Last weekend I saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with a few friends who had never seen it at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood. It was the most fun I've ever had at a movie. It sold out (of course) but we bought a few of the last tickets, and after scrambling inside we found a few remaining seats in the balcony. The theater's recent restoration worked wonders- the seats were delightfully comfortable and the acoustic walls didn't at all detract from the atmosphere. The presentation was an 11 out of 10. After some woman spoke a few words, the lights dimmed down ever so slowly, the crowd quieted, and the first frame hit the screen with brilliance and clarity. The print was immaculate! The screen was bright! The focus was perfect! The (2000') changeovers were seamless! I had never known such quality. I was very impressed. The sound was phenomenal as well- for an optical 35mm print I could have sworn it was 70mm mag. Seeing it with an enthsiastic crowd made the experience just that much more enjoyable. I had seen this movie once on VHS, but watching it on an enormous screen in that beautiful thater made me think I had never seen it before. And, to top it all off, the projectionist let me take a quick peek at the booth after the show. It was a perfect outing that made me feel, well, giddy. I had always watched movies, but this was the first time that I can say I "experienced" one.

Anybody else been there? It's even better than the Chinese...

Brett

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Paramount just struck a few brand new SRD prints of Raiders. You obviously saw one.

Kodak's ScreenCheck website lists showtimes for the Egyptian:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/screencheck/la.shtml http://www.americancinematheque.com/

Your great experience just goes to show what "film done right" can do, even for a 35 mm scope print made from a twenty year old production.

Brad: How many new prints with digital sound were made? Are they available for any theatre to book?
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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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And maybe it's been covered before, but how much does it cost to strike a new 70mm print vs. a new 35mm one? It seems like they would be a lot cheaper now without the mag striping...

It has been 1642 days since the last post.

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