Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Good day at the Movies

This is topic Good day at the Movies in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Brett Rankin (Member # 31) on 09-27-2000, 07:06 PM:

We've been bitching about presentation a lot, so I thought I'd share an actually good experience:

Last weekend I saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with a few friends who had never seen it at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood. It was the most fun I've ever had at a movie. It sold out (of course) but we bought a few of the last tickets, and after scrambling inside we found a few remaining seats in the balcony. The theater's recent restoration worked wonders- the seats were delightfully comfortable and the acoustic walls didn't at all detract from the atmosphere. The presentation was an 11 out of 10. After some woman spoke a few words, the lights dimmed down ever so slowly, the crowd quieted, and the first frame hit the screen with brilliance and clarity. The print was immaculate! The screen was bright! The focus was perfect! The (2000') changeovers were seamless! I had never known such quality. I was very impressed. The sound was phenomenal as well- for an optical 35mm print I could have sworn it was 70mm mag. Seeing it with an enthsiastic crowd made the experience just that much more enjoyable. I had seen this movie once on VHS, but watching it on an enormous screen in that beautiful thater made me think I had never seen it before. And, to top it all off, the projectionist let me take a quick peek at the booth after the show. It was a perfect outing that made me feel, well, giddy. I had always watched movies, but this was the first time that I can say I "experienced" one.

Anybody else been there? It's even better than the Chinese...

Brett

Da da da-daaa, da da daaaaa... da da da-daaa, da da da-da-daaaaaa......

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 09-27-2000, 07:36 PM:

Yes--the Egyptian is great. I was there for the first weekend of the IB Tech festival in February (Ben Hur, et al.). Picture and sound (including 4-track mag) were excellent. This was in the main theatre; I have not seen the screening room theatre that is also at the Egyptian.

The Chinese is horribly over-rated. The Cinerama Dome has (had?) far better sound quality and the Egyptian had a much brighter/sharper/steadier picture (and the sound was better than the Chinese, but not quite as good as the Dome). The Chinese does _look_ nice, though.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-28-2000, 02:10 AM:

Brett,

Paramount just struck a few brand new SRD prints of Raiders. You obviously saw one.

Good to hear someone out there is doing things right.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-28-2000, 10:16 AM:

Your projectionist was likely Paul Rayton. He moved to the Egyptian from the GCC Hollywood Galaxy last year. Paul is a dedicated professional, and is a leading supporter of bringing back "The Splendor of 70 mm" to large theatre screens.

Kodak's ScreenCheck website lists showtimes for the Egyptian:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/screencheck/la.shtml http://www.americancinematheque.com/

Your great experience just goes to show what "film done right" can do, even for a 35 mm scope print made from a twenty year old production.

Brad: How many new prints with digital sound were made? Are they available for any theatre to book?
------------------
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 Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-28-2000, 02:27 PM:

As I understand it, only a couple. They are not in regular circulation yet I don't think. I do believe they are considering striking a dozen more to replace the ones in circulation. I'll have to check on it. The SRD thing really surprised me.

Posted by Dave Cutler (Member # 515) on 09-28-2000, 03:20 PM:

I'm jealous. I ran a print of 'Raiders' about a month ago. It was in fair shape, but one of the reels (I think 5, but perhaps 6) was TERRIBILY scratched. I am talking about a dozen verticle lines. Some one must have run it using changeovers and messed up a thread. Wish I would have gotten a better print. Oh well. Glad to hear that there are better prints, and I hope they do strike more with a SRD soundtrack.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-28-2000, 03:51 PM:

If only Paramount would strike a couple of 70mm prints of Raiders!

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 09-29-2000, 05:43 AM:

Stop teasing me.

Posted by Brett Rankin (Member # 31) on 09-30-2000, 12:49 PM:

Are there any plans for a wide rerelease in the upcoming future? 20th anniversary, perhaps? I mean come on, it would make a lot more money than The Excorcist.

And maybe it's been covered before, but how much does it cost to strike a new 70mm print vs. a new 35mm one? It seems like they would be a lot cheaper now without the mag striping...

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 03-31-2005, 05:16 AM:

It has been 1642 days since the last post.