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Lawrence of Arabia coming to IMAX screens in 2003 (2 Viewers)

Patrick McCart

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IMAX has decided to re-release a classic film every year in IMAX starting with Lawrence of Arabia in 2003.

I pray that Columbia and IMAX will show it uncut and hard-matted onto the film. If it's another 1.33:1 presentation and edited down, this will HAVE to be stopped.
 

Rob Tomlin

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Isn't there a law or something that prohibits cropping a great film like Lawrence of Arabia down to 1.33:1?!
If not, there should be!!! :angry:
 

David Brown Eyes

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Not possible?

croping LOA is unthinkable and shortening it to 2 hours is even more abhorrant.

I will skip this one..... blech.
 

Adam_S

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my guess is they'll show it with an intermission, and have two Imax reels, at about two hours each, since the intermission doesn't happen until just about the two hour mark. I think the first half may run over two hours, but there are a few places they could put the intermission instead, such as when Lean says "Who are you" blasphemy I know, but it would prevent the film being cut.

I wonder if they'll essentially take the 70 mm source and put it in the Imax frame, blowing it up so that it fits width wise and then just have masks on the rest of the frame. This would seem to me to minimize the blowup from 35mm elements, and have a pretty good picture, though definitely not as good as a native 70mm print.

Adam
 

Bruce Hedtke

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I applaud IMAX for the effort they make at keeping classic films alive on huge screens and first rate auditoriums. But, why chop up the films? If you are going to present classic films, especially one as respected and revered as LOA, go the whole nine yards. If the print is in 70mm, show it in 70mm. If you're not equipped to show it in that format, don't make the committment to screen it. This editing and chopping of films is just plain wrong.

Bruce
 

Vic_T

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LOA is the most effective use of scope ever! Cropping it for any reason is an insult! :angry:
 

Dan Hitchman

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It wasn't shot "scope" with anamorphic lenses. It was 65mm using spherical Super Panavision 70 lenses (just as Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet was filmed). ~2.20:1 aspect ratio without magnetic 6 track audio on the negative.

If this film was butchered for IMAX, then this practice must not stand.

Dan
 

Peter Kline

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IMAX simply cannot show widescreen movies in their OAR. The IMAX screen has always been goofy being higher then wide. That's why Cinerama was better. Of course it will be cropped and shortened. Neither Apollo 11 or SW were full width. The system will not allow for especially long films due to reel capacity. No need to wait and see. IMAX is struggling to make money. These efforts will eventually fail (as bogus Cinerama failed). It ain't the reel thing!
 

Jason Whyte

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Let's wait until offical word on the technical aspects before we all start sending death threats to IMAX. :)
I personally believe the IMAX version of this would be identical to what Adam described: the 70mm frame letterboxed onto the print, with an intermission around the 2 hour mark (I'm not exactly sure what a typical IMAX reel will hold), even though the film's orignal intermission was around the 2hr 30min mark. The film is too historical and too much of a landmark to be cut or butchered in any way.
Besides, wasn't the recent IMAX release of Episode 2 letterboxed to 2.39:1?
I too would really like to hear Mr. Harris' views on this IMAX version.
Jason
 

Tony-B

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WOW!!! That is a travesty!!! You can't crop and edit a masterpiece like LOA!!! They had better matte that IMAX screen (which probably won't happen) and add an intermission. I think we better do something about this. :thumbsdown: :angry:
 

Bill McCamy

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Life is short. Why expend such emotional energy over the possible presentation of LoA? No details are yet available. Is this rumor or fact?

And if it is fact, where does a poorly presented movie fit into the hierarchy of wrongs to be righted. Famine, war, and injustice at home and abroad would be better addressed than the aspect ratio of an overpriced movie on an overblown screen.
 

Tony-B

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Apparently, LOA is not the end of this madness. According to theonering.net, the next Harry Potter movie, and LOTR: ROTK will be released in IMAX day-and-date with the normal version!! The good thing is that HP and ROTK will have an intermission. But of course, they will be cropped.
 

Seth Paxton

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I applaud IMAX for the effort they make at keeping classic films alive on huge screens and first rate auditoriums. But, why chop up the films? If you are going to present classic films, especially one as respected and revered as LOA, go the whole nine yards. If the print is in 70mm, show it in 70mm. If you're not equipped to show it in that format, don't make the committment to screen it. This editing and chopping of films is just plain wrong.
Amen. These films HAVE a large format already. It's called normal 5 perf/70mm. Buy a freaking projector and show them properly. Is film preservation really this hard an equation?
Luckily the process of P&Sing or transferring to IMAX film will be COST FREE. :rolleyes
I am praying for hard-matting. Praying.
OTOH, if IMAX is going to maintain the AR, use a proper intermission, and it perhaps at worst only costs a few minutes of footage (if any at all) then good for them for getting this classic out there.
But IMO, the coolest thing IMAX could do would be to, as mentioned above, install normal 70mm projectors and begin to cover the full 70mm spectrum of "speciality" films. If they are having success with IMAX runs of pop films right now, I would think normal 70mm runs would do rather well also. In fact I think LoA would do much better with the types of crowds it would attract if it were in OAR. IMAX could do this with other wide films and become "your one stop shop for all great 70mm experiences".
At least that's how I would diversify and expand if I were running the show.
 

Rob Tomlin

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Life is short. Why expend such emotional energy over the possible presentation of LoA? No details are yet available. Is this rumor or fact?
And if it is fact, where does a poorly presented movie fit into the hierarchy of wrongs to be righted. Famine, war, and injustice at home and abroad would be better addressed than the aspect ratio of an overpriced movie on an overblown screen.
Is this serious? Or flame bait?
:confused:
 

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