<<< September 26 - 28,  2002 >>>

The 3rd Great BIG 70 MM Festival!

From Super Technirama 70 to Ultra Panavision to Dimension 150 and more, the 70 mm. 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 70 mm. movies were MUCH much larger ‚ films like THE SOUND OF MUSIC, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. From 1955 to 1970 ‚ the Golden Age of 70 mm. filmmaking ‚ there were nearly 60 Hollywood features shot in large format, with many more released in special engagements as 35 mm.-to-70 mm. blow-ups (which still offered superior sound and image quality to their 35 mm. counterparts.)

This semi-annual series is a very rare opportunity to experience 70 mm. as it was meant to be seen: on a big, beautiful screen, with booming, 6-track multi-channel sound. Following the success of our 2000 Festival, we‚ are delighted to present gorgeous new restorations of three seminal 70 mm. films: Richard Brooks' LORD JIM, in the first new print in decades, courtesy of Columbia Pictures; the Academy Award winning PATTON and the sumptuous musical HELLO DOLLY!, courtesy of 20th Century Fox; and an encore screening of Stanley Kubrick's landmark science fiction film 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - !

Thursday, September 26 ‚ 7:30 PM

U.S. Premiere of Brand New Super Panavision 70 Print!!

LORD JIM, 1965, Columbia Pictures, 154 min. Long out of circulation in 70 mm., 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. With Paul Lukas, Curt Jurgens.

Friday, September 27 ‚ 7:30 PM

Restored Dimension 150 Print!!

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, September 28 ‚ 5:00 PM

Encore Screening -- Super Panavision 70 Print!!

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, 1968, Warner Bros., 139 min. Director Stanley Kubrick's literally mindblowing meditation on the dangers (and wonders) of technology, the limitless vistas of space, and the future of the human race itself. But if you think you've seen "2001", think again ‚ until recently, the film was only available in a 35mm version that reduced Kubrick's visuals to a pale shadow of their true glory. If you missed our 2-week re-release of the film last December, this is another opportunity to see one of the essential cinema experiences on the giant screen at the Egyptian, in truly psychedelic 6-track stereo sound!! With Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood.

Saturday, September 28 ‚ 8:15 PM

Brand New Todd-AO 70 mm. Print!!

HELLO DOLLY!, 1969, 20th Century Fox, 146 min. Irresistible film adaptation of one of Jerry Herman's finest musicals, featuring the fabulous Barbara Streisand in a kick-out-the-jams performance as matchmaker Dolly Levi, furiously working to make marriages while trying to snare 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!