Memories

  • October 3, 2008
    Memories

    Remembering Cinerama (Part V)

    REMEMBERING CINERAMA
    Part V: Washington, D.C.

    The following is Part Five in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series will not describe in detail the particulars of what the system was or how it worked, as extensive coverage of such is accessible in numerous books and websites. Instead, the series focuses on providing an historical overview of a less-accessible aspect of the Cinerama story: a film-by-film breakdown of how, when and where Cinerama and its clones were exhibited in selected markets since every region was treated differently. As well, the articles serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced Cinerama when it was new and to highlight the movie palaces in which these memorable events took place.

    Part I: New York City
    Part II: Chicago
    Part III: San Francisco
    Part IV: Houston

    And now…Part V: Cinerama Presentations in Washington, D.C.!

    9 comments
  • September 30, 2008
    Memories

    The 25th Anniversary of “Brainstorm”

    Twenty-five years ago today, “Brainstorm” was released. The film starred Christopher Walken, Cliff Robertson and Natalie Wood in her final role, and at the time was the industry’s largest exclusive 70-millimeter format launch of a motion picture.

    Twenty-five years ago, “Brainstorm”, Douglas Trumbull’s “Ultimate Experience”, was released to movie theatres. Though the film was not a box-office success, it is remembered for its effective large-frame cinematography and sound design, and for its interesting take on futuristic technology.

    Read the full story at in70mm.com.

    9 comments
  • Memories

    Bad cinema architecture

    We often see and read about countless beautiful movie “palaces” in all their splendor and glory.

    But how about everyone’s thoughts on the “Ugliest Looking Cinemas”?

    Hailing from England, I smile to myself when viewing some of these old (Dracula’s Castle) looking wrecks that have closed. I’m not at all surprised.

    6 comments
  • September 29, 2008
    Memories

    Remembering Paul Newman

    Paul Newman passed away over the weekend at the age of 83 from cancer. He was one of the last of the great 20th Century movie stars, and indeed, one of the greatest actors I’ve ever seen.

    The first film of his that I ever saw was “The Towering Inferno” when it premiered on a relatively new cable channel called HBO in December 1975. Believe it or not, I would not see a Paul Newman film on screen until “The Color of Money” in 1986. But in between, of course, as I learned to appreciate good film, I would discover and cherish such titles as “The Hustler”, “Exodus”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Verdict”.

    His passing causes me to reflect not only on his great career but also the fact that there are almost no Hollywood legends left. People of my generation (I was born in 1967) have stars like Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty and Jessica Lange to look to as our screen legends.

    12 comments
  • September 26, 2008
    Memories

    Remembering Cinerama Part IV

    REMEMBERING CINERAMA
    Part IV: Houston

    The following is Part Four of a series of retrospectives on the revolutionary and historic Cinerama process (and copycat formats Cinemiracle and Thrillarama), which provides nostalgia to those who experienced Cinerama when it was new and highlights the great movie palaces in which these memorable events took place.

    Part I: New York City
    Part II: Chicago
    Part III: San Francisco

    And now…Part IV: Cinerama Presentations in Houston!

    9 comments
  • September 23, 2008
    Memories

    The age of the roadshow

    Cinema Sightlines just debuted some new insightful articles on the roadshow era. In addition to a look at roadshows in general, they take a more detailed look into “Funny Girl” on its fortieth anniversary. That film will be shown next month at the Egyptian as part of its 81st Anniversary Celebration.

    7 comments
  • September 19, 2008
    Memories

    Remembering Cinerama Part III

    REMEMBERING CINERAMA
    Part III: San Francisco

    The following is Part Three of a series of retrospective postings on the revolutionary and historic Cinerama process (and copycat formats such as Cinemiracle and Kinopanorama), which provides a dose of nostalgia for those who experienced it when it was new and highlights the great movie palaces in which these memorable events took place.

    Previous entries in the series:
    Part I: New York City
    Part II: Chicago

    And now…Part III: San Francisco!

    THIS IS CINERAMA
    Theater: Orpheum
    Premiere: December 25, 1953
    Engagement Duration: 84 weeks
    Format: 3-Strip Cinerama
    Promotional Hype: “Something Wonderful in motion picture entertainment! For the first time, a motion picture reaches out to bring you into the story to put you in the picture…with the intensely personal experience of all its excitement and thrills.”

    9 comments
  • September 15, 2008
    Memories

    Remembering Cinerama

    REMEMBERING CINERAMA
    Part II: Chicago

    With last week’s DVD and Blu-ray release of the Cinerama classic “How The West Was Won,” as well as the recent screenings of “How The West Was Won” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, I thought this would be a great time to take a comprehensive look at Cinerama for those who experienced it when it was new and for those who know it only as history.

    The following is Part Two of an ongoing series of retrospective postings on the Cinerama process (and copycat formats such as Cinemiracle and Kinopanorama) which provides a reminder of the many great movie palaces in which these memorable events took place. Part I: New York City was posted a few days ago. This entry focuses on the Cinerama presentations in Chicago.

    Enjoy the flashback!

    11 comments
  • Memories

    Largest seat count in a 1960’S single screen theater?

    What are some of the highest seat counts for USA single screen theaters constructed during the 1960’s theater construction boom era?The largest General Cinema seat count seen listed in Boxoffice magazine was 2000 seats at their Buffalo, NY Thruway Plaza Cinema. There was also a listing for slightly over 2000 seats for a theater being built by Associated Independent Theaters in Patchogue, NY.

    Many Thanks to all, and please patronize the movies this weekend!!

    CINEMA TREASURES RULES

    9 comments
  • September 9, 2008
    Memories

    Remembering Cinerama

    REMEMBERING CINERAMA
    Part I: New York City

    With this week’s DVD and Blu-ray release of the Cinerama classic “How The West Was Won,” as well as last weekend’s screenings of “How The West Was Won” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, I thought this would be a great time to take another look at Cinerama for those who experienced it when it was new and for those who know it only as history.

    The following is part of what I envision as an ongoing/semi-regular series of retrospective postings on the Cinerama process (and other multi-panel copycat formats such as Cinemiracle and Kinopanorama) which enables a reminder of the many great movie palaces in which these memorable events took place. Part I features a film-by-film breakdown for the city in which it all began: New York! Future postings will focus on other markets, enabling the reader to compare how Cinerama was handled in different regions of the country. For example, the duration of an engagement, the sequence in which the films were released, and the manner in which they promoted varied by market, and some readers may find this information of interest.

    Enjoy the flashback!

    24 comments