SIFF Cinema Downtown
2100 4th Avenue,
Seattle,
WA
98121
2100 4th Avenue,
Seattle,
WA
98121
47 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 266 comments
Thanks for the info, CSWalczak!
The announcement does not make clear if these showings will be on the theater’s Cinerama strip screen or not. Last September, during the Seattle Cinerama’s wide screen festival, all of the films shown were on the magnificent Cinerama screen, but given that some of the films in this upcoming series are in 35mm, I am guessing that the strip screen won’t be used this time around.
According to Martin Hart’s Widescreen Museum website, only films shot in Ultra Panavision 70 were rectified for Cinerama screenings; films such as “2001” which were in Super Panavison 70 were not. So this new print should be comparable to original roadshow screenings, except that I would bet in has a digital soundtrack instead of the original magnetic tracks.
A very large, slightly curved screen is normally used at the Seattle Cinerama; the Cinerama strip screen is behind it and I have read that it takes a day or two to get the Cinerama screen ready for use. Some previous showings of “2001” at the Seattle Cinerama over the last few years have been on the regular screen.
Damn! A new 70mm print of “2001: A Space Odyssey” on that giant Cinerama screen! Did they strike a custom print for this? One that is suitable for exhibition on the curve without distortion? Or is it an un-rectified print that can be exhibited on any regular sheet? This theater only has the Cinerama screen installed, is that correct? Or does it also have a standard screen for non-Cinerama bookings?
The Cinerama will be hosting a classic science fiction film festival from April 19 through May 2, 2012. Five titles will be in 70mm, including a new print of “2001”. Details and schedule here: View link
They spent all that money and installed those fake Todd-AO machines. What a waste of time and money. They need to install some real 2 motor Todd-AO machines. There is a theater in Somerville Mass that was able to get a pair.
The Cinerama site said 8k. I know their FB page said 2K and I pointed out the difference. Oh well. It doesn’t matter now. It’s a done deal. Hope it works out better for the 75th.
@ GregF: The Cinerama’s facebook page denotes the projection at 2K. Why though Warner’s did not create a 4K DCP of ‘Ben Hur’ to take advantage of the film’s original 70mm photography is bewildering.
I dunno…they’re claiming an 8k showing on their site. Check it out.
I think I’d go back to Seattle just for Ryan’s Daughter. Doctor Zhivago was considered for this year’s festival, but ultimately rejected because it was shot in 35mm Panavision and then blown up to 70mm.
Hats off to the Cinerama’s team! Anyone who would show the much-maligned ‘South Pacific’ in Todd-AO gets my applause (worth seeing/hearing for Alfred Newman’s music direction alone, let alone Shamroy’s psychedelic color carnival).
I saw ‘Grand Prix’ & ‘2001’ in original release here, life-changing, of course. And in revival, ‘Oklahoma’ (though I think the CinemaScope version is better in subtle ways). Presentation of pix like ‘Exorcist’, ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Barry Lyndon’ at the Cinerama always made you feel like their celluloid was twice as wide as it really was.
Hopefully, a future festival might showcase not only ‘Grand Prix’ but anything and everything in Ultra-Panavision 70, from ‘Raintree County’ to ‘Fall of the Roman Empire’ (the Forum scenes outdo anything in ‘Cleopatra’ by a mile), plus ‘Mad World’, ‘Hallelujah Trail’, etc. And what about ‘El Cid’, ‘King of Kings’, ‘Exodus’, ‘Dr. Z’ & ‘Ryan’s Daughter’?
Seeing the restored 1954 ‘A Star Is Born’ here in the 80s also proved that plain old CinemaScope looks pretty dandy, too. I’d also add ‘The Egyptian’ as a reason to make a pilgrimage, as well. (For CinemaScope presentation, the mega-screen was specially masked top and bottom with matte cloth for 2.55:1 a/r; the attention to detail was impeccable.)
I’m a realist though, acquiring worthy prints of these more obscure titles might be impossible.
PS: I saw ‘Ben-Hur’ in its ‘69 re-release, which played at the Paramount across town. Supposedly, like 'Gone/Wind’, it was in 70, but having worked at the Paramount in the 70s, and having examined the projectors, they were just Simplex 35mm – I had expected Norelco/Philips 35/70 hardware, but no…
Re-linking to thread.
I assumed they were referring to the 8K restoration of the film, current digital projector are not able to output at 8K, the highest (at the moment) is 4K. Given that the Cinerama has installed a Christie Solaria (4K) projector this should look amazing.
It was an 8K presentation, and looked like 70mm. It filled a 50-foot flat screen beautifully, at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center.
wasn’t the New York City Film Festival screening of ‘Ben Hur’ a 4K DLP digital presentation? or was it 35mm – I assumed it was the former.
Ben-Hur starts here next weekend. It’s a new digital restoration. I wonder if they’ll be using the curved 90-foot screen or the flat 70-foot one? I saw it in New York City a few weeks ago and it was quite spectacular.
That’s what I said after seeing The Sound of Music: I finally got to see it on a huge curved screen, under real Todd-AO conditions.
I posted some pictures this morning. What a surprise to see original costumes from Planet of the Apes on display in the lobby.
I think the problem is with the inexperienced projectionists. 70mm has its own set of issues from 35mm (magnetic sound and such). Oh well…it looked great!
Wow Greg – too bad that had to happen. The next time the Cinerama shows some generic 2011 release, the sound will probably be perfect. But when they show West Side Story and The Sound of Music, there are problems. What can you do?
I visted this theater in 2005 and had an excellent experience. The renovation was superb; the lobby reminded me a bit of the United Nations/JFK Airport International Style, bland but clean, with blue tile thoughout.
I was happy to see a lovely pale purple curtain covering the screen, rather than pre-show advertising. The curtain opened to reveal a tremendous screen, which seemed to go from floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall. The manager later told me that the Cinerama screen is folded up behind this screen, and is ready to be reassembled whenever a Cinerama feature is presented, such as How the West Was Won, which screened a while back.
The auditorium seems to be done in a post-modern atmospheric style, including twinkling lights that go out when the feature starts. The orchestra level seats were comfortable rocking ones. I sat in the balcony (because I could!) where the seats didn’t rock, except, oddly, in the front row, which thus provided a good view of the ceiling and a not-so-great view of the screen.
Needless to say, the presentation was first-rate, with a bright, clear picture and crystal clear sound.
The locals really seem to love this theatre, especially since it was spared from the wrecking ball. I join them in their support.
(While in Seattle I also visted and have commented upon the Paramount, the 5th Avenue, the Egyptian, the Colisuem and the Meridian.)
that’s too bad about the audio – the only thing I noticed about the AFI Silver presentation was the dialogue in one scene veered off of the center channel – which is wasn’t supposed to do
Let me give my thoughts about today’s presentation of West Side Story. First off, it played on the big screen. :)
It looked great through the whole thing. The audio was totally a different story. Completely off during the sequence where Tony and Maria see each other for the first time at the school dance (and their ballet together). Same for the entire rumble sequence. Both are key scenes in the movie. Along with another 10 or 12 short outages throughout (15-60 seconds each). I will say a few people got up and left, and I’m sure they asked for refunds. To the Cinerama’s credit, they met everyone when they left the auditorium and gave EVERYONE a free pass for a future visit, along with an apology for the audio problem. I was impressed. Class act, Greg Wood!
I will post pictures from the festival tonight. I even snuck a couple of shots off the screen during the West Side Story credits. To my surprise, they actually came out!
@ Bill – the extra instruments are helped a lot by the addition of the two extra front speakers – wish more ‘newer’ musicals were mixed as such – resurrect SDDS 8-channel sound !!
Seattle is a beautiful town – if you don’t mind the frequent grey skies. I enjoyed myself there on a couple of business trips a few years ago. I couldn’t make it this time around, but I most definitely plan on going back to the Emerald City to take in a bona fide three-strip Cinerama presentation one of these days. Catching a couple of 70mm presentations would be a nice bonus as well. Nice to read the reports from this year’s festival.
Enjoy it, Greg. The soundtrack uses the original 1961 stereo music mix that was just recently rediscovered, and you really can hear the difference. Everything sounds clearer, you’ll notice instruments you never heard before – it really was a great show!