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Although I think the Castro's newsletter is wrong about only three US theaters getting to show it -- I've heard the Egyptian in L.A. will be getting it, too.

Fantastic! What a terrific movie-going experience. And it nearly moved me to tears to actually see the words "in 70mm" on a marquee again. I can't help but think -- is this the last time I will ever get to see 70mm?

I've never been to the Castro theatre before. It's absolutely beautiful. Simply gorgeous decor. But the screen was a little small. You can tell it was originally academy ratio. They had top masking to make it 2.20:1 for this showing. I had to sit very close to the front in order to get the big screen effect. I felt sorry for the people in the back.

There was the usual "showmanship" stuff -- including a 10 minute pre-show performance on the Wurlitzer. They did not, however, use curtains. But one thing I liked was that they gradually brought the house lights down during the overture. There was also the standard 15 minute intermission and exit music after the end credits.

The print was excellent quality, and the sound was top-notch. The Castro did a great job keeing the print clean, as there was no dirt or damage visible, even after having been run three times a day for more than two weeks (plus its previous runs in Seattle and Washington, D.C.). This particular print had the blue MGM logo at the beginning, and the "in Cinerama" and "Filmed in Super Panavision" credits at the end. There was an obviously added title after the regular end credits that said "Distributed by Warner Bros.". It did not look anywhere near as sharp as the preceding original titles. Heh, they don't make 'em like they used to!

This is actually the second time I've seen "2001" in 70mm. A few years ago, when I was still living in Dallas, the Northpark West 1-2 screened a 70mm print as one of their midnight weekend showings. It was in the smaller #2 auditorium, but it was still very impressive. As I recall, it actually did look quite good. I don't know what happened to that particular print -- if Warner had hung on to it, they might not have had to strike a new one for this re-release.

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"Film Done VERY Right".

65mm negative and intermediate films, and 70mm print films, are still featured in the Kodak catalog. Modern 65mm 5-perf cameras are readily available. There are labs that still specialize in 65mm and 70mm printing and processing. Digital sound now available. Yet special venue (e.g., IMAX, iWERKS, Disney World, Universal Studios Tour) are about the only users of this premium format anymore. What a shame!

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Anyhow, since I was quite young, I did not quite realize just who
Mr. Lang was. I was introduced to him, but I remember him laughing when yours truly (an aspiring projectionist) blew him off so that I could go see the "booth"! Many years later, stupid me sincerely regrets his actions!

For one thing, that small screen really bothered me. Like I said, I had to sit extremely close to the screen in order to get a good apparent size out of it. And for another, there was a slight shutter mistiming that resulted in a little bit of ghosting. This was very slight, but still noticable. And then there was the fact that the screen appeared to be a "gain" screen, which meant that there was a hot spot in the middle and some fall off at the edges. This was particularly noticable and hard to ignore.

On the other hand, it appeared to be sharply focused, and it was very, very bright. So bright in fact, it almost hurt my eyes at times.

The Castro did a good job, but I can't help but think that it would have been nice for the print to also be screened at the Century 21 dome on Winchester Blvd. in San Jose (which if I'm not mistaken, still has 70mm capability). The screen is much bigger, and there is a lot more seating, with better sightlines, too. I would have gladly paid to see it a second time at that location.

They still have a JJ in that booth.

There are several theaters in the Tucson area w/JJs in the booth, but no one is running 70mm.

2 JJs are in the Loews Cineplex El-Drado 8plex that were left over from the days before the origonal 2 screen was torn down and replaced with the 8 plex! I Star Wars in 70mm Mag Dolby there in 1977 and was really state of the art back then!

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First, that slit-scan/weird section near the end is STILL about 5 minutes too long. Kubrick may have been a genius, but his genius slipped a bit during that section.

Second, the special effects in this film have to be some of the best ever. With just a few exceptions, the look is still almost perfect. My guess is that they knew the film was going to be shown on 90' screens, and every detail would show up. These are some of the most masterful effects ever, and they have rarely been bettered.

Third, what brilliant sound this movie has! Not just the perfect choice of Strauss (Richard and Johann both), but the incredible use of SILENCE during the space scenes. During those parts, the film was absolutely silent, and the audience was afraid to make even the slightest noise. What a gutsy choice on Stanley's part. Can you imagine a modern film with so much quiet?

Presentation at the Wexner Center for the Arts in 70mm Mag (unknown NR, probably SR): I was more than a little worried at the start of the film. The first reel was very dirty, slightly scratched, and the bright scenes were very "stroby". This lasted all the way through the "ape" section. The sound was also a bit weak here. But, later the film cleared up, and the image was crystal clear. Almost all of the instructions for various devices on-screen were legible. (I've often thought that 70mm on a small screen can be a better experience than on a large screen due to the tremendous, almost hyper-realism to the image.) Film was shown properly with overture and intermission.

The sound system in this room is not overpowering. Due to the unusual design, the surround system is only fair. But, as I stated above, the silences drive this movie, and when it was supposed to be silent, it was absolutely silent.