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Posted March 3, 2005 |
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The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001 A Book Review |
By
Michael Coate
I understand the old axiom: If you don't have something
nice to say then you shouldn't say anything at all. Except that in the case
of reviewing "The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001," to say nothing would be
doing a disservice.
I found
"The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001" (McFarland, 2003) to be a frustrating read
because the book had so much potential, but its author, to use a silly but
effective cliché, fumbled the ball.
My time reading the book can be summarized by asking the
question: "What is an acceptable margin of error?"
The author is Richard W. Haines, who previously penned "Technicolor Movies:
The History Of Dye Transfer Printing" (McFarland, 1993), and he sets up
"The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001" with a fantastic and relevant premise. Haines seized an opportunity to
cover a subject that has been underrepresented in print.
However, two major problems are quickly revealed. The first, which the
casual reader should be able to spot, is that the book is poorly written,
with a frequent and annoying absence of commas in many sentences and a
surprising number of misspelled words. The second, which will likely be sniffed out only by
serious enthusiasts of the subject, is that the book appears to be poorly
researched and inadequately fact-checked, resulting in an unfortunate dose
of erroneous information. As I found myself counting the errors, I wondered
if this project was nothing more than a big joke to see if a badly-written
book could actually get published!
The focus of the book is on changes since 1968 that have
impacted the moviegoing experience, the majority of which the author asserts
have had negative repercussions. Haines' essential argument is that the
experience of watching movies has had a downward shift in quality
— both content and presentation
—
due to a
variety of factors ranging from the demise of the Production Code; to the
building of multiplex theatres with small screens and the use of automated
equipment; to the discontinued usage of dye-transfer Technicolor prints,
large-format negatives and magnetic audio; to the acceptance of "small-gauge"
formats such as Super-35 and emergence of home video formats; and to the
current-day use of digital technology in exhibition.
The book is nicely divided into chapters dealing with specific topics.
Haines sets the stage by introducing the book with a boyhood recollection of
seeing a memorable presentation of "2001: A Space Odyssey" at a theatre in his
hometown of Peekskill, NY. He details the presentation and describes how the
70mm screening left a lasting impression on him. This experience is
contrasted with a contemporary trip to the movies, and Haines claims that
the former represented a zenith in what the industry offered moviegoers,
whereas the latter demonstrated everything that has gone wrong with the film
industry in the past thirty-plus years.
Haines' introductory point is clear and effective, though I believe his specifics have fallen into
that ever-common trap of bad memory. Familiarity with geography and film
distribution will clue one in that Peekskill isn't exactly an "A" market.
Taking it a step further, a check of Westchester County (in which Peekskill is located) newspapers
archived on microfilm
reveal that "2001" (1) did not screen in Peekskill during 1968 (its first
engagement occurred in spring 1969), and (2) the first 70mm engagement in
Westchester County did not occur until 1970. This example of the use
of memory and research is, unfortunately, a
sign of things to come in the subsequent pages of the book.
Topics covered include Cinema in the Sixties (Chapter 1), which details the
type of content being produced at the time, exhibition practices, and
cinematography styles and release print types. Chapter 2 gives a thorough
and fascinating
overview of the Production Code and its demise, the Motion Picture
Association of America's adoption of the
rating system, exploitation films, and the blacklist era. The practice of multiplexing and twinning
is the subject of Chapter 3, and differences in
projection equipment, such as reel-to-reel vs. platters and carbon arc
lamphouses vs. xenon bulbs are explained in Chapter 4. A chapter on
cinematography explores differences in visual styles with a description of
the Classic Studio style vs. the Contemporary style. The home entertainment
revolution (Chapter 6) and changes in distribution approaches (Chapter 7)
are covered in depth, as is a chapter on alternate venues (Chapter 8). The
emergence of digital cinema and the future of film are detailed in chapters
nine and ten. An appendix section appears at the tail-end of the book
featuring extensive listings of surviving movie palaces and drive-ins, as
well as profiles of famous cinematographers and their style. These sections
are interesting, though some readers may find the drive-in portion
frustrating as the names are provided but not the corresponding locations. Therefore, one will require the use of another source if they wish to know
the location of the drive-ins listed. All of the chapters are
insightful with Chapter 2 being my favorite.
It is unclear, however, who the target audience is for this book. If the general
public is the target, I'm not sure that there's sufficient interest. But
let's argue that there is. Due to the quality of research, however, a great
disservice is being done to those seeking a quality introduction to the
subject or reference-quality
listings. To the other possible audience
—
the
history-loving, accuracy-seeking, data-obsessed film geek who already has a
familiarity with the subject
— the book is a disappointment, because,
as mentioned before, these
readers will more than likely be able to detect the work's many
inaccuracies.
Haines' background is as a filmmaker, and while serving as the
post-production supervisor for Troma, Inc., he edited such fare as "The
Toxic Avenger" (1985). He would go on to write and direct several
movies such as "The Class
Of Nuke 'Em High" (1986), "Run For Cover" (1996), and
"Unsavory Characters" (2001). With "The Moviegoing
Experience,1968 - 2001," it appears that Haines is attempting to add scholar to his
resumé. It would be fair to say that Haines is very creative and has been
successful as a filmmaker. Based on this book, however, his success as a
film historian or scholar is debatable.
From a research and copy-editing standpoint, "The Moviegoing Experience,
1968 - 2001" is an unqualified
disaster. I found it to be poorly executed, with far, far too many errors.
Worse, the reading experience is disrupted by an apparent lack of
proof-reading, or a lack of expert proof-reading and copy-editing, anyway.
Surely, someone, anyone, looked this book over before being sent to the
printer. In his acknowledgments, the author thanks three research
assistants and another for editorial advice. Makes me wonder what
their contributions were.... The value of expert proof-reading and
copy-editing cannot be overstated. (I'm reminded of a time when I worked for
an editor who, in a classic moment of sheer idiocy, claimed having a
proof-reader on staff was not necessary and instructed his writing team to
simply "...proof as you write.")
Many of the errors in the book seem to be fact-check or editorial in nature. Easy-to-spot, recurring
mistakes range from misspelled names and movie titles, to films being given
an incorrect year of release (typically off by one year, though a few were
off by several years!), to the author confusing a film's box office gross
(the total amount of ticket sales) with its rental (the portion of the
gross returned to a distributor as specified in the booking contract). Haines does supply a bibliography and footnotes, and, in his defense, any
writer/researcher can fall victim to a bad source. However, there are simply
too many mistakes present for any reasonable reader to look the other way,
and the many incorrect years, for instance, reek of sloppy editorial
guesswork.
The most egregious errors can be found in Chapter 7, where the 70-millimeter format
is covered at length. The most troublesome aspect to this is that no
sources for Haines' 70mm film list appear in his bibliography and footnotes
section, and... the information included bears a striking resemblance to
previously published material, namely the 70mm titles in the book "Wide
Screen Movies" (McFarland, 1988) and the "Presented In 70mm" article from a
2001 special issue of Widescreen Review magazine (portions of which were
re-purposed on the in70mm.com website). None of those works are
cited in Haines' bibliography, and a substantial amount of information, including errors and omitted titles, appear
identically in "The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001." For example,
several titles listed with
an incorrect principal photography notation or listed in an incorrect year in
the earlier works appear in Haines' book in the same incorrect year or with
the same photography notation. Would independent research yield the
same exact incorrect information? One of the confusing aspects to the
"Presented In 70mm" article was the arrangement of foreign-language titles
being listed by their original foreign-language title rather than in
English. A few of these are listed in Haines' book... by their
foreign-language title. In the case of two of these examples, Haines
duplicates the titles in English, apparently not realizing they were one and
the same. (I'm not fluent in French, but it seems obvious to me that "Le
Grand Bleu" is the original title for "The Big Blue"!!!) Much of what I
would consider specialized information suspiciously appears in Haines', and
it is evident that it was referenced without attribution. Worse,
Haines duplicates a major drawback of the 70mm list from "Wide Screen
Movies," in that no effort is made to distinguish U.S. releases from those
released in 70mm only in international regions. And, whereas the
"Presented In 70mm" piece offered details on unconfirmed titles, Haines
makes no such distinction, further propagating claims of 70mm print
availability on films that in all likelihood were released only in standard
35mm. Those readers new to the subject of large-format films or those
seeking a reference-quality filmography will be misled by the 70mm compilation
present in the book.
I think what will determine whether someone accepts this book (and my review)
is one's personality and philosophies. If you think details matter, then
you'll recognize my point that this book, being a work of non-fiction, is all
about the details. The details are the book!!! It's not a
novel.... It's not fiction.... Information is either correct or
it is incorrect. And in my estimation, too much of the book is
incorrect, despite the otherwise excellent information provided. I believe most reasonable people
will accept an occasional error. But when one plunks down money to buy
a book and sets aside time to read it, there are expectations that need to
be met.
The major issue I have with this effort is that I believe the unspoken
"contract" between author/publisher and reader/consumer has been violated. It's amazing that a book could be published in the type of condition as this
one. (If this is normal, then I guess I don't read enough!) As a high
school or college assignment, this work might get an excellent grade for the
effort alone
—
and I praise Haines for making the effort. But to get
published
—
come on! It's bad enough that the Internet has spawned a
legion of "experts," but to get a book published, there's an expectation that
the author is an expert and will deliver the goods. In McFarland's
defense, I think they should ask for some of their payment back from the
author. But then, perhaps the author paid the publisher. This
may explain the appearance of this being a vanity project, because this
cannot and should not be taken seriously by anyone seeking an enlightened
or reference-quality history of the subject. But, unfortunately, I've already seen
the book on the library shelves at a couple of universities and a highly-regarded motion picture industry
research library.
I hope Haines is not considering another non-fiction book. I would much
rather see his energy focused on something more suited to his skills.
Is there a sequel to "The Class Of Nuke 'Em High" in the future? I'd much
rather encourage someone to see "The Class Of Nuke 'Em High School
Reunion In 3D" than be subjected to another book... unless it is expertly
researched and proof-read.
In closing, I'd like to share one last item I found amusing. There is a review
of "The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001" posted at e-tailer Amazon.com's site.
Amazon offers an opportunity to post user-reviews of the products it sells.
If one looks up "The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001," there is a review (or at least
there was a few months ago when I last checked). Am I the only
one who finds it interesting that the posting is credited to... a Richard
Haines! Is it any surprise then that the "review" is positive?!
"The Moviegoing Experience, 1968 - 2001"
By Richard W. Haines
Softcover; 270 pages
McFarland & Company, Inc.
2003
$32.00
REVIEW SUPPLEMENT: Errors found in Richard W. Haines' "The Moviegoing
Experience, 1968 - 2001."
It's not common for a reviewer in a book review to illustrate errors in
an item-by-item fashion. Typically, identifying a few
errors is sufficient to illustrate the point. But since this is such a
unique case, I feel I would be doing a disservice by not identifying the
pieces of information I believe to be in error. My central argument in this
review is that the book appears to have been assembled in a hasty,
amateurish manner, and that the number of errors exceed that of an
acceptable margin. This is not an effort to embarrass the author, but,
rather, an attempt to strengthen my point that there is an alarming amount
of information contained in the book that should not be considered fact.
On
a positive note, perhaps a reader will be encouraged to keep a copy of this
review at their side, and when used in conjunction with reading the book
they will stand a better chance of obtaining a reading/reference experience
closer to the one intended by the author. Better yet, perhaps Haines and
McFarland will be encouraged to consider a second printing, utilizing this
review as a blueprint to improve their product. There's something to be said
for turning a negative into a positive....
Haines' original text in lower case. COATE'S CORRECTIONS IN UPPER CASE
INTRODUCTION
Page 3. The lights dimmed at the Beach Cinema in Peekskill, New York, in 1968... After the overture, the curtains opened on the MGM logo and "2001: A Space Odyssey" began. The 70mm copy was struck directly off the camera negative. Print quality was spectacular.... FIRST PEEKSKILL ENGAGEMENT OF "2001" WAS IN SPRING 1969. FIRST 70MM PEEKSKILL ENGAGEMENT WAS IN SPRING 1970.
CHAPTER 1. CINEMA IN THE SIXTIES
Page 8. Exhibitors suffered a setback when the Federal Communications Commission issued an ordered which authorized some "Pay TV." "ORDERED" SHOULD READ "ORDER."
Page 9. It may enhance it's screen
image through the use of wide-gauge Todd-AO film. INCORRECT FORM OF
"ITS."
CHAPTER 2. DEMISE OF THE PRODUCTION CODE
Page 26. Among
the notable titles made during the blacklist era were "Kiss Me Kate"
(1954).... YEAR OF RELEASE:
1953.
Page 35. Many of the early X rated features were reclassified R
including "Medium Cool" (1970).... YEAR OF RELEASE: 1969.
Page 36. Reissues of classics made within the Production Code were
inexplicably classified PG including "Citizen Kane (1941) and "Casablanca"
(1941). "CASABLANCA" YEAR OF RELEASE: 1942.
Page 41. Films in this genre had inconsistent box-office returns.
Hopper's "Easy Rider" ($16,200,000 U.S./Canada gross... THE FIGURES
CITED FOR SIX TITLES IN THIS PARAGRAPH ARE RENTALS RATHER THAN GROSS.
Page 41. The grosses of G rated pictures like "Airport"
($37,650,796).... THE FIGURE CITED APPEARS TO BE A RENTAL, NOT A
GROSS.
Page 43. Some were off-beat and quirky like Hal Ashby's "Harold and
Maude" (1972). YEAR OF RELEASE: 1971.
Page 43. ...or surreal like David Lynch's "Eraserhead" (1978).
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1977.
Page 43. One of the first movies to deal with this was Don Siegal's
"Dirty Harry" (1972). (1) SIEGAL IS MISSPELLED (CORRECT
SPELLING IS SIEGEL), (2) YEAR OF RELEASE: 1971.
Page 44. The MPAA made him cut films like "Scarface" (1982) to receive
an R. YEAR OF RELEASE: 1983.
Page 48.
Warner Bros.['] "The Devils" (1971), "A Clockwork Orange" (1972) and New Line
Cinema's "The Street Fighter" (1975) were X rated due to violence.
ORIGINAL X-RATED RELEASE OF "A CLOCKWORK ORANGE": 1971.
Page 52. In 1970, Chris Condon produced the first 3-D porn to achieve
widespread success entitled "The Stewardesses." YEAR OF RELEASE: 1969.
Page 52. Paul Morrissey's "Flesh for Frankenstein" (1973) and "Blood
for Dracula" (1973).... "BLOOD FOR DRACULA" YEAR OF RELEASE: 1974.
Page 54. "Flesh Gordon" (1973) was another campy comedy.... YEAR
OF RELEASE: 1974.
Page 65. Among the notable ones was Continental, which was a
subsidiary of Walter Reed theaters. They secured the rights to the
Sovscope 70 Russian epic, "War and Peace" (1968) and released it in two
parts with a U.S. running time of 373 minutes. (1) WALTER REED IS
MISSPELLED (CORRECT SPELLING IS WALTER READE). (2) "WAR AND PEACE" IS
MISSING FROM THE 70MM FILM LIST ON PAGES 151 - 157.
Page 68. The Post-Code era also saw the emergence on many "fly by
night" indies.... "ON" SHOULD BE "OF."
CHAPTER 3: MULTIPLEXES AND TWINNING
Page 91. In 1984 it opened the Beverly Center Cineplex in a Los
Angeles shopping mall with 14 screens. THEATRE OPENED IN 1982.
CHAPTER 4: PROJECTION
Page 94. Others included
Motiograph, Brenkert, Ballantyne, Cinemeccanica and Kenoton. KENOTON
SHOULD BE SPELLED KINOTON.
Page 95. The rear channel contained a 12K tone and audio switcher....
THE REAR CHANNEL INCLUDED A 12 kHz TONE.
Page 97. After the feature was
assembled onto a large horizontal plate known as "the brain"... THE
LARGE HORIZONTAL PLATE IS KNOWN AS "THE PLATTER." THE "BRAIN" IS THE
CENTER PORTION OF THE PLATTER THROUGH WHICH THE FILM PRINT IS FED.
Page 104. This was a liability since its always preferable to have the
operator in the booth during the performance. "ITS" SHOULD BE "IT'S."
CHAPTER 5: CINEMATOGRAPHY
Page 106. The entire Academy 1.33 silent aperture frame was exposed
during principal photography. ACADEMY FRAME ASPECT RATIO IS 1.37:1;
SILENT APERTURE IS 1.33:1.
Page 107. Others associate it with the vibrant colors of particular
films shot with that unit like "Singin' In The Rain" (1953). YEAR OF
RELEASE: 1952.
Page 109. This resulted in an visual "pop" on screen which was
apparent in Fox CinemaScope films. SENTENCE SHOULD READ: THIS RESULTED
IN A VISUAL "POP" ON SCREEN WHICH WAS APPARENT IN FOX CINEMASCOPE FILMS.
Page 109. Winston Hoch's lyrical VistaVision camerawork on "The
Searchers" (1956).... NAME MISSPELLED. CORRECT SPELLING: WINTON
HOCH.
Page 110. Other notable cinematographers that utilized the classic
studio look included... Harry Stratling.... CORRECT SPELLING IS HARRY
STRADLING.
Page 112. Although Douglas Trumbull's special effects were impressive
in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1979).... YEAR OF RELEASE:
1977.
Page 112. The grainy release copies of "Cocoon" (1984).... YEAR
OF RELEASE: 1985.
Page 115. "Seven" (2001) was among the titles that utilized this look.
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1995.
Page 116. The use of color was rarely dramatic as it was in films like
"Vertigo" (1958) where Robert Burk's imagery was integral to the theme.
CORRECT SPELLING OF CINEMATOGRAPHER: ROBERT BURKS. SENTENCE SHOULD
READ ...ROBERT BURKS' IMAGERY...
CHAPTER 6: THE HOME ENTERTAINMENT REVOLUTION
Page 125. In 1975, HBO was
established.... HBO WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1972.
Page 125. In 1976, Ted Turner launched the first satellite delivered
broadcast system. HBO BROADCAST VIA SATELLITE BEGINNING IN 1975.
Page 127. The studio made $15,200,000 on the deal with included 740
features. "WITH" SHOULD BE "WHICH."
Page 128. Like many adolescents, I was glued to tube watching as many
films as I could around the clock. SENTENCE SHOULD READ: LIKE MANY
ADOLESCENTS, I WAS GLUED TO THE TUBE WATCHING AS MANY FILMS AS I COULD
AROUND THE CLOCK.
Page 130. The first videotape broadcast was the CBS airing of "Douglas
Edward and the News" on November 30, 1956 in New York. It was shipped
to the West Coast and CBS Television City in Hollywood which rebroadcast it
three hours later. IF THE TAPE WAS SHIPPED TO THE WEST COAST FROM NEW
YORK, IT COULD NOT HAVE AIRED THREE HOURS LATER GIVEN THAT THE DURATION OF
AN AIRLINE FLIGHT FOR THAT DISTANCE EXCEEDS THREE HOURS.
Page 130. Simultaneously,
transistors replaced tubes in studio equipment Ampex developed their one
inch videotape machines and other companies offered their brands but none
were compatible. POORLY CONSTRUCTED SENTENCE IN NEED OF SOME
PUNCTUATION.
Page 133. "Fantastic Voyage" (1965) and other classics could be purchased. YEAR OF RELEASE: 1966.
Page 134. The first machines were
made by Magnavox which was Philips line of consumer products and released in
Atlanta, Georgia, in 1978. PHILIPS SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY AN
APOSTROPHE.
Page 137. In 1980 the Philips and
Sony corporations agreed on a compact disc standard for digital audio with
16 bit/44.1kH2 sampling. "44.1kH2" SHOULD READ "44.1kHz."
Page 137. The laserdisc format was
rendered obsolete in 1995 when the Digital Video Discs (DVD) were
introduced. DVDs WERE INTRODUCED IN 1997.
Page 140. It also has 5.1 channels
of digital sound (left, center, right, left rear, right rear). A
5.1-CHANNEL SOUND FORMAT INCLUDES THE CHANNELS MENTIONED PLUS AN LFE (LOW
FREQUENCY ENHANCEMENT) CHANNEL.
CHAPTER 7: DISTRIBUTION CHANGES IN THE SEVENTIES, EIGHTIES AND NINETIES
Page 142. There was no "window" between first run 70mm showings of pictures like "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and 35mm general release copies. THE POINT IS CORRECT, BUT THE USE OF "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK" AS AN EXAMPLE TO ILLUSTRATE THE POINT IS INCORRECT. "EMPIRE" WAS RELEASED FIRST AS A 70MM EXCLUSIVE ON 21 MAY 1980; THE 35MM GENERAL RELEASE BEGAN 18 JUNE 1980.
Page 143. "Close Encounters"
($82,700,000 initial US gross) and "Superman" ($82,500,000 gross)....
THE FIGURES CITED ARE RENTALS, NOT GROSS.
Page 144. According to Steven Bach's 1985 book, "Final Cut: Dreams and
Disasters in the Making of Heaven's Gate".... THE BOOK'S TITLE IS
"FINAL CUT: DREAMS AND DISASTER IN THE MAKING OF HEAVEN'S GATE."
Page 144. Kevin Costner was one of the expensive stars that made films
like this one and "The Postman" (1995).... "THE POSTMAN" YEAR OF
RELEASE: 1997.
Page 145. In my area, New York City lost its grand Roadshow houses.
My favorite was the Rivoli... I saw "2001: A Space Odyssey" in 70mm
there in a
1977 reissue. NEW YORK AREA RE-ISSUES WERE IN 1976 & 1978.
Page 146. Cinerama I had a huge curved screen with curtains whereas
Cinerama II had a large flat silver screen with stadium seating and played
3-D titles like "House of Wax" in 70mm in 1981. "HOUSE OF WAX" 70MM
NEW YORK ENGAGEMENT WAS IN 1982.
Page 146. Down the street was The National which exhibited "Alien"
(1977) in 70mm. (1) "ALIEN" YEAR OF RELEASE: 1979. (2) FIRST-RUN
NEW YORK ENGAGEMENT WAS NOT AT THE NATIONAL. (THE NYC FIRST-RUN 70MM
ENGAGEMENTS OF "ALIEN" WERE AT THE CRITERION, NEW YORK 2 AND ORPHEUM, AND ON
LONG ISLAND AT THE SYOSSET.)
Page 146. Radio City Music Hall stopped showing films on a regular
basis in 1979... The theater continues to operate as a performing arts
center for live shows, occasional film premieres and event presentations.
I saw... the restoration of "A Star is Born" in 1982... "A STAR IS
BORN" RE-ISSUE: 1983.
Page 147. The Liberty Theater in Columbus, Ohio, was converted into a
disco.... THEATRE LOCATED IN COLUMBUS,
KANSAS.
Page 150. The last films to use [mag stereo] were "Scarface," "Yentl"
and a reissue of "Fantasia" in 1983 and "Against All Odds" in 1984.
THIS PARTICULAR "FANTASIA" RE-ISSUE WITH MAG STEREO PRINTS BEGAN IN 1982.
("THE NATURAL" [1984] AND "BRING ON THE NIGHT" [1985] WERE ALSO AMONG THE
LAST RELEASES TO USE 4-TRACK MAG STEREO PRINTS.)
Page 150. All of these formats had a failsafe system that triggered
the sound to standard Dolby optical if the digital tracks didn't register.
This happened during a screening I attended of "Gone with the Wind" in 1997.
DIGITAL SOUND RE-ISSUE OF "GONE WITH THE WIND" WAS IN 1998.
Page 151. Although there were some 65mm productions in the nineties
("Far and Away," 1992, "Hamlet," 1996) and notable restorations ("Lawrence
of Arabia," 1989, "Spartacus," 1991, "My Fair Lady," 1996).... "MY
FAIR LADY" RESTORATION AND RE-ISSUE WAS IN 1994. ALSO, THERE IS AN IMPROPER USAGE
OF COMMAS IN PARENTHETICAL SECTIONS OF SENTENCE.
Page 151. Most of the companies that offered this service stopped
after 1995 although enough remained to make new magnetic stereo copies of
"2001" and reissue copies of "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Tron" in 1995.
NEW PRINT AND RE-ISSUE OF "TRON" WAS IN 1999.
Page 151. That same year [1995], 70mm prints of "Vertigo" were made.... "VERTIGO" RE-ISSUE WAS IN 1996.
Page 151. "Titanic" was given a limited 70mm release in 1997 in the DTS format, but there have been no further presentations of new films. A LIMITED NUMBER OF DTS-70MM PRINTS WERE MADE FOR "TOMORROW NEVER DIES" (1997), "ARMAGEDDON" (1998), "GODZILLA" (1998), "DINOSAUR" (2000), AND "PEARL HARBOR" (2001). (ADDITIONAL TITLES HAVE BEEN PRINTED SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THIS BOOK.)
Page 151. All prints contained six
channels of magnetic stereo sound.... THREE TITLES ON THE LIST HAD
DIGITAL, NOT MAGNETIC, SOUNDTRACKS ("INDEPENDENCE DAY," "VERTIGO,"
"TITANIC").
Pages 151 - 157: 70mm Film List
NO MENTION IS MADE IF THE LIST REPRESENTS
ONLY THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION AS MANY TITLES
INCLUDED PLAYED IN 70MM ONLY OUTSIDE THE U.S.
NO FOOTNOTES OR REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED FOR THE LIST....
TITLES ERRONEOUSLY LISTED TWICE
The Jolson Story (1968 & 1974)
Tess (1979 & 1980)
The Entity (1982 & 1985)
The Big Blue (1988 as "The Big Blue" & 1988 as "Le Grand Bleu")
The Bear (1988 as "L'Ours" & 1989 as "The Bear")
TITLES MISSPELLED
Elvis: That's The Way It Was (1971)
CORRECT TITLE: "ELVIS: THAT'S THE WAY IT IS."
Metamorphosis (1977) CORRECT SPELLING: "METAMORPHOSES."
Ofeu Negro (1977) CORRECT SPELLING:
"ORFEU NEGRO" (aka "BLACK ORPHEUS")
Moonracker (1979) CORRECT SPELLING: "MOONRAKER"
Bladerunner (1982) CORRECT
SPELLING: "BLADE RUNNER."
Die Hard II (1990) CORRECT SPELLING: "DIE HARD 2." (PROMOTIONAL TITLE: "DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER").
Howard's End (1992) CORRECT SPELLING: "HOWARDS END."
TITLES LISTED IN INCORRECT YEAR
Custer of the West (1968) YEAR OF
RELEASE: 1967.
Gone with the Wind (1968) YEAR OF RE-ISSUE: 1967.
The Jolson Story (1968) YEAR OF EUROPEAN RE-ISSUE: 1969.
Julius Caesar (1968) YEAR OF EUROPEAN RE-ISSUE: 1969.
Sweet Charity (1968) YEAR OF
RELEASE: 1969 (1968 ON-SCREEN COPYRIGHT).
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1968) YEAR OF RELEASE: 1967.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1969)
YEAR OF RE-ISSUE: 1968.
Anne of the Thousand Days (1970) YEAR OF RELEASE: 1969.
[The] Stewardesses (1970) YEAR OF RELEASE: 1969.
Winning (1970) YEAR OF RELEASE: 1969.
House of Wax (1972) YEAR OF RE-ISSUE: 1971.
This is Cinerama (1972) YEAR OF RE-ISSUE: 1973.
The Jolson Story (1974) YEAR OF U.S. RE-ISSUE: 1975.
Broadway Comes to Broadway Festival (1979) YEAR OF FESTIVAL IS 1978.
Hair (1979) EUROPE 70MM RELEASE:
1979; U.S. 70MM RE-ISSUE: 1982.
Napoleon (1981) 70MM RE-ISSUE: 1982.
Oklahoma! (1982) YEAR OF RE-ISSUE: 1983.
We Will Rock You (1984) YEAR OF
RELEASE: 1983.
TITLES RELEASED/SCREENED IN 70MM
IN NORTH AMERICA NOT INCLUDED IN BOOK
War And Peace (1968)
Nights And Days (1977)
Dersu Uzala (1976: festivals; 1978: release)
The Ninth Configuration (1980; re-issued under title "Twinkle, Twinkle, 'Killer' Kane")
Around The World In Eighty Days (1983
shortened-cut re-issue)
The Ten Commandments (1989 re-issue; blow-up from CinemaScope alternate version)
Malcolm X (1992)
101 Dalmatians (1996)
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996)
Mulan (1998)
TITLES LISTED WITH INCORRECT ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY FORMAT
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1968; 1.66) CORRECT FORMAT: 35MM FRANSCOPE.
The Longest Day (1969, Panavision) 35MM CINEMASCOPE.
Too Late The Hero (1970, 35mm Panavision) 35MM 1.85:1.
The Horsemen (1971, 35mm Panavision) BEGAN PRODUCTION IN 65MM SUPER PANAVISION; COMPLETED IN 35MM PANAVISION.
The Last Valley (1971, 35mm Panavision) 65MM TODD-AO.
The Great Waltz (1972, 65mm) 35MM PANAVISION.
Let The
Good Times Roll (1973,
35mm 1.85)
16MM MULTISCREEN
Playtime (1973, 35mm 1.66) 65MM.
The Punk
Rock Movie (1978,
35mm
Panavision) 8MM & 16MM
Apocalypse
Now (1979, 35mm Panavision)
35MM TECHNOVISION.
The Rose (1979, 35mm Panavision) 35MM 1.85:1.
Dance Craze (1981, Super 16) SUPER 35MM.
Zoot Suit (1981, 35mm Panavision) 35MM 1.85:1.
City
Heat
(1984,
35mm Panavision) 35MM 1.85:1.
The Razor's Edge (1984, 35mm 1.85) 35MM J-D-C SCOPE.
We Will Rock You (1984, 35mm 1.85) SUPER 35MM ENLARGED TO SPECIAL VENUE 70MM.
A Chorus Line (1985, 35mm Panavision) SUPER 35MM.
Lifeforce (1985,
35mm Panavision) 35MM
J-D-C SCOPE.
Cry Freedom (1987, 35mm Panavision) SUPER 35MM.
The
Big Blue (1988,
35mm 1.85) 35MM CINEMASCOPE.
Pathfinder (1988,
35mm 1.85)
35MM PANAVISION.
The Bear (1989,
35mm 1.85) 35MM PANAVISION.
Little
Buddha (1994,
35mm Technovision) SHOT PARTIALLY IN
35MM TECHNOVISION; PARTIALLY IN 65MM ARRI 765.
TITLES WITH MISSING INFORMATION
The Longest Day (1969) DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
Brewster McCloud (1970) NOT RELEASED IN 70MM; SHOWN IN 70MM AT HOUSTON ASTRODOME PREMIERE.
It's
A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1971)
DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
Lawrence
Of Arabia (1971)
DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
Utvandrarna (1971) WHY LIST IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGE? ENGLISH
TITLE IS "THE EMIGRANTS."
Nybyggarna
(1972) WHY LIST IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGE? ENGLISH TITLE IS "THE
NEW LAND."
Arrivano J[o]e e Margherito (1974) WHY LIST IN ORIGINAL
LANGUAGE? ENGLISH TITLE IS "RUN, RUN, JOE!"
2001: A Space Odyssey (1977) DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
Close Encounters (1977) COMPLETE
TITLE: "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND."
O[r]feu Negro (1977) (1) WHY LIST IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGE?
ENGLISH TITLE IS "BLACK ORPHEUS." (2) DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
EUROPEAN RE-ISSUE: 1977; U.S. RE-ISSUE: 1978.
Tommy (1977) DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
Crossed Swords (1978) MISSING AN
ASTERISK INDICATING AUTHOR ATTENDED 70MM SCREENING; AUTHOR ATTENDING
SCREENING REFERENCES ON PAGE 146 & 251.
Star Trek (1979) COMPLETE TITLE: "STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE."
Winds of Change (1979) DOES NOT DENOTE RE-EDITED RE-ISSUE OF "METAMORPHOSES" (1977).
Close Encounters (1980 reissue) COMPLETE TITLE: "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND." PROMOTIONAL TITLE: "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND: THE SPECIAL EDITION."
Twinkle, Twinkle Killer Kane (1980) DOES NOT DENOTE RE-EDITED RE-ISSUE OF "THE NINTH CONFIGURATION" (1980).
Star Trek II (1982)
COMPLETE TITLE: "STAR TREK [II]: THE WRATH OF KHAN.
Greystoke (1984) COMPLETE TITLE: "GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN LORD
OF THE APES.
Star Trek III (1984) COMPLETE TITLE: "STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK."
Baby (1985) COMPLETE
TITLE: "BABY: SECRET OF THE LOST LEGEND."
Rambo (1985) COMPLETE TITLE: "RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II."
Starchaser (1985) COMPLETE
TITLE: "STARCHASER: THE LEGEND OF ORIN."
Star Trek IV (1986) COMPLETE TITLE: "STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME."
Tucker (1988) COMPLETE TITLE: "TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM."
Back To The Future (1989) COMPLETE TITLE: "BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II."
Star Trek V (1989) COMPLETE TITLE: "STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER."
Back To The Future (1990)
COMPLETE TITLE: "BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III."
Gremlins 2 (1990) COMPLETE TITLE: "GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH."
Star Trek VI (1991) COMPLETE TITLE: "STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED
COUNTRY."
Terminator 2 (1991) COMPLETE TITLE: "TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY."
1492 (1992) COMPLETE TITLE: "1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE."
Geronimo (1993) COMPLETE TITLE: "GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND."
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
NOT RELEASED IN 70MM; SHOWN IN 70MM AT WORLD PREMIERE ONLY.
Pocahontas (1995) NOT RELEASED IN 70MM; SHOWN IN 70MM ONLY AT CENTRAL PARK, NY PREMIERE.
The Wild Bunch (1995) DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
Independence Day (1996) NOT
RELEASED IN 70MM; SCREENED AT SPECIAL EVENT IN OSLO, NORWAY.
2001: A Space Odyssey (2001)
DOES NOT DENOTE RE-ISSUE.
TITLES THAT DO NOT BELONG ON LIST (if list represents U.S. only)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
Elvis: That's The Way It Was (1971)
Playtime (1973) 1973 U.S. RELEASE
IN 35MM ONLY; FESTIVAL SCREENINGS IN 70MM.
Earthquake (1974) U.S. RELEASE IN 35MM ONLY.
A Bridge Too Far (1977) U.S.
RELEASE IN 35MM ONLY.
Flash Gordon (1980) U.S. RELEASE IN 35MM ONLY.
We Will Rock You (198[3]) SPECIAL
VENUE FILM; SHOWN IN SPORTS ARENAS AND STADIUMS.
Flight Of The Intruder (1991)
F
TITLES THAT SHOULD NOT INCLUDE AN ASTERISK
(Did the author really see these in 70mm? Where? In the book, the author identifies with an asterisk those titles in which he attended a 70mm presentation.)
Earthquake (1974)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Napoleon (1981; '81 WAS 35MM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA; '82 WAS 70MM WITH COMPOSITE SOUNDTRACK)
The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982)
Metropolis (1984)
A View To A Kill (1985)
Page 157. As reported in Chapter 1, drive-ins were approximately twenty-five percent of US theaters in 1968. By the nineties there were less than 600. POORLY CONSTRUCTED SENTENCES SINCE READERS WILL NEED TO KNOW THE ORIGINAL NUMBER OF DRIVE-INS TO DETERMINE THE PERCENTAGE 600 REPRESENTS. READERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BACKTRACK TO CHAPTER 1 TO REFERENCE ORIGINAL NUMBER.
Page 158. I also saw "Ben-Hur"
in it's 1969 reissue. INCORRECT FORM OF "ITS."
Page 159. In 1995 Stanley Dunwood's
company introduced the next type of theatrical venue which was known as the
megaplex. AMC opened The Grand 24 which featured new stadium style
seating. (1) STANLEY DUNWOOD MISSPELLED; CORRECT SPELLING: STANLEY
DURWOOD. (2) GRAND 24 LOCATION NOT PROVIDED.
Page 160. Once again, art was used a weapon. SENTENCE SHOULD
READ: ONCE AGAIN, ART WAS USED AS A WEAPON.
Page 161. Obvious examples included Mario
van Peebles' "Panther" (1998).... YEAR OF RELEASE: 1995.
Page 161. Many of the big budget science fiction and action thrillers
contained extensive computer generated effects (CGE) but scant character
development. COMPUTER GENERATED EFFECTS ARE MORE COMMONLY KNOWN
AS "CGI."
Page 161.
As of 1999, there were 37,185 movie screens but many will fold in the near
future due do slowing box-office sales, poor quality films, union strikes
and other labor problems. SENTENCE SHOULD READ: AS OF 1999, THERE WERE
37,185 MOVIE SCREENS BUT MANY WILL FOLD IN THE NEAR FUTURE DUE TO SLOWING
BOX-OFFICE SALES, POOR-QUALITY FILMS, UNION STRIKES AND OTHER LABOR
PROBLEMS.
CHAPTER 8: ALTERNATE VENUES
Page 165. ...and dual
Technicolor prints of "Kiss Me Kate" (1954). YEAR OF
RELEASE: 1953.
Page 173. Robert A. Harris is the best
known archivist due to his high profile restorations of "Lawrence of Arabia"
(1989), "Spartacus" (1991), "Vertigo" (1993), and "My Fair Lady" (1995).
"VERTIGO" RESTORATION RE-ISSUE WAS IN 1996. "MY FAIR LADY" RESTORATION
RE-ISSUE WAS IN 1994.
Page 173. I attended 70mm screening
of these features and they were some of the best shows I'd ever seen.
SENTENCE SHOULD READ: I ATTENDED 70MM SCREENINGS OF THESE FEATURES AND THEY
WERE SOME OF THE BEST SHOWS I'D EVER SEEN.
Page 170. The Cinerama theater in New
York City played a "Broadway Comes to Broadway" program. Original 70mm
prints of "Camelot," "My Fair Lady," "Paint Your Wagon" and "South Pacific"
were shown on their curved screen. THE PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDED 70MM
PRESENTATIONS OF "OKLAHOMA!" AND "FINIAN'S RAINBOW."
Page 174. In 1982, the Samuel
Goldwyn company purchased the rights to "Oklahoma!" (1955)... Unfortunately, the distributor failed to promote the 70mm print and attendance was poor.
MENTION OF 70MM WAS PRESENT ON POSTERS AND NEWSPAPER ADS FOR THIS RE-ISSUE.
Page 183. Technicolor prints of "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1937)
and other classics were sold for classroom use. YEAR OF RELEASE: 1938.
Page 183. Collectors could buy a reel containing sequences from
"Creatures of the Black Lagoon"... CORRECT TITLE: "CREATURE FROM THE
BLACK LAGOON."
CHAPTER 9: DIGITAL CINEMA
Page 188. Miramax screened "An Ideal Husband" shortly after the Lucas
film ["Star Wars: Episode I —
The Phantom Menace"] and just missed being the first company
to introduce electronic cinema. MIRAMAX'S "AN IDEAL HUSBAND" AND
FOX/LUCASFILM'S "THE PHANTOM MENACE" WERE RELEASED IN E-CINEMA (AKA
D-CINEMA) ON THE SAME DATE: 18 JUNE 1999. ("THE PHANTOM MENACE" WAS
RELEASED INITIALLY IN 35MM ON 19 MAY 1999.)
Page 190. THE LIST OF THEATRES THAT CONTAINED VIDEO PROJECTION ARRANGED BY STATE DOES NOT INCLUDE, EXCEPT FOR A FEW SAME-NAME EXAMPLES, THE CITIES IN WHICH THE THEATRES WERE LOCATED, RENDERING THE LIST LESS USEFUL TO READERS.
APPENDIX A: SURVIVING MOVIE PALACES
Page 199. The Alabama Theatre. Located in Binghamton,
Alabama.... THEATRE WAS LOCATED IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.
Page 199 - 217. THE "CLASSIC" OR "PALACE" STATUS OF SOME OF THE
THEATRES INCLUDED IS QUESTIONABLE, SUCH AS INCLUDING THE MANN REGENT
(CALIFORNIA). OTHERS CLEARLY OF PALACE STATUS NOT REPRESENTED IN THE
LIST INCLUDE THEATRES SUCH AS EDWARDS NEWPORT OR PACIFIC LAKEWOOD CENTER
(BOTH IN CALIFORNIA) AND THE VIRGINIA (IN ILLINOIS), ALL OF WHICH HAVE INTACT
THEIR LARGE ORIGINAL SCREENS AND 1,000-PLUS-SEAT AUDITORIUMS.
Page 200. The UA Cinema 150. Located in Little Rock, Arkansas.
This cinema has a dome roof, similar to the Cinerama dome in California and
an enormous 120 degree curved screen installed for the Dimension 150 process
in 1966. THE UA CINEMA 150 OPENED IN 1968.
Page 201. Grenada Theater. CORRECT SPELLING: GRANADA.
Page 201. Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I include it on the list
because of its famous cement prints of the stars outside the entrance.
WHY BASE THIS ENTRY SOLELY ON THE THEATRE'S FAMOUS COURTYARD? DOES THE
CHINESE NOT (STILL) OFFER THE "CLASSIC MOVIEGOING EXPERIENCE"?
WITH 1,500 SEATS, IS THE CHINESE NOT A PALACE?
Page 202. Mann National Theatre. Located in Los Angeles,
California. This 1,112 seat theater was built in the sixties.
THE NATIONAL OPENED IN 1970.
Page 203. State Theater. Located in Stanford, Connecticut.
CORRECT SPELLING OF CITY IS STAMFORD.
APPENDIX B: SURVIVING DRIVE-INS
Page 218 - 224. THE LIST OF SURVIVING DRIVE-INS ARRANGED BY STATE DOES
NOT INCLUDE THE CITIES IN WHICH THE THEATRES WERE LOCATED, RENDERING THE
LIST LESS USEFUL TO READERS.
APPENDIX D: CONTEMPORARY STYLE
CINEMATOGRAPHERS
Page 242. Vilmos Szigmond. NAME IS MISSPELLED FOUR TIMES.
CORRECT SPELLING: VILMOS ZSIGMOND.
Page 242. Lasko Kovacs. NAME
IS MISSPELLED. CORRECT SPELLING: LASZLO KOVACS
Page 243. "Silver." TITLE MISSPELLED. CORRECT SPELLING IS
"SLIVER."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Page 255. Milick, Jim. "Seeing Films in the Theater...
CORRECT SPELLING: MILLICK.
Page 255. Stone, Barbara. "America Goes to the Movies... CORRECT
SPELLING: STONES.