Walter Reade Theater

I know the people who run the Film Forum have nothing but contempt for their counterparts at the Walter Reade. No doubt the FF folks are envious of the greater resources the WR has at its disposal for being part of the Lincoln Center complex, but the FF people feel the WR folks are lazy and don’t use their resources.

I know that it is very rare for the Film Forum to advertise a film then have to announce that they canceled the film because they couldn’t get a print. On the other hand, that is a common occurrence at the WR. They are constantly re-juggling their schedules and often screening inferior 16 mm prints or even video.

In the latest Malle retro they already screwed up THIEF OF PARIS as highlighted above and another one of the Malle docs being screening is a beta copy. I know at the Losey retro they had to cancel several screenings because they couldn’t get prints. And I remember at the Dwan retrospective they screened several 16MM prints.

I could go on and on. I remember when they had those discount matinees underwritten by the Times that were geared for families they screened a TV print of THE GREAT RACE. The film was about an hour short of the advertised running time. And I went to another screening of BETWEEN THE LINES and they projected video; I left.

Wow – that’s embarrasing! I wonder if the print came in too late to pre-screen or at least inspect before the show.

I think the $10 ticket price is a factor also plus, forgive me for saying, but many French films tend to move a little slow…I went to see “Atlantic City” cause it’s a classic and it has Burt. However, I made sure to get there early because I expected it to be a long line….to my satisfaction, there wasn’t, just got my ticket and walked in….I wonder how the Bing Crosby series will do?

Hmmm. I didn’t notice any deterioration in the Walter Reade. I’ve been attending some of the Louis Malle retro screenings and it isn’t drawing all that well. French films at the Walter Reade usually are a tough ticket (try getting a ticket to the annual Rendez-vous With French Cinema ticket; even weekday afternoon screenings in that series sell out.) And I can remember going to a French series in the mid 1990s in the summer and not being able to get into “Police” because it sold out.

I have absolutely no feel for what draws/what doesn’t draw in the revival houses. I thought they would line up down the block to get a chance to see all of Malle’s output on the big screen.

I was first at the Walter Reade in 2003 for a double (separate admission of course….which was a bummer) for “Wind and the Lion' and "Once Upon a Time in the West” (beat up print, but sold out house and a great experience. The curtain opened and closed, it was an awesome time, and a nice size screen.

This past weekend I saw “Atlantic City” with a brief lecture before hand. The print was clean and it was great seeing Burt Lancaster on the big screen again. It was a good time….my only gripe??….the theater seems to be slowly dilapidating…..the curtain remained open, no presentation like experience, the walls have stains on them and there’s a certain dank like appearance…isn’t it time for the Reade to have a makeover or cleanup??? It’s too good a theater.

They screened five or six of the quota quickies at this retro, but I skipped them. The WR also did a Powell retro back in ‘93 then Film Forum mounted one in '95. The Film Forum’s retro might have been solely Powell/Pressburger films.

I’d like to know why THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNAL is not screening.

I must have skipped the Italian series, probably because I’m not a big fan of the silents. Right now the WR is mounting a massive, if not quite complete retro, of Michael Powell’s films. I plan to head there tonight for ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT and THE BATTLE OF THE GRAF SPREE, both of which I’ve seen on video only. One strange omission in the WR retro is THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNAL, which, for some reason is not screening.

I was here at the opening. I remember that those who held Film Society of Lincoln Center memberships were entitled to a free screening. One of the films was a Woody Allen film, whatever one was new at the time. The film I opted to see was Erroll Morris' documentary, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME. There may have been another choice or two.

In any event, one thing that drives me nuts about the Walter Reade and some of the other repertory houses is the fact that when they run a retro that spans more than one calendar month the monthly calendar doesn’t list all the films in the program.

In June, the Walter Reade is mounting a mammoth Louis Malle retro, but it spans the end of June and runs well into July. However, the WR’s June program only lists the Malle films through the end of June.

I much prefer the way AMMI & the Film Forum do their calendars; they include all films in a series as opposed to the WR and MoMA, which print calendars each month.