Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
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Hi, Bill, Jeff and Ziegfeld Man!
Wow! My nostalgia burns more brightly already!! Don’t know about attending the Broadway stage revival of West Side Story, with the prices the way they are right now (not that I’m particularly worried about money, but I couldn’t see spending two to four hundred bucks a pop for a seat on Broadway. I’d wait for the prices to drop some before thinking about attending a Broadway stage revival performance of WSS. I wouldn’t want a cheaper seat, because they’d clearly be way too far back from the stage, which isn’t what I’d want.), but it would sure be cool to see the film once again at the Ziegfeld. Imho, West Side Story is a great and wonderful musical, both on screen and on stage! (Sorry to get a bit off topic here)
Back to the subject at hand: The Ziegfeld is a REAL, honest to goodness movie palace—very
cavernous, but spacious inside. The long, narrow screen is a great screen for showing a classic film such as West Side Story and many other great, old classic films.
I love the fancy, high-heeled shoe over the door of the ladies' room, and the fancy hat over the mens' room at the Ziegfeld.
Bill and Jeff:
Considering the show is having a major Broadway revival at the Palace, this couldn’t be a better time. Showing it at the Palace, where “Citizen Kane” premiered could be pretty cool, but the Rivoli, a very nice memory.
Best
Bill, I know a better place to show WSS. :)
Bill:
WSS-totally agree. Plus eagerly awaiting not only the Ziegfeld classics, but also the Lafayette.
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That new 70mm print of “West Side Story” is still floating around somewhere. The Ziegfeld is by far the best place to show it in NYC.
Wow—Have a good Classics film year at the Ziegfeld. I saw “Fiddler on the Roof” when it first came out, which I wasn’t crazy for, but, to each their own. Never saw “Summer of ‘42” or “To Kill A Mockingbird”, but I did read the book on which “To Kill a Mockingbird” was based, for English class, as a sophomore in high school, way back when. (hehe).
Saps—I just saw the movie “Defiance”, which was really quite good, and I’ve also seen Gran Torino, which was also very good.
If I lived in NYC, I’d gladly put up my suggestions for the classic films programs that you annually have. I did get to NYC for an October screening of West Side Story back in 2006. Would love to do it again sometime, if you have WSS. If it happens in February, however, it’s too difficult for me to come down to NYC to see it.
Wow:
With the excitement of yhe Oscar nominations today-let’s hope we’re all looking forward to a great movie year at the Ziegfeld. This is the time to continue to send Craig your suggestions for the Classics series at I recently watched “Fiddler on the Roof,” a multi-Oscar nominee and highest grossing film of its year. Throughout all three hours I kept thinking how great this would look at the Ziegfeld. Also, with the recent passing of Robert Mulligsn, how about “To Kill a Mockingbird” and, of course, “Summer of ‘42."
Keep those suggestions coming!!!!!!!
A great year to all!
Bill Hueling: “Milk” was quite good. Sean Penn’s a good actor and he did a wonderful job playing the part of Harvey Milk, and Josh Brolin did a good job playing Harvey Milk’s more conservative nemesis, Dan White. Worth seeing, though I haven’t see the others yet.
Thanks for the reminder, saps. I’ll have to look for it in today’s NY Times. “Defiance” sounds like a good movie. I read the book on which it’s based, which was fabulous., and I’ll put the movie “Defiance” on a “To see” list regarding movies. Hopefully, it’ll play in Boston soon.
Full page ad for Defiance in today’s NY Times, with those rare words “Exclusive Engagement” and the beautiful Ziegfeld logo.
Yup:
If it’s not on paper first, it ain’t there. “The Wrestler” may be the “Marty” of 2008. You heard it here.
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I’m looking forward to seeing both of those. They sound like the complete opposite of “Benjamin Button”, a movie that would never even get made without a ton of special effects and an unlimited budget. Other lower-budget films I saw recently that I liked much better than “Benjamin”: “Milk”, “Doubt”, “Happy-Go-Lucky”, “Rachel Getting Married”, “Frost/Nixon”.
Hi Bill:
Unfortunately, due to some family problems, I had to break a long-time tradition and did not get to any movie on Christmas. The following day, I saw two-“Revolutionary Road” and “The Wrestler,” both highly recommended by me. They both show what you can do with a low-budget, no special effects, and most importantly, a great script. Oscar predictions for both. Back to the Ziegfeld. I do hope to get there for “Defiance,” next week.
Happy New Year to all—am looking forward to the Ziegfeld Classics (again, please e-mail Craig with your ideas) and the return of the Lafayette classics in March.
Best
For Bill Huelig and pettiford:
Bill: While it’s too bad that a bunch of badly-behaved kids had to spoil it for the others, my gut instinct is to fault the better-behaved kids for not keeping the “shrikes” in their flanks in line. The bad apples in the crowd don’t have to be in the majority to present a problem. Shame on the majority for not keeping the troublemaking minority in line.
pettiford: I read about that incident at the showing of the film “Schindler’s List” in the NY Times when it happened. What was worse is the fact that the teachers attempted to put the best complexion on the fact that the kids were laughing throughout this movie, saying that they were young, etc. Frankly, if a bunch of kids are old enough to see a film like that, or any film, and to enter a movie theatre, they’re old enough to behave better than that.
Shame on the teachers who attempted to put the best complexion on those kids' behaviour at the “Schindler’s List” screening, even though it was years ago, I saw ‘Schindler’s List" with a longtime friend when it first came out, around 15 years ago. What a good, well-done, intense film it was! It’s a necessary history lesson for the many people out there who really need to be shaken up.
Bill and pettiford:
To digress from the subject a little bit, while we’re discussing bad behaviour at the movies:
Back in the mid-1970’s, when my family and I attended a screening of the film “The Harder They Come” at the now-non-existent Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge, MA, there was a group of people, obviously in their twenties and clearly stoned, who were just laughing hysterically at all the sadistic parts of the movie. How sad that people who’re clearly old enough (in terms of chronological age) to know better can behave so badly in movie theatres.
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“Benjamin Button” is playing in the Boston area, too. Would like to hear opinions of the movie from people who’ve seen it. I know that it got good reviews here in this area.
Gary: You always go to the Ziegfeld on Christmas. Did you like the movie? I wanted to like it more than I did, but there just didn’t seem to be much to it besides what I already knew before I sat down to watch it.
watching “Benjamin Button” that’s what I was afraid of.
I haven’t seen it projected in 35mm, nor do I understand the digital process in which it was filmed, but it didn’t seem right to me on the big screen compared to other films elsewhere.
A movie theater operator friend tells me 2 k shouldn’t be used on movie screens larger than 40 feet wide.
Perhaps it would have looked better with a 4k projector?
2K.
There was substantial audience yesterday because it was the day after Christmas, during holiday vacation season (which ends when New Year’s Day ends). I liked the movie even less. Oscar nominations for other minor awards like set design would be appropriate, but I doubt Benjamin Button is going to be the Best Picture of the Year.
I’m still waiting to know if the resolution is 4 k rather than 2 k?
I saw “Benjamin Button” yesterday at 4:30 (OK movie, not great – no Oscars except for makeup if I were an Academy voter – good sized audience for a weekday afternoon) and they didn’t use the curtain. They did use it two weeks ago for “Che”, though.
Is this a union house? If so, I can’t think of a good excuse not to use the curtain.
If you look as far back as 2004 you will find posts about this curtain not working.
Having worked at the Zieg from 1989 to the mid-nineties, I saw Cineplex Odeon spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on replacement parts, scaffolding and lost showings (it is too heavy to be operated manually) as a result of that curtain malfunctioning. I don’t blame Clearview one bit for leaving it open and not risk losing holiday business, even if it is working.
Howard, while using the curtains might “wear then out” and cause malfunction, I take that as a ZERO excuse. Up in Suffern the Lafayette uses their curtains on EVERY SINGLE SHOW. That means it opens and closes daily several times, seven days a week. In my years of being associated with the Lafayette, I don’t recall ever hearing that the curtain broke and needed to be fixed. And what if it did break? The Ziegfeld can’t afford to fix it? This is a “for profit” theater which you know is making money or it would have been closed long ago, torn down, and a office building or parking lot put there.
I think Clearview a) doesn’t care, and b) that staff couldn’t be bothered to do it right.
What Vito just said is correct. That’s how you do it.
Hi Vito.
I am so on the same page here with Jeff. It just makes no sense not to use the curtains. Even if slides are being shown between shows they could at least close the curtain a minute or two before showtime and then open them at the start of the movie,
how wonderful that would look. The same thing could apply at the end,simply close the curtains, do a proper showmanship presentation, and then open the curtains for the slides after the patrons file out between shows.
Oh well, we have beat this issue to death, it’s not as if management is not aware of our complaint. Obviously showmanship is dead at the Ziegfeld.
I WANT them to use the curtain, but the explanation might not be the steps of using it.
Clearview may either not care to use the curtain for regular movie shows, or they might be concerned about the costs to repair it when it breaks & the repairman has to be called.