Cinerama Hollywood
6360 Sunset Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6360 Sunset Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
143 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 100 of 1,421 comments
Thanks, Roger. All very interesting. It’s ironic how the negative for Citizen Kane burned that way, considering what happens to Rosebud at the end.
The studios are well know for destroying or losing original source material such as camera negative and original sound. Now and then someone saves footage from being destroyed but many times after a long run the general release version is the only thing left. The roadshow prints are either damaged, lost or destroyed. Fotokem has made new prints from the original negative of many 70mm films. Some of those films are complete. In some cases the negatives were in fair condition in other cases not. If a lot of copies were made off the original negative then that negative might be in rough shape or just unusable. Often times the camera negative survives but the sound doesn’t.
The camera negative for the 30FPS version of Around the World in Eighty Days is no longer available but the 24FPS negative survived. So the roadshow version of that movie is not available. The 30FPS negative of Around the World in Eighty Days was just worn out and damaged after making release prints off the original negative. In many cases the negative gets worn out from making multiple release prints. Usually there is an internegative or interpositive leaving a copy that can be used to make a print. For most movies shot on film there were prints made directly from the original negative and these are much better quality than a print made off an internegative.
Most Roadshow prints were made directly from the original camera negative and in the case of a popular movie that required multiple prints that negative was badly worn by the end of the roadshow run. If a reel of a print was damaged during the run a replacement had to be struck. New roadshow prints had to be struck to replace worn out prints. Again original negatives took a beating.
Until they closed it the film exchange in Boston had a full roadshow print of Around the World but it was badly faded. My guess is it was cut up with a bandsaw and sent to the recycler.
Collectors have some film that is thought to be lost.
It was common practice to recycle old film negative that was no longer needed and prints that were old. So as a result only a small percentage of original source material survives. Fox destroyed millions of feet of nitrate not wanting to store it. Universal lost original negative in several fires over the years. Many times in the past a film vault loaded with nitrate would catch fire and burn and this was common at many studios. The original negative for Citizen Kane burned but there were high quality copies in good condition.
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to Roger A.- it was a common practice to trim a film from its original roadshow cut for when its played neighborhood theaters. how much was trimmed depended on how long the film was to begin with. which leads me to my question- why do you think some studios/distributors were more adept at keeping the trims from roadshow prints than other studios? for instance the 1st time I saw Cleopatra was at my neighborhood theater in NYC. I assumed the print I saw was the film but it was the 3hr. 15min. print. fortunately Dorothy Spencer kept the trims from the original 4hr. cut which premiered in NYC June of 1963. but that’s not the case with a number of roadshow films whose blu-ray discs are the general release print not the original roadshow cut.
to bigjoe59; screen size, and flat or curved is mostly personal preference as is picture luminance. There are standards of course but that doesn’t mean one pays close attention to the standard. As for picture size it is how far away you are from the screen. An 80" screen isn’t too overwhelming if your twelve to twenty feet away. Back when I had a film screening room in my basement the screen was a lot bigger than 80" and brighter that 18FL. I’m not sure what would cause eye fatigue or vision problems. Dolby Vision is really bright a lot more light than has ever been used before. But as long as you can get at least 1.5 times as far from the screen as it is wide you should be fine.
Again it is personal taste I can sit in the front row at the Dome for HTWWW now that is a little overwhelming.
The brightness on a video monitor or a TV can be adjusted If you get a video projector and a good sound system you can adjust the picture size as well as the brightness. 7.1 and 5.1 sound systems are common. I have a 7.1 sound system sitting in storage that I am wondering what to do with. I have a computer with a 7.1 sound card. That same computer has multiple video outputs so I can have a combination of monitors and projectors.
to bigjoe59; screen size, and flat or curved is mostly personal preference as is picture luminance. There are standards of course but that doesn’t mean one pays close attention to the standard. As for picture size it is how far away you are from the screen. An 80" screen isn’t too overwhelming if your twelve to twenty feet away. Back when I had a film screening room in my basement the screen was a lot bigger than 80" and brighter that 18FL. I’m not sure what would cause eye fatigue or vision problems. Dolby Vision is really bright a lot more light than has ever been used before. But as long as you can get at least 1.5 times as far from the screen as it is wide you should be fine.
Again it is personal taste I can sit in the front row at the Dome for HTWWW now that is a little overwhelming.
The brightness on a video monitor or a TV can be adjusted If you get a video projector and a good sound system you can adjust the picture size as well as the brightness. 7.1 and 5.1 sound systems are common. I have a 7.1 sound system sitting in storage that I am wondering what to do with. I have a computer with a 7.1 sound card. That same computer has multiple video outputs so I can have a combination of monitors and projectors.
For years it was my dream to develop my own cinema man cave with a large curved screen that would accommodate every aspect ratio by adjusting the side mattes–all films to be presented at the same height. Stereo sound, but of course. Back in the day this was not an affordable luxury. At 79 I am a bit late in attempting to find a place that might meet my “needs” (wants), and then there’s all that energy needed but in shorter supply these days.
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to Roger A. thanks for your assessment of the situation. aside from how big an HD or 4K t.v. most people would be able to afford if a t.v were to big wouldn’t it hurt your eyes or be overwhelming? for instance in the rec room in my house the largest t.v. I could buy and put in the spot I’ve always put my t.v.s is 50". an 80" t.v. would be way too much.
There will be theaters private and public. The Director’s Guild and The Academy just spent a lot of money upgrading and in new construction. The Legion on Highland in Hollywood is running film and digital and this is a new install. The Egyptian is getting a redo. So these sites and others are going to be around for a while just for the true movie buffs.
Meanwhile all the real money, the general public, have purchased big screen televisions or set up their own home theater and are happy with that. There is no shortage of product for a home theater. I’m sure the Pirates love day and date release.
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even if the pandemic had never happened I still can’t see a true movie buff being comfortable with watching say WW84 or No Time to Die on their computer rather than at the Chinese or this theater.
Historic monument? You are referring to landmark status the Chinese has that inside and out yes they can do only part of the building. So not sure what the status is of the Dome but I doubt its in danger.
That doesn’t mean they have to run things like 2001 in 70mm or How the West Was Won in 3 strip Cinerama. I can see the Dome being used for special screenings and private rentals.
As for all the box cinemas built in the last two decades they are all in danger. AMC is all but bankrupt others are looking at buying some of their sites. A large percentage of the cinema going audience has been lost. Executives at the studios have been wanting to do day and date release for years not caring that it will damage the theaters. Now they are running to day and date like rats to peanut butter.
My understanding is The Cinerama Dome was legally declared a LA historic monument decades ago, so it will be preserved.
HOWEVER, the surrounding Arclight Theater’s 14 screens and complex were built (in 2002) with several inches minimum of clearance separated away from the Dome structure itself. So that theoretically that all could be demolished without impacting the Dome, leaving it 100% untouched. It was a nice compromise.
If movies really don’t recover in a couple years, I suppose gutting some or all of the interior of the newer Arclight complex and turning it into office space, or more shopping space or convention space or whatever could happen. That location is certainly valuable. And the pandemic won’t last forever.
Thanks for your response not sure how many people check this site any more as it seems the sun is setting on the movies and the theaters that show them.
I don’t think the Dome is in danger of being torn down anytime soon but the site is used less and less as time goes on. Before the pandemic and the lock-downs the Dome was closed more than it was open for business.
But cinema fans should check out the people at the Legion in Hollywood. The Legion Theater is state of the art. They turned the parking lot into a drive-in theater; the first drive-in in Hollywood.
to bigjoe59
Filmmakers tweak their films that’s what they do and many times they tweak using audience reactions in the case of IAMMMMW that was done during the roadshow. Now its done with a test audience.
After watching this monster time and time again I can see the desire to trim it as it runs a bit long even now. But for the sake of history I am all for preservation so I am glad to have what we there is.
I was at the 25th anniversary showing of MMMMW premier night back years ago and the only print available was a 35mm optical that was borrowed from one on the archives. It wasn’t in the best of shape but it was better than the print they ran for the public for the week following that premier night. For the public in the Cinerama Dome they ran a mono optical TV print. Yes a pan and scan print of a Ultra-Panavision film.
During intermission someone asked me if it was worth saving the negatives and original elements from these old films. My reply was for the sake of history save as much as possible in it original form.
There are Ultra-Panavision 70mm prints of MMMMW in circulation and they run it at the Dome every once and a while.
I bought a Kubrick fan I knew a ticket for the new restoration of 2001 when it played in 70mm at the Dome. I bought seat row BB center so he sat in the Cinerama Zone and was just blown away.
Many people who saw the original roadshow of MMMMW remember it fondly because it was an event. Hard ticket and only at a Cinerama theater. Of course eventually it ran in neighborhood theaters but many people went to see the roadshow presentation and they just loved seeing all those celebrities on the Cinerama screen.
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to vindanpar. I thank you for your note of 11/10. I still don’t understand the reason tweaking a film while still in its original roadshow run. LOA was still at the most 2 shows a day so tweaking it wouldn’t have increased the box office. perplexing decision on Lean’s part.
My mom still talks about taking a bus with a bunch of her high school classmates from Orange County to see “It’s Mad Mad Mad Mad World” at the Dome.
It was very famously so shortly after its Criterion American premiere. David Selznick tried to talk Lean out of it. I don’t know why Lean did it. Maybe the grosses were less than he had hoped?
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if a film was tweaked during its roadshow run in Manhattan I assume it happened in L.A. as well. now I knew 2001 and IAMMMMW were tweaked while still in their roadshow runs in Manhattan at respectively the Loews Capitol and the Warner but I wasn’t Lawrence of Arabia was tweaked while still in its roadshow run at the Criterion. I assumed it was tweaked before it played the neighborhood theater circuit.
So Mad World, 2001, Lawrence. Any others?
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it is my understanding that IAMMMMW was tweaked when it was still in its roadshow at the Warner in Manhattan. when they made the circuit of neighborhood theaters around NYC after they finished their original roadshow runs films would be tweaked or not depending on how they were. but I never understood the point to tweaking a film when it was still in its roadshow run.
Is there a comprehensive history of the film, its cuts, lengths, what cannot be found and opinions as to the quality in terms of the different versions? Even when I first saw it when it was brought back in the 70s it had its longueurs.
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this question has probably already been asked but I would appreciate if some one provided the answer again. how long ‘ did the original 3hr. 12min. cut play during the roadshow engagement?
Please update, total seats 4048
There were messages posted by edlambert in 2018 about the aspect ratio. Recently I was watching a program about digital restoration of Cinerama and Cinemiracle films. They showed original 35mm 3-strip negatives where the top and bottom of the picture was actually slightly curved (because of camera lenses and aperture) and had to be cut out during projection. Also, as we all know, the intersection of panels with each other caused an additional loss due to the superimposition, then finally the far left and right edges of the projected image were often slightly cut out using screen masking correction to ensure a perfectly rectangular image for the viewers despite the curvature. Practically, the projected aspect ratio of 3-strip usually varied from 2.55 to 2.60 in most theaters.
1965 photo added, with link to Los Angeles Theatres Blogspot that will not post here because CT reads it as spam.
Link with a Fall 1981 photo credit Brad Adams.
https://www.in70mm.com/news/2009/zoot_suit/index.htm