| The 5th Great Big 70 MM
Festival!!
70 MM films will screen at the Egyptian January 21-23, 2005.
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 annual series is a very rare opportunity to experience 70mm as
it was meant to be seen: on a big, beautiful screen, with booming six-track multi-channel
sound. Following the success of our past Festivals, we’re delighted to present
gorgeous new restorations from 20th Century Fox of two films long-unseen in
70mm: director Carol (THE THIRD MAN) Reed’s epic THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY,
starring Charlton Heston as master artist Michelangelo; and director Richard
Fleischer’s delightful musical DOCTOR DOLITTLE, starring Rex Harrison in one
of his most famous roles - ! And for those of you who missed it last year, we’ll be
bringing back Jacques Tati’s masterpiece PLAYTIME for special encore
screenings. The Festival will continue January 28 - February 6th at the Aero
Theatre in Santa Monica with screenings of such all-time 70 mm. classics as PATTON,
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD and
much more!!
Friday, January 28 - 7:30 PM
Newly Restored Todd-AO 70 mm. Print!!
THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY,
1965, 20th Century Fox, 140 min. "When will you make an end?," asks
desperate, paint-spattered pontiff Julius II (Rex Harrison) as he gazes mournfully at the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo’s answer? "When I am finished."
Director Carol Reed’s (THE THIRD MAN, OLIVER!) magnificent adaptation of Irving
Stone’s bestselling historical novel features one of Charlton Heston’s most
complex performances as the tormented master artist. Featuring stunning cinematography by
Leon Shamroy (THE KING & I), and a marvelous score by the great Alex North
(SPARTACUS). This film has been unavailable in any format for decades, so it’s even
more amazing to have a beautifully restored 70 mm. print courtesy of our great friends at
20th Century Fox - !! [1/21 at the Egyptian Theatre]
Friday, January 28 - 10:30 PM
BARAKA, 1992, Magidson Films, 96 min.
If you missed our sold-out screenings of BARAKA at the Egyptian theatre, this is another
chance to experience one of the most visually awesome films ever made. Inspired by the
Sufi word that means "breath of life," BARAKA is a mind-expanding, spiritual
journey around the globe (shot in 24 countries on 5 continents), from director/
cinematographer Ron Fricke (who photographed the earlier KOYANNISQATSI) and
producer Mark Magidson (the Imax film CHRONOS). Filmed entirely without dialogue in
a stunning cascade of crystalline, time-lapse 70 mm. images, BARAKA is quite simply
breathtaking. "Smashingly edited, superbly scored … speaks volumes about the
planet without uttering a single word" – Suzan Ayscough, Variety.
Saturday, January 29 - 5:00 PM
PATTON, 1970, 20th Century
Fox, 169 min. Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner. "No dumb bastard ever won a war by dying
for his country," growls George C. Scott in the jawdropping opening monologue
to PATTON, a war epic that manages to capture the tragic human sacrifice, the bullying
megalomania and the patriotic glory of battle, all encapsulated in the incredibly complex
and contradictory character of General George S. Patton. Winner of seven Academy Awards,
including Best Picture, Actor, Director and Screenplay (by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund
H. North).
Saturday, January 29 - 8:30 PM
PLAYTIME, 1967, Criterion, 126 min.
Dir. Jacques Tati. During our last Festival, this is your 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 technical 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."
Sunday, January 30 - 5:00 PM
HELLO DOLLY!, 1969, 20th
Century Fox, 146 min. This irresistible film adaptation – from one of Jerry
Herman’s finest musicals – features the fabulous Barbra Streisand in a
kick-out-the-jams performance as matchmaker Dolly Levi, furiously working to make
marriages while trying to snag reluctant bachelor Walter Matthau for herself.
Staged with gusto by dancing legend-turned-director Gene Kelly, and featuring a
wonderful supporting cast including Tommy Tune, Michael Crawford, and jazz
legend Louis Armstrong (whose version of the title song is worth the price of
admission alone!).
Wednesday, February 2 - 7:30 PM
LORD JIM, 1965, Columbia Pictures, 154
min. This sweeping, atmospheric adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s classic novel was aimed
at recapturing the magic of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, pairing actor Peter O’Toole
with a gifted director in Richard Brooks (IN COLD BLOOD, THE PROFESSIONALS) and
prestigious literary material. O’Toole is perfectly cast as an idealistic sailor who
is branded a coward for abandoning an apparently-sinking ship during a storm – then
given a chance to redeem his conscience and his soul by aiding in a native revolution in
the South Pacific jungle. Equally mesmerizing are Eli Wallach as a sadistic
warlord, James Mason as an avaricious mercenary and Daliah Lavi as a
courageous native girl. This superb restoration of the film by Columbia Pictures has
resulted in the one of the sharpest, most eye-popping 70 mm. prints we’ve seen
recently, almost like watching the movie in 3-D!! With Paul Lukas, Curt Jurgens
Thursday, February 3 - 7:30 PM
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, 1962,
Columbia, 216 min. The beautiful, near-godlike Peter O’Toole stars as the
tortured, Man Who Would Not Be King in director David Lean’s absolute
masterpiece – as close to perfect as a film can get. Co-starring Alec Guiness,
Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy and Omar Sharif.
Friday, February 4 - 7:30 PM
In Super Panavision 70 mm.!
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, 1968, Warner
Classics, 139 min. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. "I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I
can’t do that," murmurs supercomputer HAL 9000 as it attempts to eliminate
bothersome human astronaut Keir Dullea in master filmmaker Stanley
Kubrick’s literally mind-blowing meditation on the inherent dangers (and wonders)
of technology, the limitless vistas of space, and the future of the human race itself.
Based on a 1948 short story "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke,
"2001" was reconceived by Kubrick himself, working with author Clarke to create
the ultimate Journey into the Unknown. But if you think you’ve seen "2001,"
think again – until recently, the film was only available in a 35 mm. version that
reduced Kubrick’s legendary visuals (and the spectacular 6-track stereo sound) to a
pale shadow of their true glory. Before his death, Kubrick oversaw a painstaking,
frame-by-frame restoration of the film in 70 mm. – resulting in a version that looks
and sounds as good (if not better) than the original 1968 release!!
Friday, February 4 – 10:30 PM
BARAKA, 1992, Magidson Films, 96 min.
Dir. Ron Fricke. If you missed our sold-out screenings of BARAKA at the Egyptian
theatre, this is another chance to experience one of the most visually awesome films ever
made. Inspired by the Sufi word that means "breath of life," BARAKA is a
mind-expanding, spiritual journey around the globe (shot in 24 countries on 5 continents),
from director/cinematographer Ron Fricke (who photographed the earlier KOYANNISQATSI) and
producer Mark Magidson (the Imax film CHRONOS). Filmed entirely without dialogue in a
stunning cascade of crystalline, time-lapse 70 mm. images, BARAKA is quite simply
breathtaking. "Smashingly edited, superbly scored … speaks volumes about the
planet without uttering a single word" – Suzan Ayscough, Variety.
Saturday, February 5 - 3:00 PM
Family Matinee:
Newly Restored Todd-AO 70 mm. Print!!
DOCTOR DOLITTLE, 1967, 20th
Century Fox, 144 min. Dir. Richard Fleischer. Based on the original Hugh Lofting stories,
director Richard Fleischer’s (20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, FANTASTIC VOYAGE)
charming, beautifully conceived fantasy stars the irreplaceable Rex Harrison as the Man
Who Talks to the Animals, with help from Samantha Eggar and the late, great Anthony
Newley- not to mention the two headed pushme pullyous and a giant pink sea snail!
Wonderfully scored and written by Leslie Bricusse, featuring such lovely, bittersweet gems
as "When I Look In Your Eyes" and "If I Could Talk To The Animals." A
true delight for the young and old. It’s been ages since this was seen in 70 mm., so
don’t miss it here!!
Saturday, February 5 - 6:00 PM
EYE-POPPING and OVERWHELMING: 70 MM
SHORTS PROGRAM
This selection of short films includes both classic and contemporary
examples of 70mm presentation and large-format filmmaking. They utilize the capabilities
of the system and the large screen to seriously impress (maybe even overwhelm) the
audience. Most of these were shot in the 65mm film gauge, for 70mm projection. This
program will include a bit of everything, from propaganda to soaring visuals to a visit to
Mars. "Die Internationale" (25 min.) An incredibly rare treat, imported
just for this showing! This amazing, over-the-top propaganda film from the former Soviet
Union & Mosfilm Studios is a 65 mm production that spared no expenses. The saying goes
that "the pen is mightier than the sword," but they'd never seen this piece of
persuasion! Special Short Film Award, VII International Moscow Film Festival. (Film
has minimal dialogue, in German. Translation will be supplied.); "Skies Over
Holland" (22 min.) A World's Fair-type tourism film, featuring stunning aerial
photography above and amidstthe clouds over Holland. Winner of two Awards at the
Cannes Festival. "Fanny’s Wedding" (19 min.) A new stylized,
dramatic short (with content similar to Jeunet's newest A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT), about a
couple separated by the consequences of wartime. Dreamlike and abstract, it mixes 65mm and
other gauges in production, for artistic impact. Stunning exteriors along the chalk cliffs
of the English Channel. Plus: two past favorites, back again by popular request:
"A Year Along The Abandoned Road" (10 min.) The ultimate stop-motion
project, produced over a year's interval, exploring the changing seasons in remote
northern Norway. "A Place To Stand" (20 min.) The Canadian Province of
Ontario wanted a memorable film to show viewers the diversity of their region. This
delivers with a WHUMP! Not only a showcase of virtuoso opticals, the song will stick with
you forever! 1968 Academy Award for Best Short Film. Plus: as time permits,
a motion simulator/ride film or two, including the SimEx short A TRIP TO MARS at 30
frames per second with digital sound.
Saturday, February 5 - 9:30 PM
THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR
FLYING MACHINES, 1965, 20th Century Fox, 133 min. Stuart Whitman,
Sarah Miles, Robert Morley, James Fox, and the ever-delightful Terry-Thomas
star as a group of lovably crack-pot aviators, inventors, and villains competing to win a
London-to-Paris air race in 1910, in director Ken Annakin’s combination
of epic adventure and slapstick comedy. Director Ken
Annakin in person.
Sunday, February 6 - 5:00 PM
In Ultra Panavision 70 mm.!
IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD,
1963, MGM/UA, 162 min. Dir. Stanley Kramer. Legendary producer/director Stanley Kramer’s
(GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG) most beloved film features one
of the greatest line-ups of comic talent ever assembled, including Milton Berle, Sid
Caesar, Edie Adams, Spencer Tracy, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman,
Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Dorothy Provine, Phil Silvers, Jonathan
Winters, Don Knotts, Peter Falk, Terry-Thomas, Carl Reiner,
Jerry Lewis, and many more, in the story of a group of average, upstanding
Americans who are given the key to locating $350,000 in stolen bank loot – and resort
to every form of lying, deceit, and double-crossing in their manic cross-country chase to
retrieve it!! |
