SEE IT BIG! Moving Image Screens WEST SIDE STORY on 70mm Tonight
By: Movies News Desk Aug. 21, 2015
Even in these days of improving digital projection, there is nothing comparable to the crisp, bright images and rich sound of 70mm film. With a higher resolution and more light hitting the frame, 70mm film offers a bigger, brighter image than 35mm. It traditionally offered richer sound, with more space on the soundtrack as well. It is the ideal film format for ambitious cinematic spectacles, yet with the transition to digital filmmaking, 70mm movies have become increasingly rare.
This summer, Museum of the Moving Image presents See It Big! 70mm, every weekend through August 30, featuring eight films made between 1961 and 2014 -- all of them shot in 70mm and to be shown in 70mm prints in the majestic Sumner M. Redstone Theater.
"The fact that such visionary filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan prefer to shoot in 70mm, is testament to the enduring power of this format." said Chief Curator David Schwartz. "These days, a new 70mm film is an event. We're pleased to show a combination of new and classic movies in this series. With the recent death of Omar Sharif, it will be a fitting tribute to see his most beloved film, Lawrence of Arabia, in its original format."
The series includes two recent films, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (2014) and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master (2012), as well as famously big-screen films from the 1960s and 1980s. They are David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins's West Side Story (1961), Stanley Kramer's Hollywood comedy epic Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), and the groundbreaking science fiction films Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (in an encore of last summer's sold-out 70mm shows), Douglas Trumbull's Brainstorm (1983), and Disney's Tron (1982), directed by Steven Lisberger.
REMAINING SCHEDULE FOR 'SEE IT BIG! 70MM,' AUGUST 21-30, 2015:
All screenings take place in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Avenue in Astoria, New York. Tickets for MOMI screenings are $12 adults ($9 seniors and students / $6 children 3-12) and free for Museum members at the Film Lover level and above. Advance tickets are available online at movingimage.us. Ticket purchase includes same-day admission to the Museum's galleries.
West Side Story
TONIGHT, AUGUST 21, 7:00 P.M.
TOMORROW, AUGUST 22, 2:00 P.M.
Dirs. Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise. 1961, 151 mins. 70mm. With Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno. Beautifully restored in 2011 for the 50th anniversary of its release, West Side Story has stood the test of time as one of the most beloved film musicals. In its adaptation of the Romeo and Juliet story-featuring unforgettable songs by Leonard Bernstein and choreography by Jerome Robbins-feuding families are replaced by warring New York City gangs, the white Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. When forbidden love escalates their rivalry, tragedy strikes and doesn't stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 6:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 4:00 P.M.
Dir. David Lean. 1962, 217 mins (with intermission). 70mm. With Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn. The apex of David Lean's magnificent career was this unparalleled spectacle which won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, and rocketed Peter O'Toole to stardom as real-life adventurer T. E. Lawrence, a former British officer whose expedition to Cairo in 1916 leads him to side with the Arabs against the Turks. The film also introduced Omar Sharif, already a major star in Egyptian cinema, to English-speaking audiences. With its overwhelming widescreen desert vistas, this is one of cinema's most transporting experiences.The Master
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2:00 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2:00 P.M.
Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. 2012, 144 mins. 70mm. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix, Hoffman, and Adams all received Oscar nominations for their performances in Paul Thomas Anderson's spellbinding saga of post-World War II America. Phoenix creates the unforgettable Freddie Quell, a wayward soul who falls under the spell of a spiritual guru (Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his greatest performances), who may or may not be a huckster. In this haunting drama, Anderson creates one mysterious, richly evocative image after another. Interstellar
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 7:00
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 6:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 6:00 p.m.
Dir. Christopher Nolan. 2014, 169 mins. 70mm. With Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain. A stunningly realized science-fiction epic with philosophical, cinematic, and narrative ambition reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar is an immersive and exhilarating film experience that captures Nolan's love for large-format celluloid film.
Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In its stunning facilities-acclaimed for both its accessibility and bold design-the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings of significant works; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, craftspeople, and business leaders; and education programs which serve more than 50,000 students each year. The Museum also houses a significant collection of moving-image artifacts.
Hours: Wednesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, 10:30 to 8:00 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Film Screenings: Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, and as scheduled. Unless otherwise noted, tickets for screenings are $12 ($9 students and seniors / free for Museum members at the Film Lover level and above) will be available for advance purchase online at movingimage.us. Screening tickets include same-day admission to the Museum's galleries.
Museum Admission: $12.00 for adults; $9.00 for persons over 65 and for students with ID; $6.00 for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 and Museum members are admitted free. Admission to the galleries is free on Fridays, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Location: 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street) in Astoria.
Subway: M (weekdays only) or R to Steinway Street. Q (weekdays only) or N to 36 Avenue.
Program Information: Telephone: 718 777 6888; Website: movingimage.us
Membership: movingimage.us/support/membership or 718 777 6877
The Museum is housed in a building owned by the City of New York and located on the campus of Kaufman Astoria Studios. Its operations are made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Natural Heritage Trust (administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation). The Museum also receives generous support from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. For more information, visit movingimage.us.
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