Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
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Face it: digital is the wave of the future. The only thing that’s keeping it from sweeping through all theaters is who will pay for the upgrades? The theater owners or the studios? There was an aritcle in the NYTimes a few months ago about this. From what I’ve heard, the image is pristine but lacks the “glow” that comes from the celluloid and the projectors lamp.
I have mixed feelings about it. As much as I love the celluloid, there have been a lot of theaters where the image is not what it should be. Yes, it could be the theater’s management trying to save a few bucks but it also might be because of the film’s poor quality after having been run through so many times.
From what I understand, the term “silver screen” came from the projector’s light source which produced a kind of shimmer to the image. With digital, we’ll get that pristine image but without that special shimmer.
DLP is O.K.; I’ve never been particularly blown away by it – I personally don’t have any issues with celluloid, I suppose due to my familiarity with it and the vast majority of the 150-170 films I see per year in theatres which AREN’T presented in DLP – but that’s just one man’s perspective.
I have never seen anything in DLP, how does it compare?
I had the pleasure of seeing a couple films in DLP at the Ziegfeld and did not see any problems with it. Seeing that 70mm seems to be a thing of history I don’t see a problem with viewing an unscratched print of a film.
I am hoping that the Ziegeld will be showing ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ during the Christmas holidays. This would be the perfect theater in NYC for this engagement.
Digital projection, which had been removed, has been returned to the Ziegfeld. :(
If a screen were 80 feet I’d take it as well in a heartbeat!
Don’t give up hope. Keep in mind that back in 1995 somebody in Dayton, Ohio was probably saying “sad to say Dayton will probably never see Cinerama again.”
As to Vincent’s lament above. “63 feet for Cinerama and no curtain!”. There were a number of CineMiracle presentations on screens in excess of 80 (EIGHTY) feet with no curtains. Not that I approve, but I’d take it today in a “New York heartbeat”!
Sad to say New York will probably never see Cinerama again :(
Yep the ‘73 presentation of Cinerma was pretty bad(and never having seen a Cinerama movie I was looking forward to it. 63 feet for Cinerama and no curtain?!) Check out Vincent Canby Sunday Arts and Leisure piece in the Times when it came out. Will someone in New York please do it right?
Just a few quick notes about Walter Reade, Jr. and his Ziegfeld. First, oldtimers might remember Reade as the first person Skouras and Fox went after legally in 1954 when Reade refused to run Fox scope films with 4-track mag. He had purchased so-called “integrators” which mixed the 4 channels down into one thus obviating the need and expense of 2 extra stage speakers as well as surrounds. For a number of years, Reade, as an executive of Allied States (independent theatre owner organization) fervently went tooth-and-nail against the Fox 4-channel policy. This is odd considering that this is the same man who a few short years later foisted the ridiculous AromaRama on a largely uninterested world. Later, his distribution arm, Continental, bought the rights to a 70mm documentary. Reade had it reprinted in something called “Wonderama” and ran the film as “Mediterranean Holiday” in a few houses in North Jersey. He even released it “in Cinerama” where it played the Warner for a short period. Later on, Reade was elected to the Board of Directors of Cinerama, Inc. and announced that Cinerama would run at his newly reopened DeMille. This never happened. In 1967, when plans for the Ziegfeld were announced, he claimed it would, too, be a 70mm Cinerama house. Also, according to a press release in the NY Times 12/22/67, “the theater will require formal attire on Saturday nights."
As for the 70mm version of "This Is Cinerama,” the free-standing screen (measuring 27x63 feet) stood where the main curtain – which had to be removed – was located. Lights were shown on the screen to represent curtains, even to the extent of “draping” the prologue. This was a trick which was used for a time at the Times Square Paramount when the width of the original VistaVision screen left no room for screen curtains or masking.
Dear Cinema Treasures Readers,
After years of research, Michael Coate and I are proud to announce that “70mm In NY” has been posted on our site, www.fromscripttodvd.com
To navigate directly to this part of the site, copy and paste the following into your browser:
View link
We’ve included a number of interesting features about “70mm In NY,” including an introductory article about the history of 70mm In NY; a theatre list of 70mm equipped houses; a list of the longest running 70mm engagements in NY, and much, much more.
We feel the most exciting part of the site is the list of 70mm engagements. You can click on any year from 1955 through 2004 and find out information on which films played in the NYC-region in 70mm.
As we’ve seen on this wonderful site, there are quite a few 70mm fans from the New York/New Jersey region, and we hope that you will enjoy this look back on 70mm presentation in your area.
There are some sections of “70mm In NY” that are coming soon, so we please check back.
We encourage your feedback.
Best regards,
William Kallay
Michael Coate
“70mm In NY”
You are a real winning combo,CaptRonLI….a New Yorker and a romantic too. Keep up the romance.
Love this movie theater because I proposed to my wife there two days after Christmas, 2002, right before seeing “Chicago.” I went to the concession stand, bought a huge bucket of popcorn, wrapped the ring box in napkins and stuck it down near the top. I got to the seat, she went to grab a handful and pulled out the box. I got down on one knee and said, “Jill, I love you so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Of course, she said yes and everybody around us applauded….
….until this jerk is standing behind me, saying “EXCUSE ME, CAN YOU PLEASE MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!?” The rest of the audience around us started yelling at him. “Hey, shuddup, buddy…he’s proposing to his girlfriend!” “Yeah, you moron!”
Ah, this is why I’m proud to be a New Yorker.
Thank you William. It is the NY premiere that I’m looking for; I forgot to mention it. I’m looking for Paramount’s number now, and with your help I hope I’ll be able to find out about the premiere. Coming from Seattle and only having lived in NY for about a year, I have never seen a “classic” theater such as the Ziegfeld. It is for this reason that I am so curious about finding the date of the “Sky Captain” premiere, even if it is not at the Ziegfeld itself. That, and possibly catching a glimpse of Angelina Jolie. Again, thanks for your help!
The West Coast premiere of “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is set for Sept. 14th, at the Chinese Theatre. You should be calling Paramount Publicity to see if there is a New York premiere of the picture. Because they are the ones that are renting the theatres for premieres. Because it’s the publicity departments job to let the press and public known about these events, not the Ziegfeld’s. The Ziegfeld Theatre is just a rental location for the event.
Will there be a way to find out about the time and date of the “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Premiere” so that fans can at least attend the red carpet portion of the event? I don’t see why fans should be kept in the dark without any details concerning these events, because after all, isn’t the purpose of a glamorous movie premiere to provide the studio and actors a chance to promote their movies?!?
Yes, the lobby cases are exactly as they were.
The heading for the Ziegfeld does not list the architect, and I didn’t see it in all the comments. It was probably the same architect who designed the Burlington House (or whatever they are calling the office building fronting on Sixth Ave. these days), since the theatre was part of that development. However, the original interiors of this Ziegfeld were by Dolly Reade (Mrs. Walter Reade, Jr.) She also redecorated several other Walter Reade theatres.
You might try to find out from the theatre itself or watch for new reports on major film opening there. The Chinese Theatre lists up and coming events at their parent companies web site Mann Theatres.
http://www.manntheatres.com/
Does anybody know how to be at the red carpet part of movie premieres?
Great. It’s been that way ever since I have been on Cinema Treasures.
Every few days they go through the comments people make and update info on theatres on the site.
How do we get Cinema Treasures to update the status of this theater to open. Why it is showing closed/renovationg is beyond me.
Isnt there a way when you or anyone can stand outside to see the red carpet part of the premiere?
Movie Premieres are by invite only from the film distributors. They rent the Zieg from us for their event.