| | No Support of 70mm in Germany Letters Department | Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter
| | Written by: Stefan Scholz, Rehorst-Poehls, Germany | Issue 51 - December 1997 | A close friend of mine runs a small art house in the city of Kiel. We were trying to schedule "Hamlet" in 70mm, and to build a temporary setup for 70mm to screen "Hamlet" and "Vertigo" in 70mm (DTS). We could get "Vertigo" from UIP at regular conditions and without problems. With "Hamlet" we had to learn, that there are no 70mm prints in this country. Only one 70mm print came to Germany. The print was sent to Australia after a limited 3-weekend run in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. Even though we were willing to pay the extra basic rent and shipping, the only print we could get was a Dolby Digital 35mm anamorphic.
I do not understand this distribution policy. Why make a wide gauge film and give a limited distribution in 70mm in only a few major cities? Why do discrete sound mixes if the film is presented in only analogue surround sound?
We were ready to pay for the extra cost of setting up 70mm projection equipment. We even bought new ISCO projection lenses. For what purpose? "Hamlet" is absolutely gorgeous. How great it would have been to see it in 70mm with perfect discrete sound! We need to get wide gauge back into smaller cities and even the countryside. Then there will be a chance to revitalize the 70mm format!
Stefan Scholz, Rehorst-Poehls, Germany | More in 70mm reading:
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