Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Sound Of Music in 70mm Format???

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Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 09-22-2000, 10:14 PM:

Last Monday I visited the Zigfield Theatre in New York City for the 35th. anniversary showing of the "Sing-A-Long" Sound Of Music.

My question is if anyone here has any connections to the theatre, if the show was presented in 70mm format. I noticed that the picture was not a very clear one (our course it is 35 years old) I was hoping it would be cleaned up. Also the sound quality was over balanced on the treble side. My wife had to hold her hands over her ears when Cpt. Von Trapp blew his whistle. Also there was a hiss as if it came from magentic tape on the quiet parts.
THANKS.

Posted by Martin Frandsen (Member # 74) on 09-23-2000, 01:25 AM:

Maybe it was a 35mm magnetic print they showed? That will explain the hiss on the quiet parts. Had the colors any fadeing?

I saw a report from the event on CNN, great to see the young people love the songs.

Posted by Nicholas McRobert (Member # 205) on 09-23-2000, 06:35 AM:

The "Sing-A-Long" version of A Sound of Music has been in circulation here for a while now. One of the big Cinemas in London (the Prince Charles, I think) plays it nearly once every week. The film went "on tour" recently, and one of the Theatres here in Belfast played it a few months ago for two or three days. They haven't played films in that theatre in over two decades, so I'm assuming that the promotors supplied their own equipment. I seriously doubt it was 70mm, though. I'm almost certain that the Prince Charles theatre only has 35mm facilities too.

Nicholas

Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 09-23-2000, 10:22 AM:

They did mentioned before the show started, that it toured Europe for over a year.

The colors were not faded, Marty.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 09-23-2000, 11:14 AM:

The Ziegfeld has 70mm equipment, and a three-projector booth. At least they did in '92, when a friend of mine worked there.

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Better Projection Pays!

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 09-23-2000, 12:09 PM:

Not anymore. The Zig now has two JJ's and a platter. The Zeiss-IKON projectors were removed several years ago, before the "Vertigo" re-release. Last I saw, they were sitting in the back booth hallway. Probably gone now.

Actually, I'm sorry to say, the last time I was there, the booth was sort of a mess. I mean, the sound and picture are first-rate of course, but it looks like so many things have been worked on, changed out, etc, that the walls are all gouged up, scratches in the floor. Posters stuck all over the walls (a practice I personally dislike)- you could still see a little blacking from the small fire they had there (a dimmer caught fire.)

Posted by Ben Wales (Member # 92) on 09-23-2000, 04:56 PM:

The Sing-along-Sound of Music print played at the Prince Charles Cinema in London is a 35mm copy only, it was never released in 70mm for this Sing-along version.

This version of the film only contains the music numbers and not the full film, I belive it has done quite well and may be touring cinema's in the UK sometime in future

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-24-2000, 02:10 PM:

Those dam fools at Fox........Sappy as the story may be that was one of the best photographed Todd-AO films ever done, as well as the sound track. We ran it in a faded 35mm print on New Years at the Egyptian theater in Boise to standing room only and had to run it again the next morning for another 400 people that couldn't be let in the night before. The 35mm print, although old and faded, was sharp as a tack. Fox is still sitting on a gold mine with this film and they don't even know it. Unfortunately many generations have gone by since it was made that only get to see it on the crappy laser disk. Only a few can remember what it was really like in 70mm. It ran here in SLC at the Villa Theater for over two years non-stop!
Mark

Posted by Ben Wales (Member # 92) on 09-24-2000, 03:58 PM:

I seriously doubt it was 70mm, though. I'm almost certain that the Prince
Charles theatre only has 35mm facilities too.

The Prince Charles in London West End can show 70mm, but not recently I belive, it was equiped with two Philips DP75 and a Philips Platter and a Dolby CP200.

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 09-25-2000, 03:55 PM:

Sing along SOM in London was 35.
The Odeon Leicester Square 70mm print of "Platoon" was moved before my very eyes to The Prince Charles, when i was visiting the Odeon booth during vinter 1986/87. -Didn't visit the Prince C, though - and therefore don't know projector brand, but 70mm, yup !

SOM in 70mm - was truly great - even little old ladies noticed the three nuns singing from seperate speakers. Well, look for it only in books - it's a civilisation - gone with the wind (and someone's budget...)

Per

EURO ? - no, thank You !

Posted by John Gordon (Member # 523) on 09-25-2000, 05:59 PM:

Mark G,
Not all is lost. The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood ran a 70mm film fest last November and the Sound Of Music looked good--it was not a sing-a-long--and sounded good too. I only made it to four of the 70mm screenings.
The El Capitan, also in Hollywood, just recently ran a sing-a-long for Mary Poppins'. I did not make it to any of the screenings.
It looks like reviving older movies is on the up swing. Word is out that Warner will be re-releasing Superman in a longer version, prior to the DVD box set issue next year, late this year. And word has it Universal will be re-releasing E.T. early next year. But as for seeing these in 70mm, not likely. Though I'm sure they will be released in digital sound.

Posted by Ari Nordström (Member # 288) on 09-25-2000, 06:54 PM:

I saw a badly faded reel of Sound of Music in 70mm in June. The image was as sharp as ever, but the lack of colour (well, to be honest there was some red in it) was devastating.

The sound? We played it through a mixer and fed the output to a 2-channel system, so I really can't say. The nuns still sang from separate speakers, though.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-26-2000, 01:15 PM:

Prints made on Kodak print film since about 1982 should show minimal fading if processed and stored properly (i.e., cool, dry and vented or with Molecular Sieves).

SOM ranks among the best films in fully utilizing the 70 mm format, including the full use of all five speakers behind the screen. The 70 mm prints were stunning on a big screen.

I agree that a limited 70 mm re-release "done right", could be a "goldmine". Judging from the DVD, the negative is still in pretty good shape.

------------------
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 09-26-2000, 05:57 PM:

My one complaint with SOM was the ending with the Von Trapp family crossing the mountain and just about getting blown away by the camera helicopter. That IMHO was a big boo boo and should have been reshot.

Unfortunately the Egyptian is a bit too far away for most(actually almost all) to have the chance to see it plus they have nothing planned at all in the future. I'd like to see a steady string of films play there in 70mm, not just one 70mm festival per year. Planning one festival is a stupid way to run a theater. They should spread them out through a years time and allow each film more screenings so that all interested parties can have a chance to see them. The Europeans and Scandanivans seem to be the only ones that know how to program these films. Perhaps all of us 70mm fans should all move to Denmark or Norway.
I think in general SOM would be the ultimate 70mm film for Fox to re-release. It would expose several generations of people that have never been able to see any 70mm plus it can show just how good a film can look and sound. Sure it's sappy, but thats half the fun of it.
Mark

Posted by Thomas Hauerslev (Member # 566) on 09-27-2000, 01:07 AM:

Goodmorning,

Speaking of 70mm screenings in Scandinavia. Everyone should get to Malmø on Sunday for the Todd-AO presentation of "Cleopatra".

Also as usual: http://hjem.get2net.dk/in70mm/magazine/screenings.htm

"Baraka" is also expected to run return in Todd-AO 70mm in the swim pool (mentioned earlier in this forum) early in 2001.

All the best, Thomas

Posted by Martin Frandsen (Member # 74) on 09-27-2000, 01:55 AM:

Mark, yes the right place to be if your a 70mm fan is Europe- better north Europe. I can fly in to Oslo-Norway, Malmø-Sweden, or Bradford-UK, with-in a few hours for a show!

Check out Thomas Hauerslevs page- there are also regular 70mm screenings in Holland and Belgium.

BTW that Baraka screening at the swim pool, is that on a DP75?

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-27-2000, 05:58 AM:

Mark Gulbrandsen said: "My one complaint with SOM was the ending with the Von Trapp family crossing the mountain and just about getting blown away by the camera helicopter. That IMHO was a big boo boo and should have been reshot."

It's windy up there in the Alps! Actually, the von Trapp family left Austria in a train to Italy, ostensibly to begin a European concert tour. The recently released DVD set has a pretty comprehensive 90-minute documentary on the making of SOM. Julie Andrews tells of the difficulty in shooting the opening scene, due to the helicopter prop wash. An angry farmer used a pitchfork to poke holes in the plastic base of the "stream" that she threw pebbles in. And the backlit birch tree scene in the opening number was shot in about 20 minutes of sun in an otherwise cold, wet and dismal week of waiting for the sun to shine.

There's been quite a bit of comment in the r.a.m.t newsgroup about the "overenhanced" sharpness of the SOM DVD. I found it acceptable if I turned down the sharpness control on my monitor. Whoever did the transfer forgot that the 65 mm Todd AO negative was plenty sharp to begin with! My only other complaint about the DVD was a density "bounce" in the transfer of the opening titles. Other than that, the DVD brought back fond memories of seeing it in a theatre, but pales in comparison to the "Splendor of 70 mm":
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newsletters/reel/december98/pppp.shtml http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newsletters/reel/march99/pytlak.shtml

Posted by Ari Nordström (Member # 288) on 09-27-2000, 03:34 PM:

A couple of years ago, we organised a "70mm club" that screened 70mm classics about once a month at the Draken theatre in Göteborg. We got most of the great ones: "Ben Hur", "Spartacus", "2001", "Cleopatra", and so on, some of them in fairly good shape.

We even did a two-week rerun of "The Wild Bunch" in 70mm (bad programming, if you ask me, but I didn't complain when the print arrived ).

Problem was, nobody came to see them. We had to cancel several of the "Wild Bunch" shows and run the rest for a handful of people at most. The management had neglected to put even half-decent ads in the daily papers (one for "Ben Hur" consisted of a one-liner that simply said "Ben Hur, Draken, 7 pm", without even mentioning 70mm) or announce the screenings in any other way. Nobody knew that we were running these classic, so nobody came.

Two years later, Svensk Filmindustri, Sweden's largest theatre chain, decided to dust off these same 70mm prints in Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö (yup, the screening of "Cleopatra" that Thomas mentioned is part of this effort, and the print is the same we had). They put ads in the papers, placed posters in prominent places on multiplex walls, and generated several articles in local papers about "the splendor of 70mm".

Most of the classics sold out, which at the Palladium in Göteborg means 770 patrons, and a little less in Stockholm and Malmö...

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 09-27-2000, 03:57 PM:

Mark:
Sorry to say so, -but don't move to Denmark for "The Reel Thing"
Count a total of four 70mm prints in distribution - that's all:
Baraka - with ruined left channel mag sound
Hook - very used US print
Out of Africa - bit worn - but still nice
Titanic - DTS only (and i'm too much af a scrooge to spend the money on extra equipment for a single re-issue title)

Thomas may entertain you for hours at that issue - we DID have lots of 70mm prints, but distributors (just a few old men with no passion for that part of their job) voted the format out. -Thats the short version !

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Look for it only in books - it's a civilisation - gone with the wind

Per

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 09-27-2000, 04:01 PM:

Martin, din nisse

Hvorfor fortæller du ikke bare, det var en 75'er i den pøl i stedet for at spørge.
Du ved det jo godt !!

Subtitles:

Martin, You marshmellowhead

Why don't You just tell the guys, it was a 75 in that pyyl ? -You know very well...!!

Posted by Martin Frandsen (Member # 74) on 09-28-2000, 01:53 AM:

quote:
Why don't You just tell the guys, it was a 75 in that pyyl ? -You know very well...!!

he-he-he...my friend Per told me!

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You'll find a slight squeeze on the hooter an excellent safety precaution, Miss Scrumptious! - CCBB

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 09-28-2000, 04:18 AM:

The thought of SOM in 70mm makes one of our projectionists tremble at the knees.

Tony Cutts ,who was then at the Majestic in Leeds, ran the same 70mm print for 1,444 shows over 2 1/2 years when it first came out.He even has a telegram from Julie Andrews congratulating him on the success of the run at his theatre.

Even now we have to restrain him from pulling down the curtains and making himself a suit to go to the sing a longs .

Posted by Thomas Hauerslev (Member # 566) on 09-28-2000, 05:07 AM:

In the interest of facts, here you have a list of ALL large format films shown in Denmark.
http://hjem.get2net.dk/in70mm/in70mm/70mmindk.htm

All the best, Thomas