Paris Theatre
4 West 58th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
4 West 58th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
40 people
favorited this theater
The first of the post-war movie houses constructed in Manhattan, the Paris Theatre is directly across from the Plaza Hotel and not much further from the beginning of Central Park.
The Paris Theatre opened on September 13, 1948, with Marlene Dietrich cutting the ribbon in the presence of the Ambassador to France. The original movie operator, Pathe, ran the theatre until 1990. Loew’s then took over, and the theatre was known for a while as the Fine Arts Theatre. Renamed the Paris Theatre, as of 2009, City Cinemas is the movie operator.
This luxurious art house in Manhattan’s Midtown has an Art Moderne exterior. The auditorium has blue velvet walls and seating for 421 on the main floor and in the 150 in the balcony. It has excellent projection and sound. The atmosphere is elegant, including with well attired and helpful staff.
The Paris Theatre is one of the very best places to see art house films in New York. As its name implies, the Paris has an affinity for playing foreign films (especially French films). Many premieres have been hosted by the Paris Theatre.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick, Howard B. Haas
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Recent comments (view all 189 comments)
I had the great pleasure of seeing “The Artist” here yesterday ( 12/10/11) such a fitting movie to be seen in this awesome venue. Theatre was full and it was worth fighting the crowds along 5th avenue to make the showing that I did.
It is certainly aging gracefully.
I was at the 2:45 PM showing yesterday! Which showing were you at? Tonight, ABC TV news showed “The Artist” on the Paris marquee in a story about the film.
As was blogged by the Paris on its Facebook site, a recent compliment from an acrtress-
“We’re here at the Paris Theatre, which is such a romantic, old-fashioned theater. This felt like a very appropriate dress,” actress Jessica Chastain said at Tuesday night’s New York premiere of Coriolanus as she smoothed the tissue-thin lace overlay of her floor-skimming Monique Lhuillier look. “ http://www.vogue.com/parties/the-new-york-premiere-of-coriolanus/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=Fashion+Instant
@Howard. I was at the 10:30 am showing. Forgive how long its been for my reply. I’ve not been spending much time on this site lately. Since the change over, its gone a bit downhill, certain theaters still have drivel posted to them, so Id rather not waste my time.
HDTV, an early showing! As I’m listed in the credits, I’m kind of an official volunteer here. If you see outright “spam” email me directly so I will have it removed. There are trivial postings, can’t help that, but this website has more interesting postings than many other blogs.
yes, I’m an early bird. I’ve reported my share of spam on here. However one grows tired seeing inane posts in certain theaters where when thats all that they have to say when clearly below it says “stay on topic”
I’ve found many other interesting blogs with great information and none of the drivel.
Lost Internet History from an old friend:
HAMLET IN 70MM IN NEW YORK CITY
By Scott Marshall
“HAMLET” premiered in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles on December 25th, 1996. On January 28, I ventured into New York to get a taste of a this very rare confection — a new film “photographed and presented in 70mm format.” On the way to the Paris Theater on 58th street, I passed such wonders of the big city as a man calling out, to no one in particular, “you’re all gonna die!” My mission was to observe the current state of a film format that many predict is already dead. The full-text four-hour version of Hamlet I was about to see tells the tale of a royal family and how they all die.
Just a few days ago, I heard a projectionist assert that 70mm theatrical film presentations were dinosaurs. What I saw at the Paris, therefore, may signal the beginning of a cinematic Jurassic Park. Panavision has preserved the five perforation 70mm format in amber, waiting for someone with a brilliant and dashing vision to bring it back to its former glory. Kenneth Branagh is that person.
The film was playing at Sony’s sparkling theatre, The Paris, and was absolutely stunning. There were minor technical flaws— the slight reduction in depth of field, one extreme closeup probably made with a diopter of inadequate correction for chroma aberration, a camera dolly that was somewhat rocky — but the image and sound had truly remarkable beauty never seen by today’s theatrical audiences except in special venues like IMAX. The picture was rock solid — not a trace of registration jitter, the familiar vertical bouncing of standard 35mm fare. There was no weaving (the slight left and right wandering of inferior formats). From most seats in the theater, the picture was absolutely grainless. It had the velvety “life in a box in front of you” look that only the 5/70 format has.
It was also in the magnetic sound-on-film format. Three screen channels (classic 70mm had five), two surround channels, and a sub-woofer channel on the film’s six magnetic tracks. With Dolby noise reduction, the sound was full, rich, and without magnetic’s hiss or digital’s harsh upper register.
Why was expensive magnetic sound used instead of the new 70mm version of DTS, successful in the Super VistaVision 70 restoration of Vertigo? Magnetic striping is expensive and controversial for exposing the environment to harmful fumes from its solvents. Sony Pictures released Hamlet to its own Sony Theatres. It would be hard to imagine a company with prudent self interest installing and advertising its competitor’s equipment (Sony markets its SDDS system in direct competition with DTS).
A common rationale for avoiding the 70mm format is its expense, but, film budgets are typically so huge now that the additional expense of the large format becomes insignificant. Hamlet is extraordinary for being, at $18 million, virtually a low budget production.
Branagh may have awakened a sleeping giant — the five perforation 70mm format. With home theater and HDTV threatening the cinema more than ever, another great wide screen era may be in our future. Thanks to Branagh, today’s Hollywood can see what a first run 70mm picture is like.
Stanley Kubrick, said to possess his own 65mm cameras, is rumored to be filming his next picture in the format. Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) recently tested 5/70 for his next film. There is little doubt that producers who want to demonstrate their dedication to quality will be strongly tempted to follow Branagh’s example. We may look back at Hamlet as a watershed event — the return of true quality to the cinema.
Reprinted from the January, 1997 Issue of the Wide Gauge Film and Video Monthly . Copyright © 1997 by Marshall Multimedia, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.
I enjoyed Hamlet in 70mm at the Paris. It was the 2nd to last “new” (not classic or restored classic) 70mm film (filmed that way or blow up) that I saw. “Titantic” a couple years later was the last.
Howard,
Thanks for the comment (and all your comments on this site). I enjoy reading all comments, even the short ones of indviduals who just state they saw a picture at a theatre.
“Hamlet” was filmed in Panavision System 65 (65mm) and Arriflex 765 (65mm) and presented in Panavision Super 70 (70mm)and 35 mm (anamorphic). To date, this was the last 70mm film here in the US to be film and presented.
“Titanic” was filmed in Super 35 and sections in Techniscope for 70 mm (blow-up)and 35 mm (anamorphic)exhibition.
“Titanic” will be re-released April 4, 2012 in 3D and 2D for the 100th Anniversary of the historical event of 1912. It will have IMAX 3D exhibitions.
Best wishes to you in all your endeavors.
Its too bad we will never see 70mm again, now that all movies (I cant call them FILMS if they are digital) are going digital. The last film I personally projected in 70mm was in 1989, “The Abyss”