| Seeing the Big Picture: 70mm
Some Films in this Series are at the Aero Theatre!
70mm, like many other motion picture formats such as Cinemascope and Cinerama
in the 1950s, 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).
This year’s edition is specially exciting with brand-new 70mm prints of the latest
restorations from the studios: STAR! with Julie Andrews and KHARTOUM with
Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier. Join us also for some old-time favorites, such as 2001:
A SPACE ODYSSEY, PLAYTIME, VERTIGO and a rare screening of APOCALYPSE NOW!
Series compiled by Gwen Deglise and Chris D.
Special Thanks:
Thursday, May 15 – 7:30 PM
70mm!
PLAYTIME, 1967, Janus Films, 126 min. Another chance to see
the fully restored Jacques Tati masterpiece PLAYTIME, which was conceived
originally as a 70mm viewing experience, then lost for over 30 years (there were only 35mm
prints left of a cut version) and finally rescued by Tati's daughter, Sophie Tatischeff,
and Jerome Deschamps. Monsieur Hulot must contact an American official in Paris, but he
gets lost in a stylish maze of modern architecture filled with the latest gadgets. Caught
in a tourist invasion, Hulot roams around Paris with a group of American tourists, causing
chaos in his usual manner. The star of the film: the city built by Tati and called
Tativille/Taticity. From surprise to surprise, it’s an exquisite and divine
experience! François Truffaut, writing to Jacques Tati about PLAYTIME, said simply,
"A film from another planet." More on this film. Also playing at the Aero. View Trailer.
Friday, May 16 – 7:30 PM
Mega-Rare 70mm Print!
APOCALYPSE NOW, 1979, American Zoetrope, 150 min.
Reluctant assassin Martin Sheen leads a boatload of surfer boys and sauciers
up-river to find renegade colonel Marlon Brando, in director Francis Ford
Coppola’s magnificent, crazed, wildly surreal Vietnam War film. Adapted by
Coppola and co-writer John Milius from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, APOCALYPSE
co-stars Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms and Dennis Hopper –
don’t miss this rarer-than-rare screening of a 70mm
print of the film. For more on
this film.
Please note that this only 70mm print is faded. Regular ticket prices will be charged. If
you bought a ticket at a higher price, please bring your ticket to the box office. Also screening at the Aero.
Saturday, May 17 – 7:30 PM
70mm Print!
VERTIGO, Universal, 128 min. With its stunning visuals and
gripping characters, Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological suspense masterpiece
continues to entrance audiences. Showcasing Kim Novak in startling dual role,
VERTIGO finds suspended San Francisco detective "Scottie" Ferguson (James
Stewart) becoming obsessed with Madeleine Elster (Novak), a troubled woman he is
privately hired to follow. Tragedy ensues, and when Ferguson later stumbles upon Judy
Barton (also played by Novak), a young woman who bears a striking resemblance to
Madeleine, his obsession spirals out of control. More on this film. For more Hitchcock
this month click here.
Charlton Heston with his wife at the Grand Re-Opening of the Egyptian, Dec.
4, 1998.
Sunday, May 18 – 7:30 PM
New 70mm Print! Charlton Heston Tribute!
KHARTOUM, 1966, MGM Repertory, 128 min. Dirs. Basil
Dearden and Eliot Elisofon. MGM Repertory’s latest restoration! Charlton
Heston stars as British general Charles "Chinese" Gordon, who is sent to
defend the British Empire in the Sudan during a violent uprising led by jihad-hungry Laurence
Olivier. This is one of the most literate (with an Oscar-nominated screenplay) and
visually sumptuous of all 1960s epics, with vibrant colors and spectacular action
sequences courtesy of ace craftsman Basil Dearden. more on this film. Also screening at the Aero. |
