John Harvey made the journey to Seattle with his vintage compilations of "This is Cinerama" and "How the West Was Won".

The Seattle Cinerama retained its original "three booth" configuration during its recent renovation. All major original Cinerama equipment was long removed from the theater. An abused and decrepit set of Cinerama projectors was located (in Peru!) and refurbished/rebuilt by American Cinema Equipment of Portland, Oregon. A vintage sound reproducer was also located and rebuilt. New 7K Knisely xenon lamps were provided, and a new true-to-the original strip screen (in addition to a "standard" 65-foot screen for 35 and 70 presentations). Other than mag reproducer, all sound equipment is new, but JBL horn-loaded screen speaker systems are used, updated versions of the designs used for the original 50's Cinerama systems. (The "normal" sound system for 35 and 70 presentations uses EAW speakers, but a "special" speaker system is also permanently installed at the theater *just* for Cinerama presentations. It helps to have a billionaire financing things.)

I'm one of the regular projectionists at the Cinerama, and am very familiar with what "normal" 35 and 70 look like. I'd never seen "real" Cinerama.

The presentation in Seattle was stunning. Yep, everything they say about how wonderful Cinerama was (technically, I won't start in on the artistic merits/lack thereof of HTWWW)is true. All the "best" aspects of Cinerama- brilliant image, sharpness, depth- were evident. Sound quality was breathtaking, particularly for HTWWW. I've shown and seen a lot of film, but "Cinerama" is one of the high points of my cinema experience.

There were only two minor flaws in the presentations, both correctable. A vintage Eprad double MUT (NOT rebuilt/furnished by American Cinema Equipment) failed at one point, causing the show to come to a halt, and the building HVAC system causes a pressure differential between the front and back of the screen, causing some strips to waver so much in the ensuing air currents that there is the appearance (in projected image) of many, many base scratches.

Hats off to Seattle International Film Festival, Mr. John Harvey, American Cinema Equipment, and Mr. Paul Allen/Vulcan Northwest for a truly memorable presentation of Cinerama, the way it was meant to be.

Check out www.cineramaadventure.com.

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Are any more Cinerama presentations scheduled this year, or was that it? I wanted to attend, but wasn't able to get there this weekend (AAARRGH!).

No more Cinerama presentations in Seattle scheduled at the moment that I am aware of. Will post if I learn anything.

Cost of "converting" theater to Cinerama and back again is huge. Remove "regular" 65 foot screen, remove "regular" curtain, remove "regular" speakers. Rig Cinerama screen, curtain, speakers. Move projectors around in booth. At times a crew of about 20 was on hand. Reverse all when done. Lose a day or two of screen revenue for set-up and break down each.

Currently we have *four* projection devices in a too small booth (along with two sound racks, Kelmar bench, storage cabinet, platter, film storage cabinet, terlet, sink):
Kinotone DP75, used for every day 35mm presentations. With outboard water/refrigeration-type gate cooler. The electronic pulldown does blast a lot of light on screen from the 7K Kinotone lamp. Haven't used it for 70mm yet.
Christie 35mm projector with Strong Super 80 lamp, "backup" in event heavily-electronic microprocessorized Kinotone burps and parts aren't on hand.
Cinerama/Century projector with Kniesley 7K lamp. Pushed to side and stored.
Norelco AA2 w/Strong Super 80. Pushed to side and stored. Was the dedicated 70mm projector before Kintone, current fate uncertain. *I* thought it would make a swell 35mm backup projector, but it is deemed to formidable for management staff to operate when a "regular" projectionist is not on duty.
A big rented video thing, for Seattle International Film Festival. Used for some documentary presentations, going away soon. Includes VTR piled on case next to projector.

With regard to Cinerama "lines":

When all is adjusted properly, and cinematograpy is *just so*, the lines disappear. That is (used most effectively in How the West Was Won) when the "lines" have been deliberately made to fall on tree trunks and other vertical elements of picture.

When lines fall on large uniformly colored areas with no texture (blue sky) they are noticeable, at least to me. But, hey, I see changeover cues when I'm not looking for them.