London News July 1997

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The 70mm Newsletter

Written by: chief projectionist John Sharp, The 70mm Association Newsletter (London Branch)

Issue 50 - September 1997

After 2 years of no 70mm presentations, the first half of this year has proved very fruitfull.

Firstly Kenneth Branaghs ”Hamlet” opened at the Curzon Mayfair, and had a respectable season there. Alfred Hitchcock´s restored”Vertigo” opened at the Lumiere (More of which later) and had a good limited season there.

The National Film Theatre has also been showing a short season of 70mm presentations (some blow-ups). The most interesting was a rare chance to see Fred Zinnemann´s musical”Oklahoma!” – the print wasn´t too bad. Scratching on heads and tails, a few colour changes, but on the whole it was quite acceptable and a delight to see again in its original format. This was a part of a planned Fred Zinnemann season to celebrate his 90th birthday, but sadly he passed away beforehand, so the season became a fitting tribute to his work.

Sadly during this time the West-End has lost another of its prestigious cinemas, The Lumiere closed its doors in June. It was equipped for 70mm presentations, which over the years have included a revival of Disney´s ”Sleeping Beauty”, the London premiere of Luc Bessons´s ”The Big Blue” and the recent revival of Hitchcock´s ”Vertigo”. It was always a pleasant cinema to watch a film in – and will be sadly missed by the serious filmgoers. It looks as if a hotel is to be built on the site.

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