade Runner
I'm pretty sure there are three.
The voice over. 
The no voice over director's cut 
The pre-release 70mm audience test film with different music and ending that ends when the elevator door slams shut.
IMHO they should have stopped with the original release, voice over version
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-23-2000, 04:38 PM:
Scott, next time I see you remind me to give you a good slap for your continuing comments on "never been on a platter" bs. It's the damn operator and not the platter, you know that. I think that single screen you used to work at has you "changeover-brainwashed". 
Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 04-23-2000, 05:36 PM:
From Here to Eternity was in great shape, and looks good on the screen. Pal Joey looked like it was going to be all scratched up, and look terrible on the screen. On the contrary, it looks good. There are a few problems and the splice areas will be bad, but with Film-Guard, I hope it will look good.The only problem is, we aren't getting good attendence for the Columbia Classics program. Our attendence has been down in April. I hope May does better.