Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 70mm Print of Playtime

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Topic: 70mm Print of Playtime

Dick Vaughan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1032
From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 01-25-2001 09:14 AM

We are supposed to be screening a 70mm print of Jaque Tati's Playtime as part of our film festival in March but have just been informed that the print we were expecting is now unscreenable. Does anyone know of a decent print anywhere that we could fly in to fill the slot?

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-25-2001 09:44 AM

As far as I know, only one 70mm print was ever made. I'm not sure on that, though. In any case, what prints were once made are probably faded by now anyway.

The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA. ran a 35mm print within the last year or so which I believe came from Kit Parker. It was in decent condition, but looked to be a composite made up from several prints. Some reels were starting to fade, while others looked fine.

Good luck. It's a great film, BTW. Hard to describe...imagine 'Godard's "Alphaville" meets Gilliam's "Brazil"' or something to that effect.

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Thomas Hauerslev
Master Film Handler

Posts: 451
From: Copenhagen, Denmark
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 01-25-2001 01:14 PM

Dear Dick,

Try the Dutch Film Archive or the Swedes. If that does not work. Call me.

Best wishes, Thomas

PS What rubbish about one 70mm print ever made. There were several made in the 60s.

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Ben Wales
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 602
From: Southampton. England
Registered: Jul 99

posted 01-25-2001 04:04 PM

Hello Dick,
That's odd as the Harbour Lights Cinema Southampton ran this print about three years ago and it was fine then.

Who else has ran this print in the last three years in UK cinemas?.

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Florian Pausch
Film Handler

Posts: 11
From: Wien, Austria
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 01-25-2001 04:37 PM

Dear Dick,

Filmarchiv Austria holds a print of "Playtime". Since we have had no possibility to screen it, this print is unchecked by now, people told me, that it is red in red, almost surely german version.

Please contact my collegue Nikolaus Wostry, chief of our depots, augarten@filmarchiv.at or: laxenburg@filmarchiv.at for the details of getting the print for Bradford.

Best wishes,

Florian

------------------
Florian Pausch
projectionist, cinema technician, collector
Filmarchiv Austria, Vienna

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Larry Racies
Film Handler

Posts: 7
From: New York, NY USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-26-2001 12:52 PM

It's a far cry from 70mm to 16, but if it would be any help, I have a 16 print of Playtime. It hasn't been screened in years and it's probably pretty reddish by now as well, but, it's here if you need it.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 01-26-2001 01:10 PM

Any prints made on Kodak print film after about 1983 should have minimal fading, unless they were processed/washed improperly. For prints made before then, very cool dry storage would have minimized fading.
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/about/chrono4.shtml

Triacetate prints with magnetic sound will be more prone to "vinegar syndrome", which is accelerated by the presence of iron (striping) in a warm, humid and enclosed (sealed cans or cases) environment. The acids formed during "vinegar syndrome" will accelerate fading. Again, cool, dry, vented (or sealed with Molecular Sieves) storage would greatly extend print life.
------------------
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 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-26-2001 02:55 PM

Larry--If you ever want to sell that 16mm print, let me know. Assuming that it has an English track or (preferably) subtitles and isn't vinegar, I'd be interested even if the color is going.

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Ari Nordström
Master Film Handler

Posts: 283
From: Göteborg, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 02-12-2001 02:34 PM

Thomas is right about "Playtime" 70mm prints. The Swedish Film Archive's got one but the last I heard was that it was in a pretty bad shape.

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