Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Tron (1982) Screenings

This is topic Tron (1982) Screenings in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Keri Delio (Member # 6170) on 04-06-2011, 06:07 PM:

Not sure if anyone else here is a fan of the original Tron film like me, but it is going to be playing in select cities at midnight showings.

Here is the list:
April 22 Nuart - Los Angeles
April 30 Ken - San Diego
May 6-7 Esquire - Denver
May 13-14 Uptown - Minneapolis
May 20-21 E Street - Washington D.C.
May 27-29 Sunshine - New York
June 10-11 Inwood - Dallas
June 17-18 Egyptian - Seattle

I am unsure if any of these engagements will be presented in 70mm or not.
I know there was a screening where it was shown in 70MM in LA on March 5th at the Aero Theatre, but outside of that I don't know
Regardless, my husband & I are going to the Inwood to see it. Neither one of us has seen it in the theater since it was originally released in 1982.

Posted by James Wallor (Member # 6154) on 04-06-2011, 06:22 PM:

Nice. It's too bad I'll be unable to make it to any of these, but we showed a DVD copy in our theater (would've loved to show a 35mm copy, but either the person ordering the movies asks for the DVD or Criterion, Fox, or Swank (whoever it is we happen to get that one from) prefers to send a DVD instead. In either case, given it was a DVD, it looked pretty good, all things considered.

I would've loved to see it when it came out... but my mother was 12... so that clearly couldn't happen.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 04-06-2011, 08:04 PM:

Although I did not think very much of the 1983 version of TRON, I loved the visual effects when I saw the movie at the Royal Theatre in Honolulu in 70mm during its first run. I was at Walmart yesterday and saw a display of the new Blu-Ray of TRON LEGACY as well as the original film. The BD came out in various editions and the one that had caught my eye was the five disc set that has TRON LEGACY in both 2-D and 3-D on Blu-Ray, a DVD, Digital Copy and a Blu-Ray of the original film. I had learned the original 65mm elements of the 1983 TRON was fully restored and the disc included a 90 minute documentary in HD of the making of the film and other extras. I could not resist so I bought the set of discs and watched the first 30 minutes of the 1983 film last night and was just amazed how great it looks. I love it when 70mm movies come out on Blu-Ray such as THE SOUND OF MUSIC, SOUTH PACIFIC and BARAKA. TRON is right up there with the others as far as the image quality is concerned. If you never saw TRON or the others in 70mm, watching them on Blu-Ray is the next best thing to seeing them in the large film format. I was also very pleased with the soundtrack of TRON on Blu-Ray because the original directional sound was retained.

-Claude

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 04-06-2011, 08:36 PM:

The original Tron kind of sucked, I was surprised that they greenlighted a new one after finding out how bad the original did.

Posted by Jim Henk (Member # 3628) on 04-06-2011, 08:52 PM:

Different audience completely. Plus the super-hero and sci-fi genres are doing pretty well right now. Not to mention nostalgia.

4/30 at the Ken is on my calendar now. And yes, wish it could be 70, as well. (though the Ken is a single screen low-budget Landmark house, and I seriously doubt there is 70 capability there.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 04-06-2011, 10:03 PM:

Why why why did Chicago not get it?!

[Confused]

AJG

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-06-2011, 10:31 PM:

I would be willing to drive a considerable distance, to perhaps Dallas or Austin, to see a 70mm print of Tron in a quality presentation.

I'm not going to drive a significant distance to see it 35mm. And I'm certainly not willing to drive far to see the movie video projected. If I have to settle for 2K I'll just take the Blu-ray. Hey, that rhymes!
[Big Grin]

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 04-07-2011, 08:43 AM:

I picked up the Blu-ray set and watched the first movie for the first time since its original theatrical release.

Surprisingly, I liked it a lot better than I remember.

I now understand why it has a fan base.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 04-07-2011, 08:55 AM:

Washington's engagement should read:

May 20-21 Uptown - Washington D.C.

[Wink]

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 04-07-2011, 05:30 PM:

The Prytania Theatre in New Orleans, LA will be playing it on 4/8 and 4/9.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 04-09-2011, 07:45 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
1983 version of TRON

Claude, Tron was released 7/9/82.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-10-2011, 08:52 PM:

I saw TRON in 70mm at the Regency in SLC that early October of 1982 where it only had a one week engagement (it came out in our area in late July of 1982) with a small audience attending. Did get to go up in the booth to see the machinery (AA'2s with large xenon lamphouses of a make I can't remember)..

...70mm is STILL the way to see movies on a large mega screen...

Posted by Keri Delio (Member # 6170) on 04-11-2011, 05:22 PM:

Thanks for the updates on the dates and locations guys.

I wish it was playing in 70mm as well but it will just be fun to get out and see it in the theater again at a midnight showing.
The Inwood is one of a handful of older theaters left in Dallas that are still operating and I haven't seen a movie there since the mid 80s.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 04-15-2011, 10:50 PM:

I know the screening at the Aero in Santa Monica was 70mm.

Posted by Thomas Hauerslev (Member # 566) on 04-29-2011, 01:42 AM:

TRON in 70mm 2 b shown in London i late Lune 2011

http://www.in70mm.com/now_showing/index.htm

Posted by Paul Gordon (Member # 3320) on 04-29-2011, 05:28 AM:

So is Disney now letting a print out of the cave? is it the newish DTS print from 1990's?

Posted by Keri Delio (Member # 6170) on 04-29-2011, 12:42 PM:

I also just found The Castro in San Francisco is showing Tron in 70mm on June 4.
The Castro is having a nice 70mm festival including Vertigo & Lawrence of Arabia this summer.
http://www.castrotheatre.com/coming-soon.html

If I wasn't knee deep in a billion projects I'd make the trip out for Tron in 70mm.

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 04-29-2011, 12:56 PM:

quote: Paul Gordon
So is Disney now letting a print out of the cave? is it the newish DTS print from 1990's?

I'm not aware of any 70mm prints with DTS of Tron. The print that started circulating in 1999 was mag (Dolby SR).

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-08-2011, 08:09 AM:

TRON shows at Ohio Theatre in Columbus, OH on 8/3/11 at 7:30pm. Ticket price is $4.00.

Posted by Keri Delio (Member # 6170) on 06-11-2011, 06:08 PM:

Saw Tron last night at the Inwood.
The print was 35mm & was in poor to fair condition.
The projectionist said the print was 5-6 yrs old.
Sound was decent, but colors were a bit muddy with loads of scratching at the beginning & at changeovers which were horrid looking.
It was fun to just get out & see it in a theater again, but I hope to be able to see it in 70mm someday soon.

Posted by Jim Henk (Member # 3628) on 06-13-2011, 01:10 AM:

And in Hollywood at the Egyptian 7/1 (7:30pm) on a double feature with Terminator 2, also in 70mm.

Geez, next week their also tag-teaming 70 prints of Blue Thunder and The Untouchables.

Me like double features...

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 06-16-2011, 04:18 PM:

the AFI Silver's website states an upcoming presentation will be a 70mm print [beer]

(date/time TBA) as part of their "Totally Awesome 5: Great Films of the 1980s July 1-September 8 showcase"

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 06-17-2011, 09:23 PM:

I might go see this at the BFI on Monday, only half full at the moment. Not advertised anywhere on their website as 70mm, will have to call up. Is it worth watching for the 70mm and the effects? I've only seen the film on DVD on my laptop and thought it was so-so.

Posted by Ramon Lamarca Marques (Member # 3621) on 06-19-2011, 08:54 AM:

Going to see it in 70mm again! After all these years, I saw its original 70mm release but dubbed into Spanish, I will see and hear the original version tomorrow.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 06-20-2011, 06:33 PM:

Wish I had seen your post earlier otherwise I could have introduced myself, just got back from the screening.

Really enjoyed the film this time, and it looks and sounds so much better in 70mm. The print was original, even had the censors card still on the front, and aside from some red fading it looked and sounded fantastic. You get quite drawn in to the computer-world on the big screen.

Posted by Ramon Lamarca Marques (Member # 3621) on 06-21-2011, 02:42 PM:

Caleb,

I added my comment the other day without checking yours. Certainly, I would have liked to meet you, maybe on the next 70mm/nitrate/dual 35mm 3-D screening at the NFT?

I agree with you, the print is in immaculate condition, it is a pity that it has started to fade, although in the scenes in the virtual world it is not that noticeable because of the lack of reference as to what the real colours would be. It was a very steady image and there were hardly any scratches at all. Also, listening again to magnetic sound it reminded me of the fullness it has compared to some digital formats and it had some very effective LFE that caused some shacking of the NFT1 premises!

It would be great if all of these restorations that are now being done at 6K like Ben-Hur could be printed back on 5/70mm with the original 6 channel configuration (now on DTS tracks). I mean, they could even premiere Raintree Country for the first time ever in 70mm! I wonder how much it must cost to print a digitally restored 6K file onto 5/70 with a DTS track. All the restoration work has been done and this would be just printing. They could also scan 35mm anamorphic films at 6K and if they originally had a blow-up presentation, include the original six channel mix on the 70mm print. I suppose there must be enough film gourmets in the world to justify the expense. And before someone mentions the trashing of the prints, the one we saw yesterday must be from 1982. I would imagine that by just allowing these prints to be handled by professional projectionists, they could enjoy a long life.

Posted by Paul H. Rayton (Member # 1817) on 06-30-2011, 05:58 PM:

Bad news for anyone hoping to see "Tron" in 70mm at the Egyptian (Hollywood) on Friday night: Disney **somehow** managed to double-book their sole 70mm print, so at this moment, the print is in Maryland for the AFI Silver screening, and we get ****... Well, we do "get" to show it in 35mm or possibly a Blu-Ray. Not sure which we'll use yet. The balance of the evening's double bill (T-2) WILL be in 70mm. But if you were planning to drive here from any significant distance, with your heart set on "Tron" in particular -- don't spend the gas money, as you'll not see the 70mm print! (Or, of course, you could fly east!)

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 06-30-2011, 08:16 PM:

As part of another '80s fest at the AFI/SIlver, Tron will be presented in 70mm this weekend! (Sorry Paul, couldn't resist).

http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/2011/v8i3/totallyawesome5.aspx#tron

It is a magnetic print and I hear has been around a while. I don't know any more about its condition. I believe it has showings Friday-Monday.

-Steve

Posted by Keri Delio (Member # 6170) on 06-30-2011, 08:30 PM:

If the 35mm print shown at the Egyptian is anything like the print I saw at the Inwood, it is in pretty bad shape, especially at the beginning.
It must be an old 35mm print or it was mishandled a lot.
As much as I prefer to see actual prints of older films at theaters, the Blu-Ray would be a much better option imho.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-13-2011, 07:05 PM:

They did run the Blu Ray.

quote: Egyptian Theatre
Note: Due to circumstances beyond our control, the 70mm print of TRON has become unavailable for this screening. The film will be shown from a Blu-Ray which will look spectacular.

Hmmmmm...Spectacular? Really?

Well, it was undoubtedly a better option than the beat up 35mm that was available, but the adjective is a bit over the top describing Blu Ray projection. It looks good, but...spectacular?

Nope.

Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 07-13-2011, 10:46 PM:

The magnetic print in circulation in the US is the one struck in 1999 for this event:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/archive/elcap2.htm

I saw the print at that time at the El Capitan and recently saw the same print at the Castro in SF 2 years ago. It still looked and sounded fantastic at the time.

Posted by Paul H. Rayton (Member # 1817) on 07-21-2011, 03:17 PM:

FYI, the 35mm print Disney sent us had edge print date coding of 2004. The analog audio was Dolby "A", and it carried no (zero!) digital tracks of any sort. As has been reported by others, it's got a good deal of wear and tear, esp. at the heads and tails of the reels. I'd give it a "B" rating, I guess, not disastrously bad, but not ideal. At least it's not a print from the original release year, which might also have faded.

Yes, we did run the show from the BD, and, yes, actually, it did look (and sound) extremely good. We have (IMHO) the best-looking BD projection anywhere, for one reason because I'm able to tweak the color and contrast a bit, to replicate the film look a bit better when we run such shows. The DTS Master Audio plays wonderfully, and it sounds awesome, a quantum leap above what we would have gotten out of that 35mm print, and, dare I say it, possibly better than the 70mm mag, though my stating that will incur the wrath of the mag sound lovers out there... It's an opinion thing.

At any rate, we got no complaints, and, in fact, a number of positive audience comments about how good it looked and sounded, especially the animated sequences. We had posted a disclaimer on the doors, as well, so any and all who did attend were forewarned about the substitution. And they seemed to be OK with it. It may not have been "70mm", but it was a good screening nevertheless.