I appreciate your constructive comments and support of our shows.
The reason for yesterday’s show was because of the brutally bad condition of reel 6. The print as it came in had no ending – at least the last 20 feet of image (of Shane riding off) was missing as well as the entire ending Paramount logo. What I did to make it play as smoothly as possible was to remove the Paramount logo from the beginning of the film (after it ran, obviously) and attach it to the end of reel 6 (since that opening logo had a nice picture fade up and out). While I rode the sound – fading down on the last 12 feet of image, I started the curtain closing just as the Paramount logo was hitting the screen, making for a better presentation of a bad print, IMO.
Normally, I time the curtain close so that the audience never sees a white screen (which is the way I was always taught and the real old-timers here will back me up on). I’ll cheat a little and wait a bit longer sometimes if the film doesn’t have a long end cast, but most of the films from the era we’re playing are timed to have a curtain close over their final 8 seconds or so of end-title image.
The studios boooking agreements vary by region, theatres in major metro areas are often not able to offer bargain shows in the afternoon, if at all. Remember that the percentage of the ticket sales that the theatre has to remit to the studio is based on full-priced tickets in most cases, bargain shows or discount programs cost the theatre money.
In its first weekend, it did under $2000 per screen in 143 locations (most major markets). Those are not good numbers for a film with this kind of publicity. If it had any interest from the general public, it would have done over $5000 per screen.
I think everyone enjoyed it as much as you, we’ve received nothing but positive comments, even with the no-show of Plan 9 (which will definitely be making an appearance in the near future, with an added bonus). One thing, there were almost 40 minutes of trailers – they went by so fast that it only seemed like 20.
The Horror & Science Fiction Festival 2006 is this weekend at the Lafayette! Nowhere else will you see PSYCHO, THE CRAWLING EYE, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, HOUSE OF USHER, and ROSEMARY’S BABY in one great festival…
Thanks, Bill. Glad you noticed the music – you were one of three who knew what it was and figured out why I played it. I overheard a couple of people say that they thought it was music from The Omen!
Rhett – the lights coming up a little early on Becket was a mistake. The overhead lights are controlled from the projection booth and I never turn those up until a “The End” hits the screen. But the sidelights (which you are referring to) are controlled from downstairs and they must have faded them up as people started to come in to the lobby (before the film was over, during that last long shot), thinking the film was over. I’ll make certain the manager knows in the future not to turn them up until he sees a “The End”, or whatever the first credit is, on-screen. Unfortunately, our litigious society prevents us from keeping the house lights down until the curtain closes.
Perhaps they don’t think it will do any business for them, being a micro-budgeted indie flick that, most likely, does not fit the demographics of their locations.
I’ve never found any remnants of 70mm equipment anywhere in the Lafayette theatre, all the way from the boiler room to the attic and booth storage area, so I would guess no to ever showing 70mm. The theatre was equipped for 35mm magnetic stereo from Christmas 1953 (for The Robe) and also had one of the area’s first 35mm Dolby Stereo setups installed for the run of the original Star Wars in 1977/78.
According to the “70mm in New York” website, The Black Cauldron had a 70mm engagement at UA’s Route 59 Theatre in Nanuet, NY.
There are no 70mm prints of Superman in circulation any longer (they would have all faded by now, anyway). The Ziegfeld is most likely running the “Director’s Cut” of Superman (which had a limited reisuue in 2000), probably the same print I played a couple of years ago. I don’t believe any prints of the original 1978 version are in circulation.
No, the whole screen is silver, since it’s the same screen we use for all shows. The silver really adds a “sparkle” to the image, particularly the black & white and Technicolor classics when we run them.
Vito – they could do it, but they most likely won’t. When I run 3-D again at the Lafayette next year, you’re welcome to come up and run a show, I could use the break :)
Re: 8th Street Dial M: Warner has new dual-strip polaroid 3-D prints of Dial M for Murder, I ran one at my 3-D festival at the Lafayette back in 2004.
It’s possible. The full-frame 1999 prints (there were only 12 struck, IIRC) are supposed to be reserved by Warner for reel-to-reel theatres only (they are sent out by special request, as that’s how I got the one I ran at the Lafayette last year).
That’s cool, Vito. I have to admit, I was always bugged that the transition was so obvious until I saw what it was supposed to look like with a sepia print. Have you seen the sepia version? The full-frame dye-transfer prints that Warner struck in 1999 (not what the Ziegfeld just ran) are gorgeous.
Simple reason – the first shot of reel two is colored to look like sepia, not black & white. If reel one is in sepia tone, the two reels match perfectly and you do not know that a switch to color will be taking place. When the straight black & white reel one changes over to reel two, the audience knows that you’re in for a switch to something and the transition is jarring. There’s no way a changeover from a black & white reel one to the first shot of reel two would ever have the same effect as the sepia version.
Yes, all of the Kansas sequences were photographed in black and white. As I posted above, the original 1939 release prints had those sequences printed in sepia tone; I don’t know if it was tinted stock or actual sepia toning. Those scenes were always intended to be viewed in sepia – when a print with the tones is projected (and if the changeover is smooth), you can’t tell when you’ve switched to Reel 2 (which starts with her running towards the door). That shot was photographed on a specially-painted set with a double wearing a dyed dress to match the sepia tone of the previous reel. When the door opens, the Technicolor bursts through and then Judy Garland walks into the frame in her full-color costume. Reissue prints (the one you ran) and the television prints printed those scenes in straight black and white, ruining the intended effect.
The original 1939 release prints had the “black & white” sections printed as sepia tone (so that the audience wouldn’t know the switch to color was coming). Later re-issues (and the broadcast TV and early video versions) presented those scenes incorrectly as straight black and white. The 1999 reissue and newer LaserDisc & DVD versions restored those sequences to the correct sepia tone.
Come up to the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern this Saturday morning when we screen CITIZEN KANE. You’ll also get Chapter One of the vintage cliffhanger serial “The Crimson Ghost”.
They will, of course, have to have 35mm projectors also since it will be years before the studios release all films as digital-only releases.
As for digital’s quality, I’ve seen the Ziegfeld’s setup running at its optimum (as well as numerous other installations in the NY metro area). The Zieg’s looked very good – better than I expected – but not as good as a film presentation there. There’s still a ways to go before digital projection has the color space and black level needed. They’ll get there eventually, but it’s a ways off.
Just an update – we’ve made a change to the above schedule:
On December 16 – instead of Polar Express – we’ll be showing the full-length uncut version of the Laurel & Hardy classic BABES IN TOYLAND (aka MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS).
bufffilmbuff: yes, The Pink Panther was shot in Technirama, but is, of course, presented in Panavision .
Empty.
Hi, Rhett.
I appreciate your constructive comments and support of our shows.
The reason for yesterday’s show was because of the brutally bad condition of reel 6. The print as it came in had no ending – at least the last 20 feet of image (of Shane riding off) was missing as well as the entire ending Paramount logo. What I did to make it play as smoothly as possible was to remove the Paramount logo from the beginning of the film (after it ran, obviously) and attach it to the end of reel 6 (since that opening logo had a nice picture fade up and out). While I rode the sound – fading down on the last 12 feet of image, I started the curtain closing just as the Paramount logo was hitting the screen, making for a better presentation of a bad print, IMO.
Normally, I time the curtain close so that the audience never sees a white screen (which is the way I was always taught and the real old-timers here will back me up on). I’ll cheat a little and wait a bit longer sometimes if the film doesn’t have a long end cast, but most of the films from the era we’re playing are timed to have a curtain close over their final 8 seconds or so of end-title image.
Thanks.
The studios boooking agreements vary by region, theatres in major metro areas are often not able to offer bargain shows in the afternoon, if at all. Remember that the percentage of the ticket sales that the theatre has to remit to the studio is based on full-priced tickets in most cases, bargain shows or discount programs cost the theatre money.
In its first weekend, it did under $2000 per screen in 143 locations (most major markets). Those are not good numbers for a film with this kind of publicity. If it had any interest from the general public, it would have done over $5000 per screen.
Thanks, hotwaterbottle.
I think everyone enjoyed it as much as you, we’ve received nothing but positive comments, even with the no-show of Plan 9 (which will definitely be making an appearance in the near future, with an added bonus). One thing, there were almost 40 minutes of trailers – they went by so fast that it only seemed like 20.
Neat pics, Bill, thanks for posting.
See you Saturday!
Forgot to add:
The Horror & Science Fiction Festival 2006 is this weekend at the Lafayette! Nowhere else will you see PSYCHO, THE CRAWLING EYE, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, HOUSE OF USHER, and ROSEMARY’S BABY in one great festival…
See the news item posted here: http://cinematreasures.org/news/15378_0_1_0_C/
Thanks, Bill. Glad you noticed the music – you were one of three who knew what it was and figured out why I played it. I overheard a couple of people say that they thought it was music from The Omen!
Rhett – the lights coming up a little early on Becket was a mistake. The overhead lights are controlled from the projection booth and I never turn those up until a “The End” hits the screen. But the sidelights (which you are referring to) are controlled from downstairs and they must have faded them up as people started to come in to the lobby (before the film was over, during that last long shot), thinking the film was over. I’ll make certain the manager knows in the future not to turn them up until he sees a “The End”, or whatever the first credit is, on-screen. Unfortunately, our litigious society prevents us from keeping the house lights down until the curtain closes.
Perhaps they don’t think it will do any business for them, being a micro-budgeted indie flick that, most likely, does not fit the demographics of their locations.
You’re welcome – hope to see you there!
It’s less than an hour by car from Manhattan. Train service gets you there in about 55 minutes.
“To Be Continued” was only added to the video version, it was never on the original 1985 theatrical prints.
I’ve never found any remnants of 70mm equipment anywhere in the Lafayette theatre, all the way from the boiler room to the attic and booth storage area, so I would guess no to ever showing 70mm. The theatre was equipped for 35mm magnetic stereo from Christmas 1953 (for The Robe) and also had one of the area’s first 35mm Dolby Stereo setups installed for the run of the original Star Wars in 1977/78.
According to the “70mm in New York” website, The Black Cauldron had a 70mm engagement at UA’s Route 59 Theatre in Nanuet, NY.
There are no 70mm prints of Superman in circulation any longer (they would have all faded by now, anyway). The Ziegfeld is most likely running the “Director’s Cut” of Superman (which had a limited reisuue in 2000), probably the same print I played a couple of years ago. I don’t believe any prints of the original 1978 version are in circulation.
No, the whole screen is silver, since it’s the same screen we use for all shows. The silver really adds a “sparkle” to the image, particularly the black & white and Technicolor classics when we run them.
Vito – they could do it, but they most likely won’t. When I run 3-D again at the Lafayette next year, you’re welcome to come up and run a show, I could use the break :)
Re: 8th Street Dial M: Warner has new dual-strip polaroid 3-D prints of Dial M for Murder, I ran one at my 3-D festival at the Lafayette back in 2004.
There’s no reason why it wouldn’t, Bill. I think the Ziegfeld’s screen is common-height for all aspect ratios.
It’s possible. The full-frame 1999 prints (there were only 12 struck, IIRC) are supposed to be reserved by Warner for reel-to-reel theatres only (they are sent out by special request, as that’s how I got the one I ran at the Lafayette last year).
That’s cool, Vito. I have to admit, I was always bugged that the transition was so obvious until I saw what it was supposed to look like with a sepia print. Have you seen the sepia version? The full-frame dye-transfer prints that Warner struck in 1999 (not what the Ziegfeld just ran) are gorgeous.
Simple reason – the first shot of reel two is colored to look like sepia, not black & white. If reel one is in sepia tone, the two reels match perfectly and you do not know that a switch to color will be taking place. When the straight black & white reel one changes over to reel two, the audience knows that you’re in for a switch to something and the transition is jarring. There’s no way a changeover from a black & white reel one to the first shot of reel two would ever have the same effect as the sepia version.
Vito:
Yes, all of the Kansas sequences were photographed in black and white. As I posted above, the original 1939 release prints had those sequences printed in sepia tone; I don’t know if it was tinted stock or actual sepia toning. Those scenes were always intended to be viewed in sepia – when a print with the tones is projected (and if the changeover is smooth), you can’t tell when you’ve switched to Reel 2 (which starts with her running towards the door). That shot was photographed on a specially-painted set with a double wearing a dyed dress to match the sepia tone of the previous reel. When the door opens, the Technicolor bursts through and then Judy Garland walks into the frame in her full-color costume. Reissue prints (the one you ran) and the television prints printed those scenes in straight black and white, ruining the intended effect.
The original 1939 release prints had the “black & white” sections printed as sepia tone (so that the audience wouldn’t know the switch to color was coming). Later re-issues (and the broadcast TV and early video versions) presented those scenes incorrectly as straight black and white. The 1999 reissue and newer LaserDisc & DVD versions restored those sequences to the correct sepia tone.
Ed:
Come up to the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern this Saturday morning when we screen CITIZEN KANE. You’ll also get Chapter One of the vintage cliffhanger serial “The Crimson Ghost”.
They will, of course, have to have 35mm projectors also since it will be years before the studios release all films as digital-only releases.
As for digital’s quality, I’ve seen the Ziegfeld’s setup running at its optimum (as well as numerous other installations in the NY metro area). The Zieg’s looked very good – better than I expected – but not as good as a film presentation there. There’s still a ways to go before digital projection has the color space and black level needed. They’ll get there eventually, but it’s a ways off.
Just an update – we’ve made a change to the above schedule:
On December 16 – instead of Polar Express – we’ll be showing the full-length uncut version of the Laurel & Hardy classic BABES IN TOYLAND (aka MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS).
bufffilmbuff: yes, The Pink Panther was shot in Technirama, but is, of course, presented in Panavision .