Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Recent 70mm releases?

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Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 07-18-2009, 01:32 PM:

Have there been any recent 70mm (non-IMAX) releases? IE., something in the last 3-5 years? I know nothing has been produced on 5/70 for a long time (Hamlet?)

Is there any value to maintaining a 35-70 projection setup at this point?

-David

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 07-18-2009, 01:45 PM:

SAMSARA by Mark Magidson and Ron Fricke is now in post production and should be released in a few non IMAX 70mm venues very soon. Rony Fricke previous 70mm film was BARAKA and released on Blu-Ray last year as well as DVD.

AS far as maintaining 70mm venues, Outside of big cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago San Francisco that have 70mm revival showings on a regular basis, I can see no point for a theatre in a smaller city to expect to show a brand new 70mm release or a previously released classic when the possibility of getting a print is nil. Honolulu had a total of about eleven houses that could show 70mm but there is only one now and it is the Kahala #1.

-Claude

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 07-18-2009, 02:31 PM:

Two new films were shown on 70mm at the Bradford Film Festival this year:

Faubourg 36 was a 35mm blow-up, but looked very good.

Tanakh Bibelen Al-Quran was actually shot on 65mm. This is what I said about it at the time:

"Tanakh Bibelen Al-Quran is a very unusual film. It features the entire content of all three books, with each pair of pages held for three frames, and runs for something over four minutes in total. Of course you can't read the text at that speed, but you can compare the typographic style of the three books, but then you could do that with still photographs, or the books themselves. To be honest, I'm not sure that I see the point in it, but it's good to see somebody shooting in 65mm again, and the image quality was very good, It wouldn't have looked the same shot in 35mm, or video. An interesting film to see if you get the chance."

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 07-18-2009, 02:40 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
I can see no point for a theatre in a smaller city to expect to show a brand new 70mm release or a previously released classic when the possibility of getting a print is nil.

i would think that if a 70mm print is sitting around in the depot (as some are) and a competent 70mm-equipped theater in a city of any size tried to book it, they would get it. why not?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 07-18-2009, 03:07 PM:

I'm pretty sure you would get the print...many have the stipulation now of no platters and that rules many out.

Steve

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 07-18-2009, 05:25 PM:

This has nothing to do with "Large Format" as defined in the forum description. Moving to FHF.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 07-19-2009, 05:56 PM:

David,

It's been many years since there were quantites of 70mm prints. The first Dolby Digital release of BATMAN RETURNS started the decline and the large scale release of JURASSIC PARK in DTS digital pretty much ended things.

There are a few remaining 70mm prints. The Wexner Center near you has run 2001, VERTIGO, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and PLAYTIME in the last few years. Many of the new prints are DTS-Special Venue to generate the 5-behind the screen channels of the older releases.

Remember, too, that shipping those large 70mm boxes would be pretty expensive.

Investing money into 70mm equipment right now would not be likely to pay off in the long run.

Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 07-19-2009, 06:14 PM:

quote: David E. Nedrow
Is there any value to maintaining a 35-70 projection setup at this point?

Absolutely! There are an increasing number of really, really beautiful restored prints out there, and to see them is a real privilege.

They knock everything else for six [Cool]

As Claude has said, Samsara is on the way, and possibly more...

Re. platters, most of what I've seen in Europe in the last few years has been shown that way. On the shipping issue, several of the new prints have been shipped in plastic cans on cores, thus very significantly reducing weight. Not a problem!

Anyone with 70mm today has it lucky! [beer]

Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 07-19-2009, 07:42 PM:

I'm putting two re-furb'd projectors in the booth at the Grandview. I've run across an unused, incredibly well maintained, 35-70 that the owner may be interested in giving up. I figured that since I'm putting new equipment in, I would make an offer on this if it would provide any value screening-wise.

Of course, if the available prints are reel-to-reel only, then only having one 70 capable projector is a losing proposition.

Posted by Tom Maguire (Member # 5314) on 09-20-2009, 04:26 PM:

How'd the 70 install go? We have 70 capabilities at our theater and it's great. Lawrence of Arabia did great business last year and was one of the best looking images I've ever seen on screen.

And also, not envious of having to deal with getting equipment up and down that fire ladder at The Grandview, unless you put in stairs that is.

http://www.kscputnamtheater.org/

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 09-20-2009, 05:32 PM:

From your website, I see you are running DAYS OF HEAVEN, one of the most beautiful films ever made, in my opinion. I wasn't aware there were any runnable prints of that around.

How is the print? Is it faded? How are the mag tracks?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-20-2009, 06:56 PM:

We ran DOH outdoors in the park in Chicago many years ago. The only existing print then had just barely started to turn and I never heard of any others having been struck although this is one film that should live on in 70mm for sure.

Mark