A Few Words About A few words about...™ Oliver! -- in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

[Peter Apruzzese]

I kid you not, I could read an entire book consisting of notes to theater managers and projectionists. But I'm wondering -- besides road show presentations -- how many other movies would such things have been created for? Maybe not a lot? Were instructions regarding elements of presentation other than overtures and intermissions, etc., very common?

When we played the New Jersey sneak preview of E.T. in 1982 (it was a Sunday night, and it followed a show of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid), we received a letter from Spielberg about two weeks prior. It stressed that the film was 1.85 (as opposed to his previous films) but still contained a Dolby Stereo track (at that time many 1.85 flat films were still mono). I think it also mentioned to make sure we had sufficient light levels as the film had numerous dark scenes. I remember an addendum that was attached from someone at Dolby Labs also mentioning the stereo track and suggesting that if the side curtain masking for 1.85 wasn't acoustically transparent, that it *not* be used so as not to muffle the left and right speakers and that we file new aperture plates with "clean" left and right edges instead. I think there were also instructions how to create temporary AT 1.85 masking just for the show using thin black fabric and wooden slats. I should check my files and see if I still have the letter.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Cineman, you've really hit on something here. That moment you describe happened to me several times at the break of GONE WITH THE WIND, more than any other film I've ever seen. The first half of that film is so phenomenally good that it almost demands an intermission. The story has swept you up to such an extent that you ignore the fact that the second half is merely a good movie and not a great one. Whenever I saw this film throughout the sixties and seventies, I cannot recall an intermission break where the theatergoers around me weren't excitedly saying either 1) This movie holds up brilliantly no matter how many times you see it; or 2) I've never seen it before and can't believe how good it is.

For those who have only seen it at home, you have to see it properly presented in a theatre to understand the emotions. THE SOUND OF MUSIC elicited similar reactions.

 

[haineshisway]

What no one has mentioned is that these roadshow films were designed to have an intermission - the first half BUILT to the intermission, just as in a play or musical - if done right, you took the break and couldn't wait to come back and see the second half. It is simply inconceivable to think of watching 2001, for example, without its brilliant intermission break, one of the greatest first half enders ever - the audience sat there and then burst into applause at the brilliance of it.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

And sometimes things aren't supposed to have intermissions. 1776 isn't supposed to have one (even the Broadway show didn't have one), and West Side Story includes a note in the Criterion Laserdisc where Bob Wise says the film was designed to not have one.

 

[alistairKerr]

I vividly remember the intermission in "Towering Inferno" - the audience gasped with relief, the first half had been so involving!
Alistair

 

[ahollis]

I second what Bruce says concerning how the roadshows were designed in two parts and the placement of the Intermission was a thoughtful process to make the film better. Even the OLIVER intermission allows time to pass and puts Oliver in different surroundings when the second half opens. Now where it did not work was when the ABC/Paramount Theatre Chain in the south US, during the early 70's, decided to give all films an intermission after the third or fourth reel, depending on the length of the film. It was to do nothing but allow for more concession sells and since they was no rhyme or reason for it was very jarring to the viewer.

 

[ahollis]

I vividly remember the intermission in "Towering Inferno" - the audience gasped with relief, the first half had been so involving!Alistair

I did not see TOWERING INFERNO with an intermission. Do you recall where it was? Just curious. Thanks.

 

[John Maher_289910]

Doctor Zhivago also had one of the great Act II openers. With the curtains closed and the lights not yet completely dimmed, you could hear that train rumbling along through the theatre speakers for what seemed like almost a minute, before the curtains began to slowly part, the train gave out a loud whistle and a huge mass of blackness on the emerging 70mm screen gave way to the Ural Mountains as the train came roaring out of a tunnel.

That is a great moment. In fact, when I saw it the one and only time I did see it, during its original release, it gave me chills. One of only a few good moments in an otherwise dreary and tediously dull film. I cannot understand the love for those Lean epics, that just meander endlessly, with the same music cues rattling on and on. His earlier works are such gems, to me. It seems the grander his film became, the less he felt he required an editor.

 

[Robert Harris]

That is a great moment. In fact, when I saw it the one and only time I did see it, during its original release, it gave me chills. One of only a few good moments in an otherwise dreary and tediously dull film. I cannot understand the love for those Lean epics, that just meander endlessly, with the same music cues rattling on and on. His earlier works are such gems, to me. It seems the grander his film became, the less he felt he required an editor.

Interesting comment. Do you recall how early, and where you saw Zhivago?RAH

 

[willyTass]

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[John Maher_289910]

Same here. I think those of us who ordered all three titles got our orders processed last. My friends who ordered Oliver! by itself got their copies last week. Mine came yesterday.

I only ordered OLIVER! When you say 3, which titles do you mean? I know THE WAY WE WERE was one, but you couldn't give me that movie for free, but I'd hate to think I was missing something good! I find TT's business model annoying, personally. Although, I certainly own enough of their releases.

 

[John Maher_289910]

Interesting comment. Do you recall how early, and where you saw Zhivago?RAH

Not sure I know what you're asking, but I saw ZHIVAGO in the winter of 1966, at The Boyd Theatre, which was Philadelphia's original Cinerama venue. It was presented in 70MM and 6-track stereophonic sound.

 

[Mark Oates]

I did not see TOWERING INFERNO with an intermission. Do you recall where it was? Just curious. Thanks.

IIRC, it's when the gas main blows as Paul Newman negotiates the stairwell.

 

[John Maher_289910]

IIRC, it's when the gas main blows as Paul Newman negotiates the stairwell.

What city was this? I saw TI, a few times during it's original first-run engagement in Philadelphia, and there was no intermission. Sounds like something added by an individual theater or chain, not the distributors.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I only ordered OLIVER! When you say 3, which titles do you mean? I know THE WAY WE WERE was one, but you couldn't give me that movie for free, but I'd hate to think I was missing something good! I find TT's business model annoying, personally. Although, I certainly own enough of their releases.

Twilight released OLIVER!, THE WAY WE WERE and JANE EYRE all on the same day. If the other two titles don't interest you, then you didn't miss anything. My interest in TWWW is modest at best, but Twilight Time does a quality product and I enjoy Julie Kirgo's essays as well as her audio commentaries with Nick Redman.

 

[Rob_Ray]

What city was this? I saw TI, a few times during it's original first-run engagement in Philadelphia, and there was no intermission. Sounds like something added by an individual theater or chain, not the distributors.

THE TOWERING INFERNO had no official intermission, but I read in the newspaper at the time that Houston's Alabama Theatre experimented with their own intermission at some point during the exclusive engagement. When I saw it there during the week between Christmas and New Year's, it had no intermission, but later on apparently it did. At 165 minutes, it could have used one. I wish most movies that run beyond the 150 minute mark would break at some point to let us visit the necessity.

 

[ahollis]

THE TOWERING INFERNO had no official intermission, but I read in the newspaper at the time that Houston's Alabama Theatre experimented with their own intermission at some point during the exclusive engagement. When I saw it there during the week between Christmas and New Year's, it had no intermission, but later on apparently it did. At 165 minutes, it could have used one. I wish most movies that run beyond the 150 minute mark would break at some point to let us visit the necessity.

I never realized that TORA TORA TORA had an intermission until it appeared on DVD, as it did not in the theatre I saw it in. The Alabama in Houston was operated by ABC/Paramount Theatres and they experimented in adding intermissions to increase concession sales. The policy lasted about 6 months.

 

[SteveJKo]

...in several instances that I experienced first hand, gave us the chance to turn to one another to remark on how great it has been so far. Consequently, it "enhanced" the communal experience in that it encouraged us to share our enthusiasm for what has come already...

I was a kid but I still remember the boisterous conversation (and cigarette smoke!) coming from all the adults in the lobby of the theatre during the intermissions of The Sound Of Music and Fiddler On The Roof.

I did not see TOWERING INFERNO with an intermission...

I saw it twice during Christmas vacation of 1974. The first show had no intermission, the second show had one put into it by the theatre management. It was placed after the scene where the mayor and his wife discuss what would happen to their daughter if something happened to them. As much as I love a big film with an intermission, I really dislike an intermission that's forced on us by the theatre. The movie wasn't designed for it, there's no build up to a distinct point in the narrative or with the score, it just hurts the entire presentation.

 

[Charles Smith]

I never realized that TORA TORA TORA had an intermission until it appeared on DVD, as it did not in the theatre I saw it in.The Alabama in Houston was operated by ABC/Paramount Theatres and they experimented in adding intermissions to increase concession sales. The policy lasted about 6 months.

These do-it-yourself intermissions sound horrible. Talk about disruptive!

They might as well have inserted commercials. Oh -- they surely played "let's all go to the lobby" or some such...

 

[DP 70]

When i saw The Towering Inferno in 70mm in London at the Warner the intermission was right after the explosion with Paul Newman on the stairway,
but when shown at ABC Shaftsbury Ave also in 70mm it was moved to when OJ Simpson collects the cat from apartment.
Also saw this again in 70mm at the Camalot cinema in Newquay and the NFT in london with no intermission.