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Author
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Topic: Manhattan at Loews Jersey
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Martin Brooks
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 900
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: May 2002
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posted 04-02-2005 10:22 PM
Saw Woody Allen’s Manhattan at the Loew’s Jersey Friday night. The Loew’s Jersey is an old and grand movie palace that is still largely intact, although badly worn. They’ve been playing films about once a month and have slowly been renovating the theatre (very slowly.)
Some months back, I saw the 1933 King Kong there and was knocked out by the entire experience. The carbon arc lighting, the acoustics (lots of reverb), the theatre itself, the large screen, the smell…everything brought me back to my youth (even though this was the first time I saw Kong in a theatre.)
Seeing Manhattan there was fun, but the BW print seemed a bit dim and there was some flashing. Also, one of the projectors was misaligned and aimed too high although the changeovers were absolutely perfect.
They’ve got some newer 35/70mm projectors sitting in the lobby that were donated by Loew’s Cineplex from a theatre in D.C. that they plan to install at some point. Seeing 70mm in that theatre would really be a gas, although only if they also install 6-track sound, which I doubt the theatre is currently equipped for. Wouldn’t want to see the carbon arcs disappear though.
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 04-03-2005 04:09 AM
quote: Martin Brooks
Saw Woody Allen’s Manhattan at the Loew’s Jersey Friday night. The Loew’s Jersey is an old and grand movie palace that is still largely intact, although badly worn. They’ve been playing films about once a month and have slowly been renovating the theatre (very slowly.)
I am not involved with the Loew's, other than having visited the place several times. It is still very much 'work in progress', and in the last couple of years progress has indeed been very slow. Indeed, several things which were working when I first went there no longer are, the main curtain, the stage microphone stand and the clock. There also seems to be less auditorium lighting working than there was.
The reason given for the lack of progress in recent times was that the Friends had been unable to ontain the lease on the building; several times it looked like the lease was about to be signed, but was stopped by some problem at the last minute. As I understand it the lease was finally signed a few months ago. I hope this means that there will again be progress with the restoration of the theatre.
quote: Martin Brooks
Some months back, I saw the 1933 King Kong there and was knocked out by the entire experience. The carbon arc lighting, the acoustics (lots of reverb), the theatre itself, the large screen, the smell…everything brought me back to my youth (even though this was the first time I saw Kong in a theatre.)
Was this really 'Some months back'? I also saw the film there, but it must be a couple of years ago now. Were you there at the same time, or have they shown the film again more recently?
The acoustics could be a lot better; much of the problem is that very large, empty, balcony. Getting the seats back in there, even if they are not able to open it to the public yet would certainly be an improvement.
quote: Martin Brooks
Seeing Manhattan there was fun, but the BW print seemed a bit dim and there was some flashing. Also, one of the projectors was misaligned and aimed too high although the changeovers were absolutely perfect.
I have also noticed some problems with the projection equipment recently, which were not there when I first visited the place. This is something which needs to be sorted out, and quickly. Also, see my comments below.
quote: Martin Brooks
They’ve got some newer 35/70mm projectors sitting in the lobby that were donated by Loew’s Cineplex from a theatre in D.C. that they plan to install at some point. Seeing 70mm in that theatre would really be a gas, although only if they also install 6-track sound, which I doubt the theatre is currently equipped for. Wouldn’t want to see the carbon arcs disappear though.
I'm not so sure about newer; the DP-70s which they are going to install are probably of similar age to the FP-20s which they are running now. It's difficult to say for sure, as both models were in production for well over a decade, but there was a considerable overlap between them. The 'new' machines could actually even be older.
The sound processor which I saw there was a Sony digital model. This is a digital processor for analogue tracks; the Loew's is not equipped for SDDS, or indeed any digital format. I don't know if this processor is 70mm capable. The 'new' projectors have the magnetic heads, but the Loew's has no mag pre-amps installed; I don't know if any came with the machines.
Clearly, installation of mag and/or DTS would be needed to get any sound from 70mm film. (ok, I know there was CDS, and Fox Grandeur had an optical track, but let's forget about those.) The Loew's would be more likely to see mag 70mm prints than DTS ones, but I hope they will install both. Of course, if you have 70mm DTS it only takes a couple of reasonably cheap 35mm code readers to be able to run 35mm DTS as well, though I doubt it would be much used. Equally, the installation of 70mm magnetic would enable 35mm 4-track to be used as well, which the Loew's is not currently equipped for. I don't know if they would be likely to get anythiing in this format, but it couldn't hurt to be able to handle it.
The lack of Dolby Digital, and red readers (I don't know if the new projectors have them, the old ones don't) is not a problem, due to the type of programming at the Loew's; they are not running current films. Indeed, much of the time they are running silver tracks, on either black and white, or Technicolor prints, so conventional exciter lamps may even be an advantage.
The Loew's can run Academy mono, Dolby stereo A and SR and Perspecta. They have a Vitaphone projector, but I don't know if the turntable is actually connected up to anything. It might be nice if they could give a demonstration of it one day. The disks wear quickly, so it would probably have to be a one-off event, using a disk of which more than one copy exists. It would also have to be a new print; they can't run nitrate.
If you've waited around after a show long enough to see the screen frame flown, you will have seen that there are only three speaker systems on stage, so this would need to be upgraded as well in order to run 70mm in the 'Todd-AO' format.
The full width of the screen is used for 'Scope, but there is extra height available, so it should be possible to have the largest image size with 70mm 1:2.2, which is good. If they follow the same pattern as in previous years, the Loew's will close after the May shows, and re-open in September or October. I would guess that the new projectors may well be installed during that time, but I would urge them not to rush the 70mm thing, but to take their time, and get it right. The acoustics really do need sorting out first, and last month the house lighting was so dim that I think they will find themselves in trouble with the safety people if they don't improve it soon. The curtain needs fixing, or replacing, as does the uneven, and inadequate screen illumiination, though this has been improved somewhat since October, when they were having real problems with it on one machine.
It would be great if they were able to announce first 70mm show, with organ working, even if that means waiting a year or two while they sort out the other problems.
You may not get your wish with regard to the carbon arcs. At the time that National stopped production I offered to contribute towards the cost of obtaining new carbons; this offer was not taken up, nor was an offer to contribute towards the cost of replaciing, or resilvering the mirrors in the present Ashcraft Super Core-lites.
At present, these lamps are not performing as well as they are capable of doing. The new projectors were supplied with very large Strong xenons; I can't remember the model. I don't think there can be any doubt that these would give a better illumiination than the Ahscrafts, in their present condition, though I still think the Ashcrafts would give a better light if overhauled. At present the Loew's is still burning old stock of carbons from the days before the place was tripled, but these will not last much longer. In the longer term the supply of good carbons must be in doubt, and the cost of them is very high.
Much as I would like to see the carbon arcs remain at the Loew's, I think their days may well be numbered. It would be nice if they could keep one 35mm machine wiith carbon for running shorts, trailers etc., for which xenons are not really suitable, i.e. striking the lamp to run just five minutes or so of film.
Finally, to anybody in that part of the World that hasn't been to the Loew's go and take a look at the place, and give them your support. It's only a few mnutes from Manhatten. Path train to Journal Square (right opposite the theatre) is about ten minutes from the World Trade Center, or about fifteen minutes from 33rd Street.
[ 04-03-2005, 06:23 AM: Message edited by: Stephen Furley ]
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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 04-03-2005 11:30 AM
Hi Martin,
You should have said hello, I would have shown you the booth. Ask for me if you come again.
Yes, one of the projectors is, at the moment, aimed slightly higher than the other, but only when running scope films. Tilting a Kinoton FP-20 on the fly is not an easy thing to do, but at some point we will get this straightned out.
The print of Manhattan was printed dark, and was not helped by the fact that projector 2 needs a new reflector. As much as I love those old carbon arcs, I think xenon is our future. Jail House Rock was printed lighter, and it just sparkled on the screen. The Haunting was always a dark film.
The theatre restoration is definately a work in progress, and almost everyone (including myself) is an unpaid volunteer. Although Friends Of The Loews has been working on the place for years, we only recently got a lease on the building from Jersey City which will allow us to finally commence fund raising and start to put together a plan and a timetable for finishing the project.
Loews Jersey Auditorium:
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