Restored "The Searchers" in 70mm (1 Viewer)

[dpippel]

Are you saying that since April (just over two months ago), there have been that many screenings of this particular print?

He's saying that just ONE problematic projection - a single screening - can damage a print enough to cause the reported issues with this particular showing.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

So easy to scratch a print. I remember the “2001” 70mm reissue in 2018, went opening night, print was fine. Went back a few days later, little scratches throughout. Went back a few days after that, huge scratches running the entire length of the film. Went back a fourth time, brand new print, they had to get a replacement after that.

 

[Robert Harris]

So easy to scratch a print. I remember the “2001” 70mm reissue in 2018, went opening night, print was fine. Went back a few days later, little scratches throughout. Went back a few days after that, huge scratches running the entire length of the film. Went back a fourth time, brand new print, they had to get a replacement after that.

When Real Projectionists controlled the workspace, a single print could run for over a year, two shows a day, and be virtually pristine on day 400.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

When Real Projectionists controlled the workspace, a single print could run for over a year, two shows a day, and be virtually pristine on day 400.

Back in 1982, I saw a 70mm reel of The Sound of Music that was nearly perfect, physically, including the mag track. Mostly faded picture. The theater used it as a test when changing over from 35 to 70. When I remarked to the head projectionist (Mac) that it was still so clean, he mentioned that that reel had been run for over a year at the Bellevue Theatre during the 1965 roadshow. Fox insisted that the theater needed a new print after a year (even though the print was still pristine) so they sent another and the booth kept the original as a back up. When the run ended, they kept the original print and distributed the reels to other 70mm locations for test purposes, which is how I saw it. We used it to set up for Poltergeist.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

So easy to scratch a print. I remember the “2001” 70mm reissue in 2018, went opening night, print was fine. Went back a few days later, little scratches throughout. Went back a few days after that, huge scratches running the entire length of the film. Went back a fourth time, brand new print, they had to get a replacement after that.

There was the time a theater I knew split a 70mm print of Empire Strikes Back down the middle (during the Star Wars/Empire double feature in 1983) during the first show.

 

[Into The Archives]

Are you saying that since April (just over two months ago), there have been that many screenings of this particular print?

The restoration premiered at the TCM festival, so presumably the print was created after that. How many screenings were even booked during that time?

To Date:

2024-04-21 … Los Angeles, CA, USA — Egyptian [TCM Classic Film Festival]
2024-04-28 … Los Angeles, CA, USA — Egyptian
2024-05-03 … Santa Monica, CA, USA — Aero
2024-05-04 … Santa Monica, CA, USA — Aero
2024-06-22 … Bologna, Italy — Piazza Maggiore [Il Cinema Ritrovato]
2024-06-22 … Portland, OR, USA — Hollywood [70mm festival]
2024-06-23 … Portland, OR, USA — Hollywood [70mm festival]
2024-07-18 … New York, NY, USA — Museum of the Moving Image [70mm festival]
2024-07-19 … New York, NY, USA — Museum of the Moving Image [70mm festival]
2024-07-20 … New York, NY, USA — Museum of the Moving Image [70mm festival]
2024-07-21 … New York, NY, USA — Museum of the Moving Image [70mm festival]

Upcoming:

2024-08-08 … Chicago, IL, USA — Music Box [70mm festival]
2024-08-27 … Austin, TX, USA — Paramount [50th anniversary summer classics festival]
2024-10-07 … Columbia Heights, MN, USA — Heights

As I said earlier, there are at least 2 70mm prints, as Bologna and Portland screened the film on the same date in 70mm. The question is: did the NYC print come from the Bologna run???? I've seen some crazy 35mm presentations at Il Cinema Ritrovato the few times I have gone---maybe the worst was a dye transfer screening of an Archival print of "The Patsy", where an entire reel was screened with the top loop gone, causing the picture to jump for 16 minutes. I asked why it wasn't stopped and fixed, and it was due they couldn't guarantee to have the electronic subtitles, shown under the screening, running in sync if they stopped in mid-feature.

 

[trajan007]

When Real Projectionists controlled the workspace, a single print could run for over a year, two shows a day, and be virtually pristine on day 400.

The Madison theater in Detroit ran THE SOUND OF MUSIC with the same print for two years without a scratch.

 

[cinerama10]

When Real Projectionists controlled the workspace, a single print could run for over a year, two shows a day, and be virtually pristine on day 400.

Back in 1965 we screened SOUND OF MUSIC in 70mm for 42 weeks and there was never a scratch on it.

 

[Henry Gondorff]

There was the time a theater I knew split a 70mm print of Empire Strikes Back down the middle (during the Star Wars/Empire double feature in 1983) during the first show.

Similar to a 70mm print I saw of Star Wars when first released that was scratched on both sides of the frame by improperly threading the mag head.

 

[OliverK]

I just got an E-mail from Park Circus with news that The Searchers can now be booked as a 4K DCP and to my surprise the 70mm print(s) can also be booked subject to availability:

 

[RickardL]

I just got an E-mail from Park Circus with news that The Searchers can now be booked as a 4K DCP and to my surprise the 70mm print(s) can also be booked subject to availability:

You can read about the 70mm prints here: https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1954_vistavision/1956_searchers/restoration/index.htm
Q: Will 70mm prints be available for exhibition at 70mm cinemas in Europe?
A: We will be making the 70mm available to exhibition in North America, with plans to roll out to International markets.

 

[OliverK]

You can read about the 70mm prints here: https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1954_vistavision/1956_searchers/restoration/index.htm
Q: Will 70mm prints be available for exhibition at 70mm cinemas in Europe?
A: We will be making the 70mm available to exhibition in North America, with plans to roll out to International markets.

Yes I saw that but it still surprises me that now those 70mm prints can be booked in the same way as a 4K DCP. The prints are very delicate and I guess I was expecting that they would be made a bit less accessible.

 

[Garysb]

The Film Forum in NYC will be showing a 4K DCP of "The Searchers" for a week. 4 Times Per Day.

John Ford's​

THE SEARCHERS​

Friday, September 13 – Thursday, September 19
Buy Tickets
$11.00 Member $17.00 Regular

NEW 4K RESTORATION
U.S., 1956
Directed by John Ford
Starring John Wayne, Natalie Wood, Jeffrey Hunter
Written by Frank S. Nugent
Based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May
Approx. 119 min. DCP.
“That’ll be the day.” John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter’s multi-year quest to rescue kidnapped Natalie Wood from the Comanche begins and ends with Wayne framed in a doorway. Arguably Ford’s greatest work, and subject of imitations and homages in a multiplicity of genres.
A WARNER BROS. RELEASE

 

[JPCinema]

Manhattan's 500 seat Paris theater will be showing THE SEARCHERS in 70mm in September.

 

[Garysb]

Manhattan's 500 seat Paris theater will be showing THE SEARCHERS in 70mm in September.

The Paris is owned by Netflix. "The Searchers" is part of the second year of a film series they are doing called "Big and Loud" meant to showcase the renovations Netflix made to the theater which include 70MM projection and Dolby Atmos. Hopefully that means they will have a projectionist who knows how to run 70 MM. Other films in the first 2 weeks of the series, from August 23 to September 5th :

THE ABYSS: SPECIAL EDITION in Atmos • BOOGIE NIGHTS in 70mm • CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND • DAYS OF HEAVEN 4K Restoration • EAST OF EDEN in Atmos • FORBIDDEN PLANET • GRAVITY in Atmos • THE GREEN FOG (double-feature with VERTIGO) • INSTRUMENT 25th Anniversary + Q&A with Jem Cohen & Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto • KOYAANISQATSI • THE LAST WALTZ 4K Restoration • MALCOLM X in 70mm • OKJA in Atmos • PHANTOM THREAD in 70mm • THE REMAINS OF THE DAY in 70mm + Q&A with James Ivory • SPARTACUS in 70mm • TRAINING DAY in Atmos • UNCUT GEMS in Atmos

Series runs through 10/31/2023. Films and schedule after 9/5 will be announced in September.

 

[mskaye]

The Paris is owned by Netflix. "The Searchers" is part of the second year of a film series they are doing called "Big and Loud" meant to showcase the renovations Netflix made to the theater which include 70MM projection and Dolby Atmos. Hopefully that means they will have a projectionist who knows how to run 70 MM. Other films in the first 2 weeks of the series, from August 23 to September 5th :

THE ABYSS: SPECIAL EDITION in Atmos • BOOGIE NIGHTS in 70mm • CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND • DAYS OF HEAVEN 4K Restoration • EAST OF EDEN in Atmos • FORBIDDEN PLANET • GRAVITY in Atmos • THE GREEN FOG (double-feature with VERTIGO) • INSTRUMENT 25th Anniversary + Q&A with Jem Cohen & Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto • KOYAANISQATSI • THE LAST WALTZ 4K Restoration • MALCOLM X in 70mm • OKJA in Atmos • PHANTOM THREAD in 70mm • THE REMAINS OF THE DAY in 70mm + Q&A with James Ivory • SPARTACUS in 70mm • TRAINING DAY in Atmos • UNCUT GEMS in Atmos

Series runs through 10/31/2023. Films and schedule after 9/5 will be announced in September.

Everyone that can should attend some of these and savor the opportunity. Support it even if it isn't going to be 1000% perfect. If not, these opportunities will go away. There are many people out there that will be experiencing these films in a theater with an audience for the first time (the American Cinematheque's does this annually and the shows are almost always sold out) so this is for them, not some of the people here that will slam the entire experience because the final print is not exactly how they remembered it looking in 1957. Even the well worn, now brownish 70mm print of Sam Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH that I saw in the LA last year STILL has overwhelming power. You can feel the energy in the theater.

 

[Henry Gondorff]

Somerville Theater showing The Searchers 70mm Sept. 19 and 20.
Showing North By Northwest 70mm Oct. 21,22,23.