Film Forum

Had a GREAT time watching “King Kong” on the big screen, and the post-film-scream-fest was lots of fun. A young girl won the Fay Wray scream-alike contest ,beating almost twenty women (and at least one guy!) for the top prize. The whole thing was a blast….except for a couple of small (literally) things:
One, it would be nice to have the lights in the theatre a little brighter than the Stygian darkness we got for the contest. I could barely make out who was who from my fourth row seat!
And , since i haven’t been to the Forum after the new seats were installed, my body got quite a surprise squeezing into the seats between the hip-pinching cupholders on either side that were installed. I’m 6 foot tall ,180 lbs. and they felt very uncomfortable….I can imagine what my bigger-boned movie brethren might go through! Cupholders are great for a bigger auditorium , but for our little (and , one of the last ) sacred shrines to Yesteryear’s classics, I think we could’ve done without them .

anyway, thanks to Mr. Goldstein and company,and to the wonderful talents that made this afternoon possible!

The Lafayette Theater in Suffern, New York does fantastic presentations of classic films, complete with curtains, footlights, overtures, and all the bells/whistles which make for the total Classic Movie Experience. Plus they have a great sound system and a truly big screen.

It’s not in New York City – but Ms. Verlotsky would truly showcase this important film in a grand movie palace if she secured a booking at this showplace!

/theaters/2897/

Other than for the “Higher” membership levels Film Forum does not sell reserved seats.

You mean they’re showing it in standard 35mm on a small screen?

Oh boy oh boy, that is a BIG disappointment.

Will this print be in color?

No curtains at the Film Forum? That’s too bad.

Well, at least it will be a visual treat to see the film in 70mm on the big screen. That format doesn’t get revived often enough these days.

The ad on the website says the tickets are going on sale 10/12. I don’t think this theater has reserved (assigned) seats. The ad also says the two parts are being sold separately and that both have an intermission. You can see them both in one day, or on different days. Link posted above by IFA.

I recall seeing Bernardo Bertolucci’s Uncut 5 hour 11 minute, 2-Part Epic “1900” (Novecento) at the Film Forum in February 1991 and had no problem with screen size or seat comfort. Considering the magnitude of “War and Peace”, having seen the 2-Part US edition several times during the 70mm-Stereo engagement at the former De Mille Theatre, 7th Ave and 47th St, NYC from April to October 1968, a hearty welcome for the original subtitled edition. In 1968, I was literally left emotionally exhausted by the powerful “Battle of Borodino” sequence from the section where Prince Bolkonsky faces death observing the swirling canon ball at his feet all the way through to the sweeping aerial photography of the battle leading the viewer being drawn further up into the tranquility of the clouds with the battle almost unnoticed below. The “Burning of Moscow” is another incredible sequence. The imagery and editing almost defies analysis as it has such a complex dynamic structure of editing, effects and that powerful music score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov. I tried to break down the “Borodino” sequence into shots and camera angles and was moderately successful. Sergei Bondarchuk had to be a “beyond” genius artist to pull all of the elements together in a film that is almost impossible to forget. The last New York showing of the Russian language subtitled version of “War and Peace” was at the Museum of Modern Art in a tribute to the late Sergei Bondarchuk given from January 12-14, 1995. If the screen at the Film Forum is not the largest and the seats not the most plush and comfortable, I am willing to endure such shortcomings to see cinematic artistry at its finest. Each of the 2-Parts does have an intermission, making each segment 90 to 120 mins. Enjoy and be overwhelmned.

I certainly hope so, then it will be just like seeing it when it was first released!

Do you know if they are selling advance tickets on a reserved seat basis? I want to be sure to get the “sweet spot” for this one.

IFA; please thank Ms. Verlotsky and Seagull Films for bringing this Roadshow Epic back to New York.

Bob, I don’t know if you’re trying to be funny about War and Peace looking spectacular at the Film Forum, but…while the image will be crisp and bright and the sound will be clear, the screens are so small, the seats a bit uncomfortable (one must suffer for art!)and the sightlines less than ideal, I would dread seeing a seven hour movie (in Russian!) at this house.

Thanks, Lost Memory. What a good little theater to “trip” over, “shockproofed” or not !

In a review yesterday of the 1949 movie “Shockproof,” The New York Times claimed that its current engagement at the Film Forum is “its first New York run.” What nonsense! In May and June, 1949, “Shockproof” was shown all over the Greater New York area, including the entire Loew’s circuit, as the bottom half of a double-bill with another Columbia release, “The Return of October.” In those days, very few people owned TV sets, so hundreds of thousands probably saw “Shockproof” during its engagements in the NYC area.

This is a photo of the Film Forum marquee.

The forums have terrific programming, but I really don’t like the theatres. Those columns, and terrible seats, sightlines etc. If someone tall sits in front of me I’m sunk.

I’m putting up nice movie material that relate to movie theatres including souvenir programs. check it out

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you can also visit my own website
www.cinemagebooks.com
to view more material.