AFI Silver Theatre
8633 Colesville Road,
Silver Spring,
MD
20910
8633 Colesville Road,
Silver Spring,
MD
20910
24 people
favorited this theater
Showing 351 - 374 of 374 comments
Tonight we saw “Notes on a Scandal” in the historic auditorium. The movie, itself, has some contemporaneous revelancy and touts terrific performances from both its stars Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench. The latter commands on screen attention in an understated way especially with her character’s narrative. She could breath drama into just reading the ingredients off of a Twinkie wrapper! Her character will have discussion groups with much to talk about especially in the GLBT community.
The presentation, itself, was very good. The curtains were closed as the audience was filing in and opened when the trailers started. An AFI employee introduced the movie but still could use a little more oomph with maybe a tidbit or two about the movie to be seen and not just getting people to sign up for memberships. They played the older “Let’s See it in THX” trailer which showcased some of the auditorium’s sound potential. Yet again, there was that on screen jiggle during transitions as if someone were holding the projector with his/her hands. The film print was good with just a few scratches in one part that would’ve been a bigger detraction had the screen been any larger.
I would not classify either of the non-historic auditoriums as broom closets. Acoustically, they are far superior to the Historic theatre. Picture wise, theatre #2 has about as big an image in a better sized room. You may not like the design of the two smaller rooms but that is one of personal taste but the shows they put out are all of high quality (all three rooms). I do feel that the screen size in #3 is a bit big for the room though.
From what I understand, the AFI will shift movies from one auditorium to another based on ticket sales. So, to advertise say one movie to play in the main auditorium where ticket sales are less than in one of the ‘broom closets’ would be foolish. Of course, the exception would be the event film or 70mm showing of a classic movie.
This commentis for “rivjr” (above posting) who returned to his “old neighborhood” as well as anyone else reading this who grew up in downtown Silver Spring. After the great success of my book “Historic Silver Spring” (Arcadia Publishing 2005), I would like to do a follow-up book but will need LOTS of period photographs from ALL decades of the 20th century.
If you have any photographs or ephemera (postcards, matchbooks, menus, newspapers, etc. depicting downtown Silver Spring) that i could borrow for the book, please contact me.
Thanks!
Jerry A. McCoy
President
Silver Spring Historical Society
www.sshistory.org
There are more ways the AFI could improve the Silver besides getting over their lefty narrow-mindedness in bookings. For one thing, the main auditorium (the restored old theatre) is something very special but the two new auditoriums are definitely not. Economically necessary, yes; special, no. But the AFI makes zero effort to let people know what’s playing in the main theatre and what’s in the two broom closets. Neither the newspaper listings nor the website tell you. A phone inquiry yields the usual automated run-around. I’d love to see a good classic re-run in the main theatre —– I enjoyed well over 300 movies in the old Silver —– but I wait and wait for an interesting booking. I saw HIGH NOON there, going 12 miles back to my old neighborhood, but that’s two years ago. The AFI used to honor classics; not much anymore.
One mis-statement from above…Only Theatre #1 (The Historic Theatre) can present in 70mm. All three theatres can present in 16mm and 35mm though. Most of the 35mm aspect ratios are supported, including Silent films and 16mm Scope.
Soundwise…all three have Dolby Digital, DTS and SDDS. All three rooms are THX certified (as noted above) and they are now displaying the THX snipes ahead of most, if not all features (except archival ones where splicing of the film is prohibited).
All three theatres have DCinema projectors (1st generation due to when the theatres were put on line…2003).
All three theatres use the finest film projection equipment in the world and have genuine professional projectionists. It is a great theatre to support.
I was the cheif projectionist there from 1981-summer of 1982 and have been involved with the AFI/Silver’s installation of the projection/sound equipment.
Steve
Interesting Eberson!
On this page you will see a picture of the theater before the renovation:
View link
Two more:
http://www.roadsidenut.com/silt403.jpg
http://www.roadsidenut.com/silt4031.jpg
For additional information on/photographs of the Silver Theatre, visit:
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“March of the Penguins”…this year’s best Documentary come Oscar time. This was my first movie in one of the “new” theaters and I was quite impressed. Loved the opening & closing curtain!!!
The only bad thing about seeing the Original Trilogy at the AFI Silver was….nothing! I had real buttered popcorn, photo ops with various members of the Imperial fleet, and a Heineken to help wash down “Return of the Jedi”. I did lose my prescription Ray Ban sunglasses….but what a theater! They found them and help onto them for me! I love this place! Coming up next…Indian Jones movies PLUS WC Fields’s “Never Give a Sucker an Even Break!…WOW!
Just returned from a screening of the original Star Wars trilogy. It was a great experience. Great sound and picture from start to end, in the largest historic theater (in THX). Unfortunately, the presenters flubbed up (though they did catch themselves) one of them referred to Star Wars as ‘Episode One’ and another referred to the second film as ‘The Emperor Strikes Back.’ It seems this was the only venue anywhere in the world that currently showed the first five movies of the saga. Its too bad the prequels weren’t in digital.
I remember when it was KB Silver Spring, “I saw the Empire Strikes Back” in 1980, right around the corner was Roth Silver Spring West and Roth Silver Spring East theaters.
I would imagine, at the very least, they will be displayed in the Eberson Theater. No way in hell will they be the “original” films…Lucas would never allow it. Thank the maker I was wise enough to grab the widescreen versions on videotape before the “Special Editions” were released (note: non-transferable to my DVD recorder). Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to get the 70mm versions…whatever…just getting to see the three of them in a row on the big screen will be more than treat enough!
I’ve E-mailed them to find out if the original trilogy will be in 70mm, the special editions, and, if the prequels will be in digital projection. All three auditoriums are capable of any format, but I’d like to see them in the historic original auditorium. So far, no response.
The first weekend of July AFI is screening the “Original Trilogy” Star Wars movies back-to-back-to-back. I’ve got my tickets…do you? They’re also showing the first two “prequel trilogy” movies on the friday & monday that bookend the showings of the “original trilogy” (pass…thanks). Then the week of 8-14 they are showing all three “Raiders” films (sadly not sequentially) as well as American Grafitti & THX-1138 as part of their George Lucas hommage. Pretty good reason to visit our nation’s HQ this July, n'est ce pas?
I’m sorry. I’ve looked at a list of their programs for the past year. I do not discern any narrow viewpoint. I see instead a mouth-watering array of an enormous variety of films from the U.S. and from many lands. These represent many different viewpoints, political philosophies, and directorial sensibilities. I do indeed see a “diverse program of good movies.” For the life of me, I really can’t see what you would like them to add…or omit. Did they show “Fahrenheit 9/11” without providing a pro-administration program or something like that? What specific types of films, what titles do you have in mind that are not being programmed? What agenda do they have? I remember seeing programs of the Circle, because I used to know the person who programmed it for a time. They were good programs but not of the breadth and depth of the AFI offerings. I urge readers to click on their site link above and see for themselves.
The CIRCLE theatre, in DC about 6 miles from the SILVER, used to offer a diversity of American classics as well as outstanding foreign films. They knew how to run this kind of theater; and the CIRCLE was 80%+ full every single night for over 20 years; until its prime real estate value pushed it into demolition. The AFI SILVER (1) has an agenda, and (2) that agenda is focused on things other than selecting a diverse program of good movies. The AFI ought SERVE the public, rather than use this fine facility to IMPOSE their narrow viewpoint. With that would come better box office in contrast to requests for donations. Free-flow of ideas beats all.
Rivjr, the “A” in AFI should NOT mean that American films are to be shown exclusively…any more than the Paris Cinémathèque Française should be showing French films to the exclusion of others. They DO show plenty of American films in all genres from many eras. They are cinémathèque/archival houses that are SUPPOSED TO BE concerned with film as an art form and an international entertainment medium. Others like them include the Harvard Film Archive, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Pacific Film Archive and a few more.
How can you say that “they specialize in non-very-good- foreign product”? This current calendar lists films by Luis Buñuel (“The Miky Way” and “Viridiana.”) They have upcoming programs of works by Tavernier, Tarkovsky, Demy. In the past year or so they have shown films by Truffaut, Olmi, Godard. Hardly minor. Anyway, even if they were showing some not-very-good foreign product, that too is the mission of showcases like this place, that is, to display a catholicity in programming with the flawed along with the famous. One person’s turkey may be another person’s masterpiece. Henri Langlois of the Cinémathèque Française understood this when he opted to preserve EVERYTHING, to show EVERYTHING…not just the “known masterpieces.”
“Lefty-tilt?” I see some left-oriented documentaries on past programs, but I also see right-leaning Sam Fuller’s “The Big Red One” praising the American soldier in the hell of combat. I’m from Providence. I wish I had easy access to a fantastic movie facility of this type with its enormously varied, informed, and vital programming. Treasure it, value it, don’t trash it. Pray for more of them. Indeed, crusade for a proliferation of them! We sorely need an AFI Silver Theatre in every city across our nation.
The SILVER has undergone a stunning resurection from being boarded up many years. I saw over 2000 movies at the SILVER. Mr. Land, the long term manager, told me years later the house record was set by the 1st reissue of Walt Disney’s PINNOCCHIO. Not talking dollars he said 5900 people saw the film that day, every seat, every show. My Mom and I failed to endure the long lines. The AFI, unfortunately, are poor custodians. A strange group, they’ve forgotten that the A in AFI is for “American” and they specialize in not-very-good foreign product. The lefty tilt is painfully obvious; no diversity of viewpoint can be seen here.
Excellent exterior/interior photos & history here:
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I saw two movies this week at the AFI: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and the digitally restored THX1138.
I caught a sneak preview screening of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, in Auditorium 1, the Historic Theater, on Tues., 9-14 and enjoyed the presentation of the movie but still don’t understand why they don’t play the THX trailer before the movie starts! It is THX certified, according to the THX website. My only minor quibble was that the projection of the film went a bit off the upper left edge of the screen. Since this film has digital composites, I’m surprised that there isn’t a digital presentation anywhere.
Now, THX1138 I saw in Auditorium 2, which was my first experience in this newer theater. The presentation was DLP, which showcased the restoration efforts of this 32 year old film quite well. And, surprise, they did show the THX and DLP trailers! The THX trailer was the older Terminator one, which did show off the auditorium’s sound system.
If only the programming included more 70mm films other than 2001 and Lawrence of Arabia. sigh
The AFI has done a terrific job with the Silver Theatre. There are now three auditoriums now as opposed to the single one that was there. I have to admit that I’ve never been to the old Silver theater even though I’ve lived in the area for all of my life. This is probably because this theater didn’t have 70mm projection capabilities and I always made the effort to see films in the best format, in any part, in and around the area.
What is nice about the largest auditorium is how wide the seating areas are where I caught a screening of a 70mm print of “Lawrence of Arabia.” You don’t feel claustrophobic as you might feel in other theaters. There is an organ, in this theater, that I’m sure is used to accompany the silent films when they are shown there. All three of the auditoriums are THX certified, but they don’t play the THX trailer before each show.