Ziegfeld Theatre

Ed: I think the guy who owned the “Porgy and Bess” print mentioned something about a DVD release when he was being interviewed after the movie, but it sounded like it was just a hypothetical thing – nothing definite. It might have been a reply to a question from the audience.

It’s ranked at #125 on this TCM poll of movies not yet on DVD.

http://www.tcm.com/top/notondvd/

Nill, did you get any impression that “Porgy and Bess” might ever be made available to the general public in some form? It’s the highest movie on my wish list at acquire on DVD. There’s no chance I’d see it in NYC.
I understand the Gershwin estate has kept the movie buried, yet stage productions go on and on freely.

To anyone from Eastman Kodak, or anyone with contacts there,
I have a thought.
With the demise of 70mm, even to include IMAX, which will be going Digital soon, why not offer your entire 70mm raw stock inventory to the studios at a discount, perhaps at the cost of a 35mm print, allowing them to strike new prints of some of the classic and yes even not so classic movies for all of us to enjoy. During the 50s and 60s only a handful of 70mm prints where made for each title, leaving us with a small inventory to work with today. As a result the remaing prints are protected and guarded which limits the venues allowed to show them. Eastman Kodak should work with the studios to make the raw stock affordable in order to increase our 70mm inventories before it is too late; I believe history demands it.
While I have no idea how much raw stock Kodak may have lying around, it seems to me it would be better to sell it all off at the cheap instead of what will inevitable be old and expired stock that will have to be destroyed. This solution would generate a little money for Kodak but more importantly allow the studios to make the prints available fr storage and use for years to come and satisfy those of us who are starving for them.
I worked at Fox in the 50s and Deluxe labs was in the same building, I seem to recall a large inventory of raw stock was always kept on hand. Perhaps today the stock is only made when demand calls for it but surely there must be some 70mm raw stock sitting in storage with no where to go but the scrap heap. Let’s put it to good use before it expires.
I would also hope that the Ziegfeld and Radio City, which are two of the theatres that I know of left in NY that can still run 70mm
reel-to-reel, (there may be more) will keep that equipment maintained. In this Digital age where film itself may soon disapear, I would hope we can hang on to what we have left of 70mm for future generations to enjoy.

AL keep up the good work…..You know more about theaters than most people forgot!

Another reason why NYC does not get all those 70MM type festival screenings is the cost of shipping a print to and from the theatre. And there is only the same old banged up prints available for plattered run theatres. I know the Ziegfeld Theatre is equipped with two Century JJ 70/35 projectors. But the studios only let those newer restored 70MM prints to theatres that are change-over operated and that have not damaged prints in the past. This city has a incredible collection of prints in the museuems, but only select venues can run them. The cost of replacing a newer 70MM print is much higher than old of those older titled 70MM prints, because fewer prints were made during the restrike of the title.

Vito:

In keeping with the spirit and tone of your post, I’m sure you will be grateful, but not greatful. That’s the 3 cents of an old teacher (lol).

Also, to help me out, please, I have never seen “Tess of the Storm Country.” A Mary Pickford film, I think. I’m a big fan of silents with plenty I haven’t seen. In fact, I’ve seen plenty of Lillian Gish not no Pickfords. I believe that there’s a fairly new DVD of
“Tess”, yes? Is it worth getting?

Thanks, and although it’s mid-summer, this is a good time to e-mail craig at to petition for more Classics come fall.

Thanks

Warren, TESS was running in 22 Manhattan locations on December 25, 1922. It was running in 33 Manhattan locations sometime during that week. I never stated they were first runs.

Life is not an argument. Get some help, man!

In regards to JeffS, from July 13, it doesn’t surprise me that there were problems with the 70MM in 2006. Clearview and all their wonderful pencil pushers got rid of the union projectionists, and with them anyone who knew 70MM. I know, because I was one of them here in New Jersey. And I also know 70MM from my days of running it in the mid to late 80’s. I guess it was a lucky thing someone in the audience did know how to fix it. But wow, that sure doesn’t say much for the operation of this wonderful theatre. I run reportory in some theatres here in NJ, and I would die just to be able to run 70MM again. In all my years, I never had the kinds of problems I read about here. But again, that’s what clearview wants, and that’s what they get.

Good story, Chuck, but this trend is not new. For example, during Christmas 1922 Mary Pickford’s TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY was playing at over 20 theatres in Manhattan alone. That was around one-fifth of all the available screens.

I guess what goes around comes around.

The LOA screening in 2006 was rife with problems. While the picture was gorgeous, too much went wrong. The sound was horribly out of sync on several showings, the projector had intermittent vertical “jitter”, and on one show, they damaged the print and an audience member eventually fixed the projector jam since the theater staff wasn’t able to do it.

Perhaps this is why NYC isn’t getting any 70mm screenings. Word of this stuff gets around. It’s all right here in this thread, just go back to 2006 like DavidM says.

The last time the Ziegfeld showed LAWRENCE OF ARABIA in 70MM was in March of 2006. Scroll up this page for some interesting perceptions regarding what happened at a Sunday night screening.

How come all these 70MM revivals are being shown every other place except New York City, where they should be shown??

A 70MM Film Festival should be high on the list for the Ziegfeld and something everyone should be clamoring for…..I haven’t seen a 70MM print since 2002, the 40th of Lawrence of Arabia….my jaw dropped