That’s not entirely accurate about the name change.
From 1966 to 1968 the CAPITOL advertised as the CINERAMA without the CAPITOL name being used. It reverted to CAPITOL when Cinerama releases became extinct.
I agree with celboy that the movie could not look any better than the Ziegfeld presentation and the sound level was fine Monday night.
I can’t say this is my favorite version of the film though, as I am a big fan of the original and think the voice over complimented the noir feel and fashions perfectly.
Still, it is not as destructive as the extended version of APOCALYPSE NOW and well worth the effort.
The volume needs to be adjusted to the size of the crowd. A manager who does not respond to the older sparse matinee crowds and lowers the sound is a poor showman. More people complain than you think.
Having once worked the Ziegfeld I can confirm that the complainers of the sound being “too loud” often outnumber the happy hearing impaired “make it louder” action crowd.
Since the dialogue usually comes from speakers behind the screen it becomes the first casualty in a big house.
This gets worse during poorly mixed new movies where noise makes up for the lack of action. Does anyone remember the obnoxiously blaring EVITA with both Antonio Banderas and Madonna equally struggling with the English language during their few dialogue scenes? Or the more recent SPIDER-MAN franchise where subtitles would have been required if it wasn’t that dialogue was not really important so no one cared.
If those films were played at recommended levels we would have emptied the theatres.
I would like to mention something about the focus issues.
Many panoramic scenes, like those so prevalent in PORGY AND BESS, have altered focus so that items of best interest are sharp while others are soft, drawing the viewer to that part of the screen. Since main items were hard to determine in PORGY the projectionist kept playing with the focus trying to find one.
I do not fault him for his efforts but it does make this particular film a challenge on a big screen. I know this was common issue with David Lean films but does anyone know if this was always the case with PORGY?
With all due respect to all those on this thread who love curtains and reel to reel, I really enjoyed last night’s showing of PORGY but I will be the devil’s advocate and report that the curtain was indeed a nuisance and the reel changes were jumpy. I felt like I had missed something each time.
The curtain was indeed opened late after intermission (I thought it was up to its old tricks and we would never see the second half)and we missed part of the scene anyway as it was started without sound. The curtain play at the end credits was distracting and unnecessary.
I will chalk it up to a lost art in the projection booth but lost it has been and for way too many years.
Aside from this the introduction from the biographer was endearing and the film itself lived up to all the hype and justifies none of the detractors, including Mr. Poitier, who was actually quite good in it.
It had a great remodel late in the Cineplex Odeon days when it became a twin and, although a bit dog eared these days, the still booming gay Chelsea crowd keeps it going.
Now that the Beekman is gone, Woody Allen likes his premieres here.
The first commercial festival of Cuban films was held at the Olympia in March 1972 way before the Jean Renoir opened. It lead to the commercial release of the now classic MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT.
You will find NYT articles about the decline of Times Square going back to prohibition when drugs and prostitution started to thrive on 42nd street. Even the Busby Berkeley movie musical (1933) already references the violence and sleaze. The situation became obvious when the fleets visited promiscuous war time New York. Even male prostitution was already a “problem”.
In the 19th century, before the Times and the theatres, prostitutes allegedly worked under the 42nd street cattle run. The street was never wholesome and every generation redefines their limits for tolerance of what goes on there. I draw the line at flying nannies.
I also loved those elaborate displays often put up for only a few day’s run. I laughed at the fake nurses waiting to take your blood pressure in case you might die watching some horror flick and those XXX films that ensured you would want to “Come and Come Again!”
As one book describes it, 42nd street has always been the symbol of unchecked capitalism in America. If nothing else, you have to admit it is still that.
I think Ed was referring mainly to 42nd street itself which was relatively intact through the eighties with architecturally impressive and profitable theatres. Unlike Hollywood, 42nd street theatres were thriving in spite of the real life horror show outside their doors (and sometimes inside). Their owners were forced to sell very profitable businesses in order to attract the new investments.
42nd street redevelopment sent drug dealers and the sex establishments “showcase” to a neighborhood near you, as it spread across the city instead of being most concentrated in one red light district.
I, like Ed, also do miss the divine decadence that was once 42nd Street and wish more of it had been conserved. However, at the risk of sounding hypocritical, I have since moved a block away, a move I would have never entertained before the clean-up.
The Playpen itself is a victim of this reinvention of a neighborhood that was always sleazy and to a certain extent still is. The sex shop that the Ideal eventually became bothered no one except those prudes who are in denial that this stuff will always be around next to someone in the city. My previous New York residence in Greenwich Village has since been transformed into a bar, a tattoo parlor and a sex shop. So goes the city.
On the issue of newspaper ads, demographic studies are showing that the core movie audience (15-25 year olds) no longer read newspapers. Many recent exploitation and ethnic films have not bothered to place ad in the NYT at all. The consistent appearance of directory ads for the specialty theatres goes along with their over 30 demo.
Teenagers often use their cell phones or computers to get showtimes.
AMC both started and ended the shoebox auditorium. I remember that Hialeah threeplex and it was outdated the day it opened. Although all chains have bad sites, GCC built bad sites. The GCC twin conversions were worse than others with no reseating and serious sound bleed. I stopped going to the Riviera and 170th Street for that reason alone. GCC and UA were still building shoebox auditoriums way after audiences were already rejecting them. Neither company survived the recent bankrupcies.
There is no doubt the Ziegfield has inadequate facilities for 1200 people to go to the restroom at once. Name a cinema (or theatres) in the world that does.
I have no doubt that Digital is the future for practical reasons. I do not believe it enhances the audience experience one bit and I believe those gain financially from it (distributors) should pay or at least finance conversions.
I personally applied (and received) 72 of those 239 (2K) Arts Alliance UK government funded digital projectors. The Arts Alliance expects them to be obsolete within five years. Imagine if we had BOUGHT them!
Cinema chains sell projectors because they are, unfortunately, closing sites. Not because they are converting to digital.
Sorry, the name changed from 1963 to 1966.
That’s not entirely accurate about the name change.
From 1966 to 1968 the CAPITOL advertised as the CINERAMA without the CAPITOL name being used. It reverted to CAPITOL when Cinerama releases became extinct.
And one should never start a sentence with “And” either but who really cares.
I agree with celboy that the movie could not look any better than the Ziegfeld presentation and the sound level was fine Monday night.
I can’t say this is my favorite version of the film though, as I am a big fan of the original and think the voice over complimented the noir feel and fashions perfectly.
Still, it is not as destructive as the extended version of APOCALYPSE NOW and well worth the effort.
The volume needs to be adjusted to the size of the crowd. A manager who does not respond to the older sparse matinee crowds and lowers the sound is a poor showman. More people complain than you think.
Having once worked the Ziegfeld I can confirm that the complainers of the sound being “too loud” often outnumber the happy hearing impaired “make it louder” action crowd.
Since the dialogue usually comes from speakers behind the screen it becomes the first casualty in a big house.
This gets worse during poorly mixed new movies where noise makes up for the lack of action. Does anyone remember the obnoxiously blaring EVITA with both Antonio Banderas and Madonna equally struggling with the English language during their few dialogue scenes? Or the more recent SPIDER-MAN franchise where subtitles would have been required if it wasn’t that dialogue was not really important so no one cared.
If those films were played at recommended levels we would have emptied the theatres.
I would like to mention something about the focus issues.
Many panoramic scenes, like those so prevalent in PORGY AND BESS, have altered focus so that items of best interest are sharp while others are soft, drawing the viewer to that part of the screen. Since main items were hard to determine in PORGY the projectionist kept playing with the focus trying to find one.
I do not fault him for his efforts but it does make this particular film a challenge on a big screen. I know this was common issue with David Lean films but does anyone know if this was always the case with PORGY?
With all due respect to all those on this thread who love curtains and reel to reel, I really enjoyed last night’s showing of PORGY but I will be the devil’s advocate and report that the curtain was indeed a nuisance and the reel changes were jumpy. I felt like I had missed something each time.
The curtain was indeed opened late after intermission (I thought it was up to its old tricks and we would never see the second half)and we missed part of the scene anyway as it was started without sound. The curtain play at the end credits was distracting and unnecessary.
I will chalk it up to a lost art in the projection booth but lost it has been and for way too many years.
Aside from this the introduction from the biographer was endearing and the film itself lived up to all the hype and justifies none of the detractors, including Mr. Poitier, who was actually quite good in it.
By the way, previous names were RKO 23rd St, Roundabout, 23rd St West Triplex, as a single, legit and triple, respectively.
It had a great remodel late in the Cineplex Odeon days when it became a twin and, although a bit dog eared these days, the still booming gay Chelsea crowd keeps it going.
Now that the Beekman is gone, Woody Allen likes his premieres here.
According to the New York Times, PORGY & BESS aired on March 3, 1974 on channel 11 and on November 7, 1972 at 8:00pm, same channel.
A lot of sales fanfare within the industry for 4K, but not outside because the audience can’t tell the any difference.
The first commercial festival of Cuban films was held at the Olympia in March 1972 way before the Jean Renoir opened. It lead to the commercial release of the now classic MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT.
Absolutely. The old 42nd street never died. It had to be murdered, with the likes of Brandt being thrown out kicking and screaming in court.
You will find NYT articles about the decline of Times Square going back to prohibition when drugs and prostitution started to thrive on 42nd street. Even the Busby Berkeley movie musical (1933) already references the violence and sleaze. The situation became obvious when the fleets visited promiscuous war time New York. Even male prostitution was already a “problem”.
In the 19th century, before the Times and the theatres, prostitutes allegedly worked under the 42nd street cattle run. The street was never wholesome and every generation redefines their limits for tolerance of what goes on there. I draw the line at flying nannies.
I also loved those elaborate displays often put up for only a few day’s run. I laughed at the fake nurses waiting to take your blood pressure in case you might die watching some horror flick and those XXX films that ensured you would want to “Come and Come Again!”
As one book describes it, 42nd street has always been the symbol of unchecked capitalism in America. If nothing else, you have to admit it is still that.
I think Ed was referring mainly to 42nd street itself which was relatively intact through the eighties with architecturally impressive and profitable theatres. Unlike Hollywood, 42nd street theatres were thriving in spite of the real life horror show outside their doors (and sometimes inside). Their owners were forced to sell very profitable businesses in order to attract the new investments.
42nd street redevelopment sent drug dealers and the sex establishments “showcase” to a neighborhood near you, as it spread across the city instead of being most concentrated in one red light district.
I, like Ed, also do miss the divine decadence that was once 42nd Street and wish more of it had been conserved. However, at the risk of sounding hypocritical, I have since moved a block away, a move I would have never entertained before the clean-up.
The Playpen itself is a victim of this reinvention of a neighborhood that was always sleazy and to a certain extent still is. The sex shop that the Ideal eventually became bothered no one except those prudes who are in denial that this stuff will always be around next to someone in the city. My previous New York residence in Greenwich Village has since been transformed into a bar, a tattoo parlor and a sex shop. So goes the city.
Rudy claimed the credit for a plan that predated mayor Lindsay.
On the issue of newspaper ads, demographic studies are showing that the core movie audience (15-25 year olds) no longer read newspapers. Many recent exploitation and ethnic films have not bothered to place ad in the NYT at all. The consistent appearance of directory ads for the specialty theatres goes along with their over 30 demo.
Teenagers often use their cell phones or computers to get showtimes.
As for IFA, I suspect that Yoda he might be.
I understand the site will be a hotel.
Greek mythology. Orpheus, “Father of songs”.
I do believe SNF STILL holds the record as the best selling movie soundtrack album of all time.
What a bunch of BS.
Digital is watered down cinema and the quality STILL sucks!
No one , I repeat NO ONE has has bought into the latest Arts Alliance sales pitch.
The Fairfax was renamed the Paramount. This Paramount in 1938 is either a major remodel or a complete reconstruction.
Opened as THE COLONY, SPARKS' NEW WONDER THEATRE on January 25, 1935 with CLIVE OF INDIA starring Ronald Colman and Loretta Young.
As the Arista Cine Malibu:
View link
Lorenzo,
AMC both started and ended the shoebox auditorium. I remember that Hialeah threeplex and it was outdated the day it opened. Although all chains have bad sites, GCC built bad sites. The GCC twin conversions were worse than others with no reseating and serious sound bleed. I stopped going to the Riviera and 170th Street for that reason alone. GCC and UA were still building shoebox auditoriums way after audiences were already rejecting them. Neither company survived the recent bankrupcies.
There is no doubt the Ziegfield has inadequate facilities for 1200 people to go to the restroom at once. Name a cinema (or theatres) in the world that does.
I have no doubt that Digital is the future for practical reasons. I do not believe it enhances the audience experience one bit and I believe those gain financially from it (distributors) should pay or at least finance conversions.
I personally applied (and received) 72 of those 239 (2K) Arts Alliance UK government funded digital projectors. The Arts Alliance expects them to be obsolete within five years. Imagine if we had BOUGHT them!
Cinema chains sell projectors because they are, unfortunately, closing sites. Not because they are converting to digital.