I was able to watch the last 20 minutes or so from the top row and I could also hear the phones, more than ever. My guess is that people were waiting outside to pick up the seniors and calling them to see if the movie was still on. That’s no excuse, of course. I will mention to Nelson to please say something during the intro next week about turning off cell phones before the show. Some sort of “phones off now” ritual. :)
I’m glad you made it out and enjoyed the show. You came on a good day as we had the special lobby poster display from the movie and you got to see the “deluxe” presentation with trailer and curtain features, as well as walk-out music after the film.
Please introduce yourself next time you come out – I’m usually in the lobby before the show.
Should be before the end of April. The guys are still cleaning up and refurbishing the place. The marquee got hit by a truck on Thursday, so that needs to be repaired as well.
If I’d been there, they’d have had to physically stop me from trying to do that, Bill. I nearly got thrown out of the Bergen Mall Cinema back in ‘89 when they couldn’t/wouldn’t fix the focus during a Star Trek V/ Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade double feature.
I hope you’ll get a chance as most of them look exceptionally good if the projection is correct. I’ll be showing some again – probably next year – at the Lafayette in Suffern. I imagine there will also be a third World 3D Expo in LA at some point.
Properly projected double system polarized 3-D – the way every songle one of the golden age films from the 50s were made and shown (the article linked above is hideously incorrect about the process) is not “bad”. LIM – you must not have ever seen one.
Generally, the studios do not waive exhibition rights payments even if you do not charge admission. In fact, since they also get a percentage of your box office, they will charge you more in a flat rate if you aren’t selling tickets. Whatever you do, please don’t show anything without clearing it and paying for it – the studios will never service you if they find out that you’ve done so.
Cost to obtain repertory prints can vary anywhere from $150 to $500 or more, plus shipping both ways. And you’ll have to sign a master agreement personally with every studio you want to do business with. I would suggest you contact a local film booker who can advise you better – go to www.bigscreenbiz.com for more info on bookers.
Hi, Vito – in your 4/1 post above you wrote, “In a situation where a theatre had only one curtain, when we showed a flat picture on the scope screen we would not open the curtain all the way, stopping it just after the edge of the image.”
When we first took over the Lafayette in Suffern back in 2002, there was no masking. By the time we started running classics as part of our line-up in early 2003, we still didn’t have masking so I used that exact same method with the curtain for running Academy ratio films until our new screen and masking went in a few months later. What goes around, comes around…
You have your theatre’s film booker contact the repertory divisions of the various studios. Terms and conditions for every studio vary, so you’re best off using a pro rather than trying to do it yourself. You can find bookers at www.bigscreenbiz.com .
In the case of AMC (as with most large chains), the district office or national booking office submits showtimes to the various services that then syndicate them to Moviefone, movietickets.com, Fandango, the newspapers, etc.
There will be a big organ concert at the Music Hall on Saturday night, August 9, sponsored by Theatre Organ Society International, and that tickets should be available starting next week
Fox did strike new prints of Planet of the Apes a few years ago. When I ran a brand new Fox vault print of it at the Lafayette Theatre in 2004, it was perfect. Most likely the Ziegfeld will get a similar print, though hopefully it hasn’t been harmed by disinterested projectionists prior to them getting it.
Hi, “Legal”. Please re-write your posts so that we may understand you better. Thanks.
Again, it appears that the current series (none of us are talking about anything else) at Count Basie is completely licensed and correct. If they have booked their theatrical showings through the studios – since these are shows where they are charging admission, that would be the correct procedure – they do not need your “Umbrella License” service.
Perhaps “Legal” doesn’t realize that most of the major studios (Warner, Paramount, Fox, & Sony; I don’t know about Universal) have recently been granting theatrical booking contracts that allows the exhibition of a DVD to the public in repertory situations.
Well, unless the theatre is damaging the film print, the Dolby Digital works just fine. The same type of damage that can affect the Dolby Digital track will affect the DTS track as well. Sound quality is essentially equivalent between them. Regarding “surround”, if the DTS track isn’t working, the sound comes from the analog stereo Dolby tracks, the same as if the Dolby Digital track isn’t working.
Rhett & Jeff –
I was able to watch the last 20 minutes or so from the top row and I could also hear the phones, more than ever. My guess is that people were waiting outside to pick up the seniors and calling them to see if the movie was still on. That’s no excuse, of course. I will mention to Nelson to please say something during the intro next week about turning off cell phones before the show. Some sort of “phones off now” ritual. :)
I’m amazed they made it through 1987 alive, look at that lineup of junk!
Interviews in 1981 with Spielberg indicated that he saw the character as a variant on Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart in Treasure of the Sierra Madre).
Hi, Gary.
I’m glad you made it out and enjoyed the show. You came on a good day as we had the special lobby poster display from the movie and you got to see the “deluxe” presentation with trailer and curtain features, as well as walk-out music after the film.
Please introduce yourself next time you come out – I’m usually in the lobby before the show.
Hi, Peter –
Should be before the end of April. The guys are still cleaning up and refurbishing the place. The marquee got hit by a truck on Thursday, so that needs to be repaired as well.
If I’d been there, they’d have had to physically stop me from trying to do that, Bill. I nearly got thrown out of the Bergen Mall Cinema back in ‘89 when they couldn’t/wouldn’t fix the focus during a Star Trek V/ Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade double feature.
I hope you’ll get a chance as most of them look exceptionally good if the projection is correct. I’ll be showing some again – probably next year – at the Lafayette in Suffern. I imagine there will also be a third World 3D Expo in LA at some point.
“single”
Properly projected double system polarized 3-D – the way every songle one of the golden age films from the 50s were made and shown (the article linked above is hideously incorrect about the process) is not “bad”. LIM – you must not have ever seen one.
Generally, the studios do not waive exhibition rights payments even if you do not charge admission. In fact, since they also get a percentage of your box office, they will charge you more in a flat rate if you aren’t selling tickets. Whatever you do, please don’t show anything without clearing it and paying for it – the studios will never service you if they find out that you’ve done so.
Cost to obtain repertory prints can vary anywhere from $150 to $500 or more, plus shipping both ways. And you’ll have to sign a master agreement personally with every studio you want to do business with. I would suggest you contact a local film booker who can advise you better – go to www.bigscreenbiz.com for more info on bookers.
Hi, Vito – in your 4/1 post above you wrote, “In a situation where a theatre had only one curtain, when we showed a flat picture on the scope screen we would not open the curtain all the way, stopping it just after the edge of the image.”
When we first took over the Lafayette in Suffern back in 2002, there was no masking. By the time we started running classics as part of our line-up in early 2003, we still didn’t have masking so I used that exact same method with the curtain for running Academy ratio films until our new screen and masking went in a few months later. What goes around, comes around…
You have your theatre’s film booker contact the repertory divisions of the various studios. Terms and conditions for every studio vary, so you’re best off using a pro rather than trying to do it yourself. You can find bookers at www.bigscreenbiz.com .
Bosley Crowther’s New York Times review is dated 9/25/64 (“opened at the Music Hall”)
According to the CPI calculator, a $3 movie ticket in 1975 (which would have been on the upper end for first-run, IIRC) would be $11.80 today.
In the case of AMC (as with most large chains), the district office or national booking office submits showtimes to the various services that then syndicate them to Moviefone, movietickets.com, Fandango, the newspapers, etc.
Yes, Lady Vanishes was from his Gaumont British studio days.
The theatre doesn’t submit its own showtimes.
From what I was told, they will be around $50, but the official announcement is to come next week sometime.
There will be a big organ concert at the Music Hall on Saturday night, August 9, sponsored by Theatre Organ Society International, and that tickets should be available starting next week
Fox did strike new prints of Planet of the Apes a few years ago. When I ran a brand new Fox vault print of it at the Lafayette Theatre in 2004, it was perfect. Most likely the Ziegfeld will get a similar print, though hopefully it hasn’t been harmed by disinterested projectionists prior to them getting it.
Hi, “Legal”. Please re-write your posts so that we may understand you better. Thanks.
Again, it appears that the current series (none of us are talking about anything else) at Count Basie is completely licensed and correct. If they have booked their theatrical showings through the studios – since these are shows where they are charging admission, that would be the correct procedure – they do not need your “Umbrella License” service.
Perhaps “Legal” doesn’t realize that most of the major studios (Warner, Paramount, Fox, & Sony; I don’t know about Universal) have recently been granting theatrical booking contracts that allows the exhibition of a DVD to the public in repertory situations.
Well, vinyl certainly sounds better than CD on a proper setup…
:)
Well, unless the theatre is damaging the film print, the Dolby Digital works just fine. The same type of damage that can affect the Dolby Digital track will affect the DTS track as well. Sound quality is essentially equivalent between them. Regarding “surround”, if the DTS track isn’t working, the sound comes from the analog stereo Dolby tracks, the same as if the Dolby Digital track isn’t working.
Why would bigger screens be a gripe? Dolby Digital delivers just as good sound as DTS, so I’m not sure I understand that gripe, either.