| Seeing The Big
Picture: 70 MM
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This series is an Aero Theatre Exclusive!
70mm, like many other motion picture formats such as
Cinemascope and Cinerama in the 1950’s, was created as a way of prying folks away
from those insidious small screen "idiot boxes" (i.e., televisions) that were
starting to deplete the industry’s box office thunder. From Super Technirama 70 to
Ultra Panavision to Dimension 150 and more, the 70mm large-screen format promised –
and delivered – a Barnum-esque world of spectacular sights and 6-track sounds. If the
movies were always larger-than-life, then 70mm movies were MUCH much larger! From 1955 to
1970 – the Golden Age of 70mm Filmmaking – there were nearly 60 Hollywood
features shot in large format, with many more released in special engagements as
35mm-to-70mm blow-ups (which still offered superior sound and image quality to their 35mm
counterparts). Join us for some old favorites like BARAKA, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and 2001:
A SPACE ODYSSEY as well as films rarely screened in 70mm such as PINK FLOYD –
THE WALL and THE WILD BUNCH.
Thursday, September 13 – 7:30 PM
70 mm Print!
PINK FLOYD – THE WALL,
1982, Warner Bros., 99 min. Director Alan Parker's vivid film interpretation of the
British rock combo's classic concept album THE WALL fuses curious fantasy with dark,
tragic drama on an epic scale. It tells the story of
anti-hero Pink, beaten down by life from his earliest childhood days in WWII Britain.
Despite his rise to rock star fame, he continues to build a 'wall' around himself. The film makes innovative use of sets, costumes, and special effects,
imbuing the movie with a bizarre surrealism worthy of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali. Both
disturbing and bedazzling, PINK FLOYD: THE WALL is a must-see film for any music lover. Do
not miss this unique screening in 70 mm, the print is a bit faded though with the full
5-across magnetic stereo sound, the experience is amazing! With Bob Geldof, Bob Hoskins.
Friday, September 14 – 7:30 PM
70 mm Print!
BARAKA, 1992, Magidson Films, 96 min.
If you have never seen BARAKA, one of the Cinematheque’s favorite movies, this is
another chance to experience one of the most visually awesome films ever made. Inspired by
the Sufi word that means "breath of life," BARAKA is a mind-expanding, spiritual
journey around the globe (shot in 24 countries on 5 continents), from
director/cinematographer Ron Fricke (who photographed the earlier KOYANNISQATSI)
and producer Mark Magidson (the Imax film CHRONOS). Filmed entirely without
dialogue in a stunning cascade of crystalline, time-lapse 70 mm. images, BARAKA is quite
simply breathtaking. "Smashingly edited, superbly scored … speaks volumes
about the planet without uttering a single word." – Suzan Ayscough, Variety
Saturday, September 15 – 7:30 PM
70 mm Print!
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, 1962, Sony
Repertory, 216 min. Peter O’Toole was catapulted to stardom as the
tortured Man Who Would Not Be King, T. E. Lawrence, who helped the Arabs revolt against
European and Ottoman hegemony. Director David Lean’s epic is a timeless
masterpiece – as close to perfect as a film can get. Featuring one of the finest
casts in any motion picture: Omar Sharif (in his first major
English-speaking role), Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains and Alec
Guinness as Prince Faisal. Director of Photography Freddie Young’s 70mm
photography is rightly considered to be a work of genius, matched by Robert Bolt and
Michael Wilson’s screenplay, Maurice Jarre’s stirring score and John Box’s
production design. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best
Director. "The word ''epic'' in recent years has become synonymous with ''big
budget B picture.'' What you realize watching LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is that the word ''epic''
refers not to the cost or the elaborate production, but to the size of the ideas and
vision." – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Sunday, September 16 – 7:30 PM
70 mm Print!
THE WILD BUNCH, 1969, Warner
Bros., 145 min. Saddle up for a screening of director Sam Peckinpah’s magnificent,
ultra-violent Western, starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates and
Jaime Sanchez as a band of doomed outlaws trying to outrun history. Exceedingly
controversial upon its initial release, THE WILD BUNCH forever changed the way violence
was depicted and perceived in the movies. And it is even more startling in its
bigger-than-life 70mm incarnation. Co-starring a tough guys’ who’s who of
western greats, including Robert Ryan, Edmond O’Brien, L.Q. Jones, Bo Hopkins and
Strother Martin.
Thursday, September 20 – 7:30 PM
70 mm Print!
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY,
1968, Warner Bros., 139 min. Director Stanley Kubrick’s literally mindblowing
meditation on the dangers (and wonders) of technology, the limitless vistas of space, and
the future of the human race itself is one of one the Cinematheque’s most requested
movie titles. This is another opportunity to see one of the essential cinema experiences
on the giant screen, in truly psychedelic 6-track stereo sound! With Keir Dullea, Gary
Lockwood. |
