Pick of the Week
War & Peace. The Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave., NE, Mpls. Shows in two parts: Part I at 7 p.m. Thursday and Part II at 7 p.m. Friday. Then the whole enchilada will be shown on Saturday starting at 2:30 p.m. with a Russian-catered dinner break. $10 (valid for any screening). (783) 788-9079. “Holy Glasnost Batman, it’s the original 1968 print of War and Peace!” That’s right Robin and gang, War and Peace, the epic, cinematic, retelling of Tolstoy’s novel is back. The non-Audrey Hepburn version won the 1968 Best Foreign Language Oscar along with the hearts of critics and bourgeious alike. (In Russian with English subtitles, this baby has enough Pravda in it to kill a yak.) This version is a rare, highly sought 70mm print and thus deserves the last remaining 70mm screen in the cities, The Heights Theatre. Many film lovers agree that this is the best substitute for not reading the book, because director Sergei Bondarchuk faithfully follows Tolstoy’s story of love, life and death in Napoleonic Europe. This whale of a film is six hours long so you can either catch it in installments on Thursday and Friday night, or buckle up for the 2:30-10:00 thrill ride on Saturday (you’ll be given a 90-minute break to grab your sanity and some dinner). November 1-3.
-Sean McGrath
I recall seeing Bernardo Bertolucci’s Uncut 5 hour 11 minute, 2-Part Epic “1900” (Novecento) at the Film Forum in February 1991 and had no problem with screen size or seat comfort. Considering the magnitude of “War and Peace”, having seen the 2-Part US edition several times during the 70mm-Stereo engagement at the former De Mille Theatre, 7th Ave and 47th St, NYC from April to October 1968, a hearty welcome for the original subtitled edition. In 1968, I was literally left emotionally exhausted by the powerful “Battle of Borodino” sequence from the section where Prince Bolkonsky faces death observing the swirling canon ball at his feet all the way through to the sweeping aerial photography of the battle leading the viewer being drawn further up into the tranquility of the clouds with the battle almost unnoticed below. The “Burning of Moscow” is another incredible sequence. The imagery and editing almost defies analysis as it has such a complex dynamic structure of editing, effects and that powerful music score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov. I tried to break down the “Borodino” sequence into shots and camera angles and was moderately successful. Sergei Bondarchuk had to be a “beyond” genius artist to pull all of the elements together in a film that is almost impossible to forget. The last New York showing of the Russian language subtitled version of “War and Peace” was at the Museum of Modern Art in a tribute to the late Sergei Bondarchuk given from January 12-14, 1995. If the screen at the Film Forum is not the largest and the seats not the most plush and comfortable, I am willing to endure such shortcomings to see cinematic artistry at its finest. Each of the 2-Parts does have an intermission, making each segment 90 to 120 mins. Enjoy and be overwhelmned.
There are very fine prints of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS existing in the Paramount/Viacom vaults for special exhibitions. A general booking will surface a 35mm scope/stereo print made from the rather nice Super VistaVision (70mm) process of 1989 which, in turn, was based on the 1958/1959 scope print extractions. As far as I have been able to determine, this is a straight run through platter print minus the overture, DeMille appearance, intermission title, entr'acte and epilogue/exit music. Of course this is not an ideal exhibition print as you and I would accept for screening. Since the stance of the industry is toward digital presentation, refined technology on going, the availability of stock prints in a distributors inventory exists in great to poor product. This is purely a matter of cost, acutally demand and cost. We find ourselves in a period of great transition of “hands on” film and professional exhibition of decades past and the adaptation of delivering the same quality screenings in a digital age. (I find it amazing to see on several discs what existed on a dozen or more 70mm magnetic print reels or 35mm mag/op). Unfortunately, venues like yours and AMMI, find it a difficult period in presenting the best in the best possible way. Specialized archival exhibition is the environment offered by the Long Branch Paramount. Expert programming in historical context is the agenda. Any other queries are most welcome.
Correction: “Todd Katz, holder of the Paramount Theatre property, enthusiatically moved the holdings” should read,“moved the store inventory” and “tributed the Paramount and former Strand theatre by mural painting”.
To the Legacy of Walter Reade and Walter Reade, Jr, Sam Colissimo, George Clark, Homer, Tom Budd, Marie Robbins, Howard Pierce, Winifred Colton, John Balmer, et al who made the greatness of the Walter Reade theatre chain.
NOTE THIS: Clearview should redeicate this theatre to Walter Reade, Jr with his professional stance, including his white coronation in lapel. Give it equitable leverage and, in doing so, as my old bud WR Jr said, “give ‘em dignity, stance and an experience making 'em owners of the seat they pay and the surroundings they enjoy. For if they did not enjoy their richness our purpose will fail”.
BobT: People should be home with their families on holidays. Only The Lonely seek a theatre or soup kitchen to handle the hungry heart. Bah Humbug! All joking aside, to all enthusiats of Walter Reade’s Ziegfeld- may you have health and happiness at this time and in the year 2007. May all of you be safe and with good healthand lots of monies that find their way into you life so you can enjoy motion picture buildings and the films they can present. Happy Holidays.
DavidM:
With all respect, this theatre and corresponding website of cinema treasures has nothing to do with individual observation and sexual proclivity concerning GAY. Since you are overwhelmed with professional normal human recognition of film presentation presentation. Since you are banner waving for “outness”, you put the mediocre DREAMGIRLS, a basic PBS, WNET, NJN fundraiser affair, into a “white glove honeymoon” of $ in and don’t give a S**t after your paid and left. Ziegfeld Theatre, of which I am overseer for its opening in 1969, doesn’t care squat for a psychological or personality background check on ticket buyers. So drop the gay stuff. I don’t care. Most others don’t. Enjoy who you are and be an activist for theatre and film preservation and not temporary emotional gratification at a piss poor revival of roadshow at $25 with a program and a walla walla 1991 En Vogue – “No You’re Never Gonna Get It” satisfaction. Gay and Afro-American isolationism doesn’t make it. Humanity, in its wonder and expression, in life, in theatre buildings, in films, in writings – does. And, it is in the expectation in a theatre, in that darkness that unfolds before a captivating screen of images, that we find ourselves unified, on a common ground, exploring and enjoying the second by second, metrics of self reflection.
From The Minnesota Daily:
October 31, 2001
Pick of the Week
War & Peace. The Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave., NE, Mpls. Shows in two parts: Part I at 7 p.m. Thursday and Part II at 7 p.m. Friday. Then the whole enchilada will be shown on Saturday starting at 2:30 p.m. with a Russian-catered dinner break. $10 (valid for any screening). (783) 788-9079. “Holy Glasnost Batman, it’s the original 1968 print of War and Peace!” That’s right Robin and gang, War and Peace, the epic, cinematic, retelling of Tolstoy’s novel is back. The non-Audrey Hepburn version won the 1968 Best Foreign Language Oscar along with the hearts of critics and bourgeious alike. (In Russian with English subtitles, this baby has enough Pravda in it to kill a yak.) This version is a rare, highly sought 70mm print and thus deserves the last remaining 70mm screen in the cities, The Heights Theatre. Many film lovers agree that this is the best substitute for not reading the book, because director Sergei Bondarchuk faithfully follows Tolstoy’s story of love, life and death in Napoleonic Europe. This whale of a film is six hours long so you can either catch it in installments on Thursday and Friday night, or buckle up for the 2:30-10:00 thrill ride on Saturday (you’ll be given a 90-minute break to grab your sanity and some dinner). November 1-3.
-Sean McGrath
I recall seeing Bernardo Bertolucci’s Uncut 5 hour 11 minute, 2-Part Epic “1900” (Novecento) at the Film Forum in February 1991 and had no problem with screen size or seat comfort. Considering the magnitude of “War and Peace”, having seen the 2-Part US edition several times during the 70mm-Stereo engagement at the former De Mille Theatre, 7th Ave and 47th St, NYC from April to October 1968, a hearty welcome for the original subtitled edition. In 1968, I was literally left emotionally exhausted by the powerful “Battle of Borodino” sequence from the section where Prince Bolkonsky faces death observing the swirling canon ball at his feet all the way through to the sweeping aerial photography of the battle leading the viewer being drawn further up into the tranquility of the clouds with the battle almost unnoticed below. The “Burning of Moscow” is another incredible sequence. The imagery and editing almost defies analysis as it has such a complex dynamic structure of editing, effects and that powerful music score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov. I tried to break down the “Borodino” sequence into shots and camera angles and was moderately successful. Sergei Bondarchuk had to be a “beyond” genius artist to pull all of the elements together in a film that is almost impossible to forget. The last New York showing of the Russian language subtitled version of “War and Peace” was at the Museum of Modern Art in a tribute to the late Sergei Bondarchuk given from January 12-14, 1995. If the screen at the Film Forum is not the largest and the seats not the most plush and comfortable, I am willing to endure such shortcomings to see cinematic artistry at its finest. Each of the 2-Parts does have an intermission, making each segment 90 to 120 mins. Enjoy and be overwhelmned.
There are very fine prints of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS existing in the Paramount/Viacom vaults for special exhibitions. A general booking will surface a 35mm scope/stereo print made from the rather nice Super VistaVision (70mm) process of 1989 which, in turn, was based on the 1958/1959 scope print extractions. As far as I have been able to determine, this is a straight run through platter print minus the overture, DeMille appearance, intermission title, entr'acte and epilogue/exit music. Of course this is not an ideal exhibition print as you and I would accept for screening. Since the stance of the industry is toward digital presentation, refined technology on going, the availability of stock prints in a distributors inventory exists in great to poor product. This is purely a matter of cost, acutally demand and cost. We find ourselves in a period of great transition of “hands on” film and professional exhibition of decades past and the adaptation of delivering the same quality screenings in a digital age. (I find it amazing to see on several discs what existed on a dozen or more 70mm magnetic print reels or 35mm mag/op). Unfortunately, venues like yours and AMMI, find it a difficult period in presenting the best in the best possible way. Specialized archival exhibition is the environment offered by the Long Branch Paramount. Expert programming in historical context is the agenda. Any other queries are most welcome.
Updates on this theatre:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/15665_0_1_20_C/
Correction: “Todd Katz, holder of the Paramount Theatre property, enthusiatically moved the holdings” should read,“moved the store inventory” and “tributed the Paramount and former Strand theatre by mural painting”.
To the Legacy of Walter Reade and Walter Reade, Jr, Sam Colissimo, George Clark, Homer, Tom Budd, Marie Robbins, Howard Pierce, Winifred Colton, John Balmer, et al who made the greatness of the Walter Reade theatre chain.
EdSolerno: I see the holiday fruitcake has arrived.
NOTE THIS: Clearview should redeicate this theatre to Walter Reade, Jr with his professional stance, including his white coronation in lapel. Give it equitable leverage and, in doing so, as my old bud WR Jr said, “give ‘em dignity, stance and an experience making 'em owners of the seat they pay and the surroundings they enjoy. For if they did not enjoy their richness our purpose will fail”.
saps: Lay off DavidM and DREAMGIRLS. We know the ropes.
BobT: People should be home with their families on holidays. Only The Lonely seek a theatre or soup kitchen to handle the hungry heart. Bah Humbug! All joking aside, to all enthusiats of Walter Reade’s Ziegfeld- may you have health and happiness at this time and in the year 2007. May all of you be safe and with good healthand lots of monies that find their way into you life so you can enjoy motion picture buildings and the films they can present. Happy Holidays.
DavidM:
With all respect, this theatre and corresponding website of cinema treasures has nothing to do with individual observation and sexual proclivity concerning GAY. Since you are overwhelmed with professional normal human recognition of film presentation presentation. Since you are banner waving for “outness”, you put the mediocre DREAMGIRLS, a basic PBS, WNET, NJN fundraiser affair, into a “white glove honeymoon” of $ in and don’t give a S**t after your paid and left. Ziegfeld Theatre, of which I am overseer for its opening in 1969, doesn’t care squat for a psychological or personality background check on ticket buyers. So drop the gay stuff. I don’t care. Most others don’t. Enjoy who you are and be an activist for theatre and film preservation and not temporary emotional gratification at a piss poor revival of roadshow at $25 with a program and a walla walla 1991 En Vogue – “No You’re Never Gonna Get It” satisfaction. Gay and Afro-American isolationism doesn’t make it. Humanity, in its wonder and expression, in life, in theatre buildings, in films, in writings – does. And, it is in the expectation in a theatre, in that darkness that unfolds before a captivating screen of images, that we find ourselves unified, on a common ground, exploring and enjoying the second by second, metrics of self reflection.