Lafayette Theatre
97 Lafayette Avenue,
Suffern,
NY
10901
97 Lafayette Avenue,
Suffern,
NY
10901
37 people
favorited this theater
Showing 801 - 825 of 915 comments
Correction: the “Lion in Winter” music was from the original soundtrack, not played on the organ. Either way, it was another very cool example of showmanship.
Yesterday’s “Becket” show ended in a very clever way, I thought … organist Jeff Barker started playing the theme from “The Lion in Winter”, the next movie made about King Henry II, played once again by Peter O'Toole. Of all the movies I’d ever seen from childhood TV viewings that I had yet to see in its original widescreen form, “Becket” was by far the one I most wanted to see. Thanks to the Lafayette and Pete, Nelson, etc., I can now cross that one off my list. Also thanks to the Lafayette, the Film Forum, the Ziegfeld, the Loew’s Jersey, widescreen DVD and cable airings, etc., I find I can’t come up with another film to replace it with. Yesterday marked a true turning point in my moviegoing life!
Saw “Becket”..it was great seeing it on the big scree…the LafaYETTE ROCKS…AS IT ALWAYS DOES….If I can though…I have a minor complaint…..
it seems that the past few films….CITIZEN KANE and especially BECKET had a major flaw in the presentation….during the final scenes of both films with the big music buildup…that the theatre lights start to slowly come on…..is this a presentation choice???…what happened during those moments is that people start getting up from their seats, putting on coats, moving through isles and most of all, start making noise…and what happens is…the emotional moments is LOST…when Bernard Hermanns score soars when we find out what Rosebud is was lost as the lights come up…it’s very distracting and takes the viewer out of the moment (it did for me at least)…and it happened yesterday at the end of BECKET….the lights slowly came up during the final scene of a long movie and people were on the move…I felt a ltttle cheated as the emotional payoff was completely lost…which is probably why not too many people clapped, they were probably a little confused…
…is it that they want the audience out of the house as soon as possible?? or is it an artistic choice??/if it is..can I say respectfully, that it doesn’t work and it’s ruining the emotional payoff of great film endings??
I was checking out the old Bergen Record microfilms today, to see if “Becket” played the Lafayette back in 1964. Apparently not – when other UA circuit theaters were showing it, the Lafayette’s attraction was “Rio Conchos”. But no matter – the really important thing is that “Becket” will be playing the Lafayette in 2006, October 14th to be exact, something all fans of the film in the tri-state area should be extremely grateful for.
I’ve never found any remnants of 70mm equipment anywhere in the Lafayette theatre, all the way from the boiler room to the attic and booth storage area, so I would guess no to ever showing 70mm. The theatre was equipped for 35mm magnetic stereo from Christmas 1953 (for The Robe) and also had one of the area’s first 35mm Dolby Stereo setups installed for the run of the original Star Wars in 1977/78.
According to the “70mm in New York” website, The Black Cauldron had a 70mm engagement at UA’s Route 59 Theatre in Nanuet, NY.
Was the Lafayette ever able to project films in 70MM? I’m pretty sure this is the theater where I saw Disney’s BLACK CAULDRON in summer of 1985. I recently learned that movie was shown in some cities in 70MM. How can find out if what I saw at Lafayette was a 70MM presentation? In checking the microfilm of the newspaper ads, it said ‘70MM & Dolby Stereo’ for its first week but only ‘Dolby Stereo’ its second week and I don’t remember when I saw it other than it was sometime that summer. Did they start out with a 70MM print only to have it get damaged and switched to a 35MM?
Just an update – we’ve made a change to the above schedule:
On December 16 – instead of Polar Express – we’ll be showing the full-length uncut version of the Laurel & Hardy classic BABES IN TOYLAND (aka MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS).
bufffilmbuff: yes, The Pink Panther was shot in Technirama, but is, of course, presented in Panavision .
Gee—– wish I was closer to NY State… what a great program listing!!! I did see BECKET on a widescreen vhs ( I guess derived from the laserdisc) about eight years ago, rather less than the perfect presentation, though it did have a stereo track. Didn’t BECKET get blown up to 70mm for some of its initial engagements?
One minor note: THE PINK PANTHER was shot in Technirama not Panavision.
I’m lucky enough to have a Widescreen good quality laserdisc(remember those) of BECKET. Great movie. Good job Pete. This schedule definitely beats the dull one that the Ziegfeld is having. I stick with the Lafayette.
Before I get corrected: “Becket” had been shown on TV before, but not for at least 20 years as far as I know, which makes this rare screening at the Lafayette that much more of a must-see.
I was beginning to think of “Becket” as a lost film: not on widescreen video, never shown on television – leave it to you, Pete, to find it again. Thanks!
The fall season of Big Screen Classics shows are listed below, showtime is 11:30am.
Please note, our website will be updated with these shows later this week, this is just a little teaser for our friends at Cinema Treasures:
September 16: CITIZEN KANE â€" Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten
September 23: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING â€" Michael Caine, Sean Connery (new print, presented in Panavision)
September 30: THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH â€" Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell (presented in CinemaScope and stereophonic sound)
October 7: THUNDER BAY â€" James Stewart, Joanne Dru (presented in dye transfer Technicolor)
October 14: BECKET â€" Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole (presented in Panavison and dye-transfer Technicolor)
October 28: WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? â€" Bette Davis, Joan Crawford
November 4: SHANE â€" Alan Ladd, Jack Palance
November 11: THEY WERE EXPENDABLE â€" John Wayne, Robert Montgomery
November 18: NOW, VOYAGER â€" Bette Davis, Paul Henreid
November 25: HORSE FEATHERS â€" The Four Marx Brothers
December 2: THE BIG SLEEP â€" Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall
December 9: THE PINK PANTHER â€" Peter Sellers, David Niven, Robert Wagner (presented in Panavision)
December 16: THE POLAR EXPRESS â€" Tom Hanks
Also, the Horror & Science Fiction Festival is coming October 20, 21, 22 (schedule announcing around Labor Day)
We also have a special “Road Show” week: Gone with the Wind on October 23 & 24 and Dr. Zhivago on October 25 & 26
Hope to see you all at a show!
Nice photos, Lost Memory. You’ve certainly got an eye for the good angles around the theater. Nice pics of Suffern, too.
My first visit to the Lafayette was a little over 1 year ago, for the Saturday morning showing of The Magnificent Seven. WOW! I’ll say it again! WOW! For anyone with even the slightest interest in classic films, THIS is the place to be! 1000 seats (with legroom!) a clean, bright silver screen, and ambiance you can’t get anywhere else! Throw in Jeff Page on the wurlitzer organ and you are in for a GREAT experience! Nelson Page and Pete Apruzzese are to be congratulated for putting on one great show! Can’t wait for Gaslight this weekend at 11:30!
This weekend is THE THIN MAN, on of my all-time favorites. Looking forward to another great show at Lafayette! Those in the area who haven’t been to this classy theater should stop missing out on all of the fun! Big Screen Classics is synonymous with SHOWMANSHIP!
SGT. YORK was great and had a large turnout. Another hit for the Lafayette!
Looking forward to the MALTESE FALCON on Saturday.
Don’t forget that we have Howard Hawks' SERGEANT YORK on tap for tomorrow morning at 11:30. We’ve gotten what appears to be a brand-new print from Warner Bros., so it should look spectacular.
Hope to see everyone there!
Sounds great. I’m there!
Thanks for the kind words, Jack. The print of Rebel was new with a great stereo soundtrack, it’s a shame that the negative for the movie has faded a bit, making new prints have slightly off color.
Don’t forget the Salute to Movie Musicals weekend this Friday – Sunday. I’ve just finished inspecting the prints and they look great. A surprise – the print of GIGI has a Dolby Stereo soundtrack derived from the original magnetic stereo mix – it sounds terrific!
Excellent job with REBEL on Saturday, Pete. It was nice to see around 400 people showed up for that one. Nelson’s award acceptance was cute, too.
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE has always been one of my favorite movies and it was great to see it on the big screen. The print was so-so, but I was able to move past that with the enthralling story and flawless presentation!
I advise everyone to frequent the Lafayette’s MOVIE MUSICAL WEEKEND this weekend. Among other musical treats will be KISS ME KATE in polaroid 3-D as well as two ultra-rare shorts, courtesy of the collection of Bob Furmanek. This is one NOT to be missed!
Great job on THE BANDWAGON last weekend, Pete. The print looked nice and the lineup was really good. Nice touch with the barndoor lights on the opera boxes and the new lamps in the lobby work really well with the lobby’s chandelier.
Looking forward to REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE on Saturday!
ONCE AGAIN….GREAT LINEUP
It’s posted already:
http://www.bigscreenclassics.com/newschedule.htm
When the heck are we gonna get the new Big Screen classics schedule…I’m dying here…at least give us a hint…
UPDATE for those who’ve asked regarding the print quality for the festival, I’ve inspected and run the following:
Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd looks excellent, sharp as a tack with very good color (compared to the ever-so-slightly soft look of the SuperCineColor original). The print itself appears flawless and new.
Doctor X is a slightly older print – mid-90s – but also looks great. The odd two-color Technicolor look is maintained in this printing and it makes the movie even creepier than I remembered.
The Big Parade is brand spanking new, right out of the lab and never run, it appears. It’s the full-length version complete with color tints.
A Star is Born, again a beautiful-looking UCLA preservation of the Technicolor original. The print itself appears flawless.
I saw the 3-D Follies prints 18 months ago and they are uniformly excellent. The only other print I’m waiting for is the Hell’s Angels, but Universal assured me it would be their best copy.
Pete Apruzzese
Director of Film Programming
Big Screen Classics at the Lafayette Theatre