I first saw the GCC “projector/harpsichord†trailer when I was 11 (it was 1976, seeing Mel Brooks’ “Silent Movie†at the Jersey City Twin Cinema). I was obsessed by that logo and music.
A couple of years later, I took a tape recorder into the theatre to record the music, which I synched to a crude Super 8 film of the logo I animated myself.
Then they switched to the “piccolo version” in the eighties. I felt betrayed. I just saw that piccolo version on the daily motion website. It ruined my day.
I was there on Thursday night. About 300-400 people there, but I could be wrong. I got there early to be in the “sweet spot.” . Very smart, enthusiastic crowd.
Gold curtains were closed during overture and the sound was very muffled. When golds & sheers opened for credits, the music just blared, and was glorious.
That 12 Khz tone was murder on my ears at first, but I got used to it. Interesting to hear it come on by itself in anticipation of a musical cue. Besides that, I was surprised by the quality of the sound – it really had “oomph” and some nice separation. The hurricane scene was especially impressive. It amazes me that all that rich sound comes from 4 narrow magnetic strips on a print from 50 years ago. As mentioned before, there were focus problems. I bought new eyeglasses that day and kept asking my friend, “is it my prescription, or is it out of focus?”
All in all, a fascinating experience – and getting the technical back story from you guys is priceless. It astounds me, though, that there wasn’t better press coverage of this event.
Thanks, Robert, Peter and Bill for your quick responses!
Bill, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed the flickering. It was driving me crazy, especially during scene on the “Hilton†space station, which is almost all-white, except for those groovy red seats. Could it have been a shutter problem? Perhaps Vito could shed some light on this.
I was also impressed by the soundtrack, especially the use of surrounds. I’ve seen 2001 only on TV (obviously not a legitimate viewing), so I had no idea that Hal’s voice surrounded you. The cacophony made by the apes as they discover the monolith was overwhelming, coming from all over. The female voice on the space station warning about a misplaced blue cashmere sweater â€" for a second I thought it was an actual announcement coming from the museum’s P.A. system.
Did anyone here see the 70MM print of Kubrick’s “2001†at the American Museum of the Moving Image (AMMI) in Queens this past weekend? (I know this is a bit off-topic, being the Ziegfeld page, but since so many of you are experts on 70MM presentation I thought I could get a knowledgeable opinion.)
I have only seen two true 70MM presentations, both at the Ziegfeld â€" “Spartacus†and “Lawrence of Arabiaâ€, in the early 90s. “Lawrenceâ€, especially, was truly the most spectacular film presentation I have ever seen.
I went to “2001†with very high expectations but was quite disappointed, not with the film itself, but the quality of the “restored†print, which I thought was quite a mess. Scratches galore, sprocket marks, very “flickery†image (especially on scenes with lots of white), and much grainier than I expected.
Can anyone here enlighten me?
P.S. This is my first post here. I’ve been reading your posts here and on the RCMH page. You guys are great! I can’t get any work done anymore.
I first saw the GCC “projector/harpsichord†trailer when I was 11 (it was 1976, seeing Mel Brooks’ “Silent Movie†at the Jersey City Twin Cinema). I was obsessed by that logo and music.
A couple of years later, I took a tape recorder into the theatre to record the music, which I synched to a crude Super 8 film of the logo I animated myself.
Then they switched to the “piccolo version” in the eighties. I felt betrayed. I just saw that piccolo version on the daily motion website. It ruined my day.
Don’t get me started on the Candy Band.
I was there on Thursday night. About 300-400 people there, but I could be wrong. I got there early to be in the “sweet spot.” . Very smart, enthusiastic crowd.
Gold curtains were closed during overture and the sound was very muffled. When golds & sheers opened for credits, the music just blared, and was glorious.
That 12 Khz tone was murder on my ears at first, but I got used to it. Interesting to hear it come on by itself in anticipation of a musical cue. Besides that, I was surprised by the quality of the sound – it really had “oomph” and some nice separation. The hurricane scene was especially impressive. It amazes me that all that rich sound comes from 4 narrow magnetic strips on a print from 50 years ago. As mentioned before, there were focus problems. I bought new eyeglasses that day and kept asking my friend, “is it my prescription, or is it out of focus?”
All in all, a fascinating experience – and getting the technical back story from you guys is priceless. It astounds me, though, that there wasn’t better press coverage of this event.
Thanks, Robert, Peter and Bill for your quick responses!
Bill, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed the flickering. It was driving me crazy, especially during scene on the “Hilton†space station, which is almost all-white, except for those groovy red seats. Could it have been a shutter problem? Perhaps Vito could shed some light on this.
I was also impressed by the soundtrack, especially the use of surrounds. I’ve seen 2001 only on TV (obviously not a legitimate viewing), so I had no idea that Hal’s voice surrounded you. The cacophony made by the apes as they discover the monolith was overwhelming, coming from all over. The female voice on the space station warning about a misplaced blue cashmere sweater â€" for a second I thought it was an actual announcement coming from the museum’s P.A. system.
Did anyone here see the 70MM print of Kubrick’s “2001†at the American Museum of the Moving Image (AMMI) in Queens this past weekend? (I know this is a bit off-topic, being the Ziegfeld page, but since so many of you are experts on 70MM presentation I thought I could get a knowledgeable opinion.)
I have only seen two true 70MM presentations, both at the Ziegfeld â€" “Spartacus†and “Lawrence of Arabiaâ€, in the early 90s. “Lawrenceâ€, especially, was truly the most spectacular film presentation I have ever seen.
I went to “2001†with very high expectations but was quite disappointed, not with the film itself, but the quality of the “restored†print, which I thought was quite a mess. Scratches galore, sprocket marks, very “flickery†image (especially on scenes with lots of white), and much grainier than I expected.
Can anyone here enlighten me?
P.S. This is my first post here. I’ve been reading your posts here and on the RCMH page. You guys are great! I can’t get any work done anymore.