There are prints they just want to push digital. They have a three strip print of How the West Was Won that’s in great shape. And there are other three strip prints. They just don’t want to run film. If you prefer film push for it.
eflambert, I know what you mean but cropping takes place in the projector not just the masking. The Somerville theater has all its aperture plates cut to the exact aspect ratio. If you go there ask for a tour. They use making the way it was meant to be. There are some theaters and screening rooms that do it right.
There are theaters that can run all the proper aspect ratios. Most of them are privately owned. For instance there is a state of the art theater at Post 43 on Highland in Hollywood. They’re equipped with 2 DP70’s. They are setting up to run everything from 1:37 to 2:76
The Somerville Theater in Massachusetts has 2 DP70’s and can run everything from 1:37 to 2:76. They are about to run a wide screen festival.
The Dome can’t even run the three strip cinerama projectors; they don’t have the people to run it. So instead they are running digital.
By the time they get to their 70th anniversary they won’t be able to run 70mm
Why go to the Dome when I can watch the same digital in my own theater.
To change aspect ratio from one medium to another i.e. film to digital, 70mm to 35mm, then the image is either cropped or letter boxed. Many movies these days are released in several different formats and aspect ratios. The camera original source material is often different formats. It is always cropped to make it fit.
Gone With The Wind was released in 70mm and those prints were cropped the original is 1.33:1 and the 70mm prints were 1:85 matted.
The Ten Commandments was shot in VitaVision so the 70mm prints were cropped.
2001 of course was shot on 65mm film for a 70mm release print (2.5mm extra space on each outer edge for sound tracks) The 70mm prints are not cropped but the 35mm version is cropped a little on the top and bottom and is much shorter than the roadshow version. The digital version is either cropped or letter boxed probably the latter.
AMC and other chains crop 20% or more in the projectors. If a theater does not have movable masking or the masking is limited they will crop the image to fit the screen. It is standard procedure in most multiplexes to crop the image to make it fit the screen or letter box it. Very few theaters bother to run a film in the exact proper aspect ratio that is why the Arclight in Hollywood is a favorite among the film crowd.
2001 was shot on 65mm with spherical lenses so there was no compression. The aspect ratio of the negative is 2.20:1 The 70mm prints are 2.20:1 There is no stretching or cropping. Some of 2001 was shot in Todd-AO and that was 2.2:1
The Arclight does have projectionists; union projectionists. Most shows are digital cinema. The film shows are on a platter so no changeovers. Not much for them to do except make sure everything runs right.
The Egyptian sometimes runs film and they have a projectionist. They don’t have a platter so film is shown reel to reel. No automation. They have full time projectionists
AMC is the company that has managers do everything and have little or no technical support as do most chains. Most theaters have digital projectors only and are fully automated. So the ARCLIGHT in Hollywood is about as good as it gets.
If you are ever in Boston check out the Somerville Theatre. The main house has two 35/70 projectors they run a fair amount of film and have a projectionist.
The mag pickup heads at the Astor were worn down to where they were flush with the plastic 35 and 70 on both machines. The only mag heads in good condition were the ones made special for House of Wax. The four track 35mm heads were worn worse than the 70 heads no high frequency. The original mag heads from the Saxon and the Gary were worn down to nothing too.
The Astor was the only theater where the 70mm picture was wider and taller than the Scope picture. The liked to book 70mm pics there but it was obvious they ran a lot of 35mm mag films too.
Go back and check the records like I did and see what you can find but they ran a lot of 70mm in those ten years. Spartacus, Ryan’s Daughter, The Ten Commandments (re-release),2001 House of Wax 70mm 3D I’m not sure what CinemaScope movies they ran but it was common practice for A class theaters to get a print with mag sound. There was a mag only print of The Exorcist that played at the 57. The Gary ran a lot of mag it might have all been mag or 70mm. I know for a fact there were mag prints of Mary Poppins. It didn’t have to be roadshow to have mag prints. Mag was really popular in that era especially in the cities.
1950 that was a long long time ago. Pictures would be nice. The Point I was making is the Todd-AO conversion was a major install. Did you see some of the roadshows like Spartacus. Dr. Strangelove 2001 when it was released to general release. Ryans Daughter ran there and about 20 feet of the end credits was sitting in the parts cabinet until the theater closed.
The theater was old very old. The electric and steam for heat came directly from Edison there were no meters just a flat fee. There were electric meters in the basement but they were for DC and no longer in use. The theater itself was a fire hazard. There were sprinklers and a fire call box in the theater that was wired directly into the fire department. It was an automatic four alarm fire if there was a fire. There was a lot of old dry wood. The side walls were brick while the the rest was wood. There had been several fires in the theater before the fires that destroyed it.
I wasnt there in 1950’s but I spent enough time there in the 70’s.
When it was the Tremont it was one of the first theaters to get electricity. When they started running movies they were one of the first theaters to have motors on the projectors. As the Astor CinemaScope was replaced by Todd-AO in 1959. The company supervised the install the auditorium was widened by removing the queens boxes stage and proscenium. A new projection booth was built in the balcony. The projection lenses were custom made by American Optical. There is a picture posted of David K holding an American Optical projection lens. They opened after the 1959 remodel with Porgy and Bess in Todd-AO.
Instead of doing an extensive remodel Ben Sack just put the screen on the stage and Todd-AO projectors in the booth. The two other Todd-AO theaters in 1959 were the Saxon and the Gary. Condemned as stage theaters Ben Sack picked them up cheap and installed Todd-AO in both. The Astor had incredible picture and sound and Ben Sack hated the fact. They were also very good at booking some big pictures. The Astor was a roadshow house. Up until 1970 when they were shut out of the market Sack started block booking every movie that came out. In the ten years from 1960 to 1970 they ran just one film with optical sound and that was Dr. Strangelove and it was shown 1:66 not 1:85. With a movable masking top and sides any aspect ratio within reason was possible. The 70mm picture and sound was incredible 13.6 carbon arcs Todd-AO projectors with American Optical lenses those Altec speakers and tube sound system sounded sweet.
The two scheduled shows of 2001 in the Dome sold out pretty fast. Why they didn’t schedule more shows in the Dome is the real question. There is one 35/70 projector with a platter in the Dome. There are other theaters at the Arclight equipped to run film.
This page is about the Arclight in Hollywood not all the Arclights.
The photo that was and is no longer is not the Dome. It is not an Arclight in Los Angeles. The front two rows of seating were on a different curve than the rest of the seats, that makes it very distinct; along with the large size of the auditorium.
The Cinerama Dome is on Sunset and Vine and it is still there. I have been in it many times. I went to the 25th anniversary of IMMMW many years ago. That photo is not the Dome in Hollywood. The Dome never looked like that.
Yes there is Digital version of HTWWW but the resolution is no where near that of the film presentation. I don’t mind the lines as the resolution of the show print right off the negative is far better than digital.
There are prints they just want to push digital. They have a three strip print of How the West Was Won that’s in great shape. And there are other three strip prints. They just don’t want to run film. If you prefer film push for it.
https://somervilletheatre.com/
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/483
check it out
eflambert, I know what you mean but cropping takes place in the projector not just the masking. The Somerville theater has all its aperture plates cut to the exact aspect ratio. If you go there ask for a tour. They use making the way it was meant to be. There are some theaters and screening rooms that do it right.
To edlambert
There are theaters that can run all the proper aspect ratios. Most of them are privately owned. For instance there is a state of the art theater at Post 43 on Highland in Hollywood. They’re equipped with 2 DP70’s. They are setting up to run everything from 1:37 to 2:76
The Somerville Theater in Massachusetts has 2 DP70’s and can run everything from 1:37 to 2:76. They are about to run a wide screen festival.
The Dome can’t even run the three strip cinerama projectors; they don’t have the people to run it. So instead they are running digital.
By the time they get to their 70th anniversary they won’t be able to run 70mm
Why go to the Dome when I can watch the same digital in my own theater.
To change aspect ratio from one medium to another i.e. film to digital, 70mm to 35mm, then the image is either cropped or letter boxed. Many movies these days are released in several different formats and aspect ratios. The camera original source material is often different formats. It is always cropped to make it fit.
Gone With The Wind was released in 70mm and those prints were cropped the original is 1.33:1 and the 70mm prints were 1:85 matted.
The Ten Commandments was shot in VitaVision so the 70mm prints were cropped.
2001 of course was shot on 65mm film for a 70mm release print (2.5mm extra space on each outer edge for sound tracks) The 70mm prints are not cropped but the 35mm version is cropped a little on the top and bottom and is much shorter than the roadshow version. The digital version is either cropped or letter boxed probably the latter.
AMC and other chains crop 20% or more in the projectors. If a theater does not have movable masking or the masking is limited they will crop the image to fit the screen. It is standard procedure in most multiplexes to crop the image to make it fit the screen or letter box it. Very few theaters bother to run a film in the exact proper aspect ratio that is why the Arclight in Hollywood is a favorite among the film crowd.
2001 was shot on 65mm with spherical lenses so there was no compression. The aspect ratio of the negative is 2.20:1 The 70mm prints are 2.20:1 There is no stretching or cropping. Some of 2001 was shot in Todd-AO and that was 2.2:1
2001 was and is 70mm 2.2:1 2.39 is digital scope
I went to 2001 in the Dome it was full frame non anamorphic 70mm. Yes they have adjustable masking to accommodate several different aspect ratios.
Hi Jim,
The Arclight does have projectionists; union projectionists. Most shows are digital cinema. The film shows are on a platter so no changeovers. Not much for them to do except make sure everything runs right.
The Egyptian sometimes runs film and they have a projectionist. They don’t have a platter so film is shown reel to reel. No automation. They have full time projectionists
AMC is the company that has managers do everything and have little or no technical support as do most chains. Most theaters have digital projectors only and are fully automated. So the ARCLIGHT in Hollywood is about as good as it gets.
If you are ever in Boston check out the Somerville Theatre. The main house has two 35/70 projectors they run a fair amount of film and have a projectionist.
That center aisle and the railings are just bad
The mag pickup heads at the Astor were worn down to where they were flush with the plastic 35 and 70 on both machines. The only mag heads in good condition were the ones made special for House of Wax. The four track 35mm heads were worn worse than the 70 heads no high frequency. The original mag heads from the Saxon and the Gary were worn down to nothing too.
The Astor was the only theater where the 70mm picture was wider and taller than the Scope picture. The liked to book 70mm pics there but it was obvious they ran a lot of 35mm mag films too.
Go back and check the records like I did and see what you can find but they ran a lot of 70mm in those ten years. Spartacus, Ryan’s Daughter, The Ten Commandments (re-release),2001 House of Wax 70mm 3D I’m not sure what CinemaScope movies they ran but it was common practice for A class theaters to get a print with mag sound. There was a mag only print of The Exorcist that played at the 57. The Gary ran a lot of mag it might have all been mag or 70mm. I know for a fact there were mag prints of Mary Poppins. It didn’t have to be roadshow to have mag prints. Mag was really popular in that era especially in the cities.
1950 that was a long long time ago. Pictures would be nice. The Point I was making is the Todd-AO conversion was a major install. Did you see some of the roadshows like Spartacus. Dr. Strangelove 2001 when it was released to general release. Ryans Daughter ran there and about 20 feet of the end credits was sitting in the parts cabinet until the theater closed.
The theater was old very old. The electric and steam for heat came directly from Edison there were no meters just a flat fee. There were electric meters in the basement but they were for DC and no longer in use. The theater itself was a fire hazard. There were sprinklers and a fire call box in the theater that was wired directly into the fire department. It was an automatic four alarm fire if there was a fire. There was a lot of old dry wood. The side walls were brick while the the rest was wood. There had been several fires in the theater before the fires that destroyed it.
I wasnt there in 1950’s but I spent enough time there in the 70’s.
When it was the Tremont it was one of the first theaters to get electricity. When they started running movies they were one of the first theaters to have motors on the projectors. As the Astor CinemaScope was replaced by Todd-AO in 1959. The company supervised the install the auditorium was widened by removing the queens boxes stage and proscenium. A new projection booth was built in the balcony. The projection lenses were custom made by American Optical. There is a picture posted of David K holding an American Optical projection lens. They opened after the 1959 remodel with Porgy and Bess in Todd-AO.
Instead of doing an extensive remodel Ben Sack just put the screen on the stage and Todd-AO projectors in the booth. The two other Todd-AO theaters in 1959 were the Saxon and the Gary. Condemned as stage theaters Ben Sack picked them up cheap and installed Todd-AO in both. The Astor had incredible picture and sound and Ben Sack hated the fact. They were also very good at booking some big pictures. The Astor was a roadshow house. Up until 1970 when they were shut out of the market Sack started block booking every movie that came out. In the ten years from 1960 to 1970 they ran just one film with optical sound and that was Dr. Strangelove and it was shown 1:66 not 1:85. With a movable masking top and sides any aspect ratio within reason was possible. The 70mm picture and sound was incredible 13.6 carbon arcs Todd-AO projectors with American Optical lenses those Altec speakers and tube sound system sounded sweet.
Never did the LSD thing but many have.
Just saw 2001 in the Dome Original roadshow version it was great to see it on that screen
My error there are 15 showings of 2001 in 70mm five shows a day starting June 8
Wow they scheduled sixteen more shows 70mm in the Dome. Lots of empty seats. I just got my tickets.
The two scheduled shows of 2001 in the Dome sold out pretty fast. Why they didn’t schedule more shows in the Dome is the real question. There is one 35/70 projector with a platter in the Dome. There are other theaters at the Arclight equipped to run film.
This page is about the Arclight in Hollywood not all the Arclights.
The photo that was and is no longer is not the Dome. It is not an Arclight in Los Angeles. The front two rows of seating were on a different curve than the rest of the seats, that makes it very distinct; along with the large size of the auditorium.
Great question, the site administrator or who ever put it knows the answer to that one.
The Cinerama Dome is on Sunset and Vine and it is still there. I have been in it many times. I went to the 25th anniversary of IMMMW many years ago. That photo is not the Dome in Hollywood. The Dome never looked like that.
I doubt that it is another Arclight it looks like a Cinerama theater. It’s too big to be another Arclight. It might be in Europe or Australia.
I have wondered about the photo at the top of the page. It is not the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.
Yes there is Digital version of HTWWW but the resolution is no where near that of the film presentation. I don’t mind the lines as the resolution of the show print right off the negative is far better than digital.