Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Schedule For Cinerama In Seattle?????

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-16-2000, 01:21 PM:

Does anyone know the schedule for the 3-panel films to be shown there? Is this a one time thing or are they going to play there for a while? I'd like to go up and see them there. I went to Dayton and am going through 3 strip withdrawls.
Mark

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-16-2000, 02:25 PM:

Today (May 16), Matt Lutthans published the following updated schedule for the screenings in Seattle on the r.a.m.t. newsgroup:

June 2, 2000
11:30am How the West Was Won
2:45pm Cinerama Adventure
5:15pm This Is Cinerama
8:30pm How the West Was Won

Tickets were available for all shows. Call 206-324-9996 or 206-324-9997.

The website for the theatre is:
http://www.seattlecinerama.com

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-16-2000, 05:18 PM:

They are listing Galdiator right now. I couldn't find anything on the site about the Cinerama films. I'd like to book a plane ticket out about two weeks so I can take advantage of lower fares. Will they still be running?
Mark

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-17-2000, 05:46 AM:

The information from Matt Lutthans is the most recent I have heard. There will only be ONE day (June 2) with 3-strip Cinerama screenings. They are John Harvey's prints, and he will be there with them.

The theatre is leased by General Cinema, and the web site isn't specific to the 3-strip screenings. I understand the Cinerama day is part of a two week film festival.

There's been quite a bit of recent discussion on the rec.arts.movies.tech newsgroup.

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 05-17-2000, 07:51 AM:

You mean they went to all the work of setting up for Cinerama, only to run for one day???
Wow

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-17-2000, 08:16 AM:

Hopefully this will not be the only day, but much will depend on how many people turn out to support these shows. If you read the posts on r.a.m.t, you will see that it takes a crew a day to set up the deep-curved louvered Cinerama screen. And right now, since they are John Harvey's personal prints, he must travel from Dayton OH to be there for any shows.

Support from more than a few Cinerama buffs will be needed to continue the shows, and hopefully convince the powers-that-be to make new prints from the original 3-strip negatives that are owned by Pacific Theatres (the Cinerama road shows) and Time-Warner/Turner (HTWWW and Brothers Grimm).

If this doesn't work out, the only places left to see 3-strip will be John Harvey's living room and the museum in Bradford UK. So even if you're just curious about why Cinerama was such a breakthrough technology, get to Seattle on June 2.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-17-2000, 11:40 AM:

What a shame. Such a waste! Only one day?????? Here is a fantastic opportunity and all the cash one would need to make it all happen. Why did he ever buy the theater in the first place? If this is all thats going to happen they should have torn it down and built a parking garage.That would have been more useful in that part of town. Aside from the Cinerama screen the place is nothing very special anyway. Argh!
Mark

Posted by Bill Purdy (Member # 202) on 05-18-2000, 09:59 AM:

There is more info at:
http://www.seattlefilm.com/

I think that you should not get too critical just yet. The current showings are a part of the film festival (this 26th edition will run 210 feature films in 25 days). Be patient because Paul Allen may have a lot money, but he expects to get a lot back when he invests. A great deal of effort and money was invested in re-installing the equipment and it sure wouldn't have been for only occasional single events.

You can also quit the parking lot business. A good theatre was saved and and refurbished into a great theatre. The place has been very well done and has lots of potential, but in the meantime, it has to be kept open and alive. Farming out day-to-day operation to someone such as GCC makes economic sense.

------------------
Bill Purdy
Component Engineering

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-18-2000, 11:19 AM:

Its too bad he resotred it with the idea of making alot of $$ back out of it. That could and could not happen. With GC running the place I'd be really surprised if he made much back especially since its only one screen....and excepting for Cinerama showings its not even the screen everyone wants comes there to see a film on.
Mark

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-18-2000, 11:25 AM:

Bill,
Its saddens me even more to hear that he restored it with the idea of making alot of $$ back out of it. That might and then might not happen. I thought it was done as a labor of love as most restorations are. All the hoopla in the articles sure led me to believe that. Oh well. With GC running the place as a main streem theater I'd be really surprised if he made much back especially since its only one screen....and excepting for Cinerama showings its not even the screen everyone is expecting to see a film on.....the one that the sign on the building says is Cinerama. In a true restoration you only restore whats there back to new or better condition and nothing beyond that. I wonder how many other moviegoers were as equally dissappointed as I was after the re-opening. Perhaps they should consider storing the Cinerama sign during regular mainstream films so patrons are no longer misled.
Mark

Posted by Travis Cape (Member # 466) on 05-19-2000, 01:05 AM:

I would hope that Cinerama could live on in Seattle. But, At least the theatre is open. Come on, how many older theatres are there now, especially in major cities? Like my theatre, the Hi-Pointe in St. Louis, it would be great if we could run classics all day. The fact is that the audience is bombarded by cable TV and video. The majority do not have the sense to come out and enjoy a good presentation. The only suggestion that I offer is that all the film buffs will have to move to the same area. Not exactly practical, but the theatre programming would be great.

Posted by Daryl Lund (Member # 356) on 05-19-2000, 06:44 PM:

Bill it really sad when some one complains about a theatre being saved. I wish paul was around when the music box whent down. Bill P thanks for sticking up for paul

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-19-2000, 06:53 PM:

Yea but Darryl, Its even sadder when someone travels all the way there only to find out that the film is just playing on an every day screen. High expectation yielded low reward in this case. There are at least a dozen theaters like that in L.A. that are as good or better, and at least when one goes to see a film at the Cinerama Dome one sees the show on the Cinerama screen. That is my point.
Mark