Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Memorable films released on August 12th...

This is topic Memorable films released on August 12th... in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 08-12-2011, 02:21 AM:

The Wizard Of Oz (1939).

Also released on 8/12...
Wings (1927)
Cujo (1983)
The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)
Tucker: The Man And His Dream (1988)
Young Guns (1988)

Please share your memories of seeing or working with any of these films.

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 08-12-2011, 02:51 AM:

THE WIZARD OF OZ : I only saw it on TV. First time when I was a child and it had fascinated me. Only later when I saw it a second time on a newer TV set did I realize that the largest part of the film was in color... [Razz]

TUCKER : the first film I saw in a THX theater. It was the Kinepolis in Brussels and was in 70mm.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-12-2011, 03:00 AM:

I recall the insane sell-outs from Last Temptation of Christ for certain. There was a number of protests and what they weren't smart enough to realize was that they were convincing people that they needed to see the movie because of the controversy.

I just locked the booth door and waited for the next changeover.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-12-2011, 03:26 AM:

1971: I did run an IB print of "Wizard of OZ" for one week - it was some sort of special showing of sorts.
Last reel had the B/W sequence spliced in at the end of the Technicolor segment ..

1987: ran an Eastman copy, but B/W segments were on B/W stock..

5 Reels

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 08-12-2011, 06:02 AM:

I ran Wizard in 1970 for special kids matinees. Opening B&W was spliced in. Color footage started just before the first changeover as Dorothy approaches the door. I have some screen shots somewhere. The color was amazing.

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 08-12-2011, 06:46 AM:

I remember seeing Oz in a local theater sometime in the mid-late 50's. Kids matinee. Anyway, I'm sure the B&W footage was true black and white. Now, the versions I see on TV have the B&W portion sepia toned. It makes me wonder how was it originally released in 1939? And, yes, I believe the first C/O occurs just as she approaches the door of her house.

Posted by Gordon Bachlund (Member # 124) on 08-12-2011, 12:46 PM:

As I recall from an early 1950 reissue the opening and closing were sepia tone.

Posted by Richard P. May (Member # 3598) on 08-12-2011, 01:14 PM:

In the original release reel 1 and the end of reel 5 were B&W, processed for sepia tone. The balance was Technicolor.
Once the MGM lab started printing it around the 1970s, they left the B&W sections just plain B&W, which looked awful, especially in the transitions to and from color.
In about 1985 that was changed, and these sections were printed on color stock, timed to be sepia color. Everything after that had the accurate use of sepia, as in the original release.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-12-2011, 03:01 PM:

Then, WB released it in 1999 in a 1.85:1 reduction printing with the full frame reduced in a 1.85: letterbox frame.

Like what New Line did with "Gone with the Wind" in 1998 - printed it on IB stock, squeezed the full frame image down to full 2.00/1 so one used the anamorphic lens to play it back full frame on the screen..

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 08-12-2011, 03:05 PM:

With that 1999 re-release, there was a small number of dye transfer, full-frame prints produced. Most went to the larger cities, but I was able to track one down in Indianapolis. It was a very nice print that was shown properly. I asked the manager how they ended up with that print, and he told me they did very very well with children's films and hoped this would do well.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 08-12-2011, 03:22 PM:

We were the only theatre in the State of Alabama to show Last Temptation. We were condemned by the mayor, the city council and a butt load of churches that knew nothing about it except the petition full of lies by Donald Wildmon (Donald threatened to sue me for calling him a liar in the press. I told him to go ahead, but he never did). The Governor actually held a rally directed against me personally. Our insurance company cancelled for fear the good christians would blow us up (we got cheaper insurance). We didn't get to run it until January 88, so had months of controversy buildup.
Finally came time to show it, the protestors showed up (with misspelled signs), but they only lasted the first night. Ran it for two weeks and at the time it was the best attended movie we'd ever had. People were coming from out of state to see it. Some people just came to the boxoffice window, threw in some money and said things like "I don't want to see it, but I don't want anyone telling me I can't."
The censor types never bothered us again.
We get about a page and a half in this book that came out for the 20th anniversary (although we are not in the index)
http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Under-Siege-Scorsese-Religious/dp/0813125170/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313180413&sr=1-3

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 08-12-2011, 04:51 PM:

Found one:

Screen shot from the long gone KB Baronet.
1/4 second at F 2.3 explains the slight blur.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-12-2011, 11:07 PM:

...they sure knew how to make wonderful matt paintings back then ...

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 08-13-2011, 12:04 AM:

1939 was a great year for films because it was the year both THE WIZARD OF OZ and GONE WITH THE WIND was released as well as several others. . It was also the year I was born! I was only a baby and could not have seen the first showings of the two movies. Although there were several theatrical showings of GWTW when I was older, I never saw it until 1961 when I viewed the movie at the long demolished California Theatre in Santa Barbara. For some reason, I have ever never seen THE WIZARD OF OZ in a theatre. I have seen GWTW a couple of times in a theatre including that dreadful 70mm road show presentation.

I haveboth movies in Blu Ray and they are gorgeous.

-Claude

Posted by Frank Bruno (Member # 1871) on 08-13-2011, 02:10 AM:

Martin-
for what it's worth now, it's really cool that your theater still showed the film, and so emphatically defended it (or your right to show it or for an audience to see it.)

I might actually see if I can get ahold of a copy of that book.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-13-2011, 11:42 AM:

I remember when that Oz re-release came out in the late 90s. I wanted to play it because I'd never seen it on the big screen. Our booker thought it wouldn't do any business (probably rightly so). So, we brought it in for a "sponsored" matinee, where the local chamber of commerce paid for the tickets and everybody got in free. Needless to say we were completely swamped.

We played it for two additional nights at regular prices and had small crowds, but that was OK with me because I got to sit and watch it twice without a huge crowd.

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 08-14-2011, 05:51 AM:

Saw GWTW in 4:3 at the long-ago demolished Ramona Theater in Detroit in 1971. Quite the experience.