Actually, the entr'acte isn't the intermission. It's the "overture" for the second act of the film. Example: In Ben-Hur, Charlton Heston walks away from the camera as the leaves blow behind him and Miklos Rozsa's score rises as an intermission card is displayed on the screen. The lights come up and people go get their popcorn or go to the bathroom. When the entr'acte begins, it alerts the movie is about to start and the lights dim shortly before the end of the entr'acte and the curtains open and the film begins.
At every roadshow engagement I attended in the '60s and '70s, there was ALWAYS a longer, silent intermission period before the entr'acte played. What would be the point of just playing music for four minutes in the middle of the movie?
Correct! The start of the entr’acte music was also a means of indicating to the audience that part 2 of the film would shortly begin.
I also vaguely recall - before movie theaters became multi-plexes - they would also dim some of the lobby lights two or three times a few minutes before the show or second half started.
I’ve seen several former roadshow films at Fathom Events showings at a Cinemark Theatre. For Ben-Hur & Lawrence of Arabia they just played right through the entr’acte music for the intermission with descending numbers on the screen leading to the 2nd part of the film. You had to make a quick trip to the rest room not to miss the beginning of part 2. At least they were playing these films. I enjoyed every one. The films were sparsely attended by mostly older viewers. When they showed Ben-Hur, younger audience members were laughing and though something was wrong in the projection booth. In subsequent showings a short statement was place on the screen explaining that the film was originally exhibited with a musical introduction.
It was joined on the very end and it read Filmed in Dimension 150 i sure there is frame of it on 70mm.com.
