11th Oslo 70mm Festival |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Written by: Jan E. Olsen, curator of Festival. Images by Geir Friestad (Head Projectionist) | Date: 17.12.2014 |
 The
first 70mm festival in Oslo took place in the year
2000. As a
projectionist at Cinemateket, I knew there was a collection of 70mm prints
which rarely or never was screened. The films did not fit regular
programming, they were regarded as too long, too pompous or too commercial.
The idea to gather giant Hollywood blockbusters and to celebrate their
success in bringing patrons back to the movie theatres has become a great
success. We have searched for and found movies, which haven't been screened
publically since their original release. We have inspired other
Cinematheques and festivals
to acknowledge ”The Rolls-Royce of film formats”, and even the Cinematheque
in Paris has now started screening
70mm movies.Most movie theatres in the world are now digitised. Analogue projection of movies is now a fairly rare event, limited to a few theatres in each country. Film laboratories have closed, an entire aspect of the cinema industry has vanished. Studios and film archives will presumably guard their precious prints, and print requests are becoming substantially harder than it was some few years ago. We are therefore particularly happy and proud to present so many unique and rare movie experiences during our 13 day festival. |
More in 70mm reading: Gallery: 70mm Festival in Oslo, 2015 70MM Impressions from Oslo 70mm, Cinerama and Cinemiracle shown in Norway "A Year Along the Abandoned Road" - One Year in 12 Minutes and 70mm "Where The Trains Used To Go" in IMAX by Morten Skallerud "Norway" Cast & Credits Interview with Mr Hans-Kristian Bukholm Fønix, Kristianstad, Norway PDF: Oslo 70mm Program (in Norwegian) |
 We
open with
"South Pacific", the first 70mm movie screened in Oslo at the
Colosseum cinema 55 years ago. Nearly all our films at the festival
premiered at the Colosseum, at a time when going to the movies was an event
and the cinemas represented the ultimate way to watch a film. This year we
have managed to get hold of Sony/Columbias
restoration of "Lawrence of
Arabia", in my eyes the best print out there of this title, and
arguably the movie that utilizes the 70mm format to its fullest potential.
We also screen a personal favourite of mine,
"Patton",
carefully restored by Fox, which you simply must see on the big screen.
Maybe the sharpest of all the 70mm prints I have seen, very close to
"Airport" at least!I have been searching for a screenable print of "El Cid" for 14 years, and I am very happy to finally have found one. It is an original print in good condition, unfortunately the colours are gone. Still, it is very rare to see this film on the big screen, and it is a title I am really looking forward to watch. |
|
 70mm
is not just nostalgia and a tribute to movie going in the 1960-ies. Leading
directors Paul Thomas Anderson and Christopher Nolan use analogue film to
tell their stories. We are very proud to screen their movies
"The Master"
and "Interstellar"
the way they prefer their movies to be screened. The follow up to
"Baraka",
"Samsara", use 65mm as a shooting format, but since few cinemas have
70mm capability these days, it is only available in a 4k dcp. Yet, it is a
good demonstration of how important the shooting format is: This particular
combination of technologies probably offers the best a movie can look with
digital projection technologies these days.Even Hollywood studios choose not to make analogue prints when they restore classic movies. We are very pleased to screen Fox´s "Oklahoma!" in 4k and 30 frames pr second on our Sony 4k projector with an impressive 8000:1 contrast ratio. Many of the titles we screened during the first year of the festival are no longer possible to screen. "Spartacus" does not exist in Europe any more in a screenable print, and the one in the US is difficult to get hold of. "Exodus" was screened at the first festival, but has now lost its colours and is no longer available. South Pacific was not available in 2013, but we managed to get hold of it this year. The Norwegian film institute proudly presents the 11th Oslo 70mm festival. The program is a mix of vintage original prints, blow-ups and restored classics. This festival, dedicated to a movie format that was introduced more than 50 years ago, is a dream for many movie fans around the world. Today, movies and cinemas have reached a time of change – a change from film based to digital cinema and a change in the way movies are felt and understood. For more information about tickets, accommodation etc, please contact festival curator Jan E. Olsen |
|
The Program |
|
 Friday
23.119.00 "South Pacific" in Todd-AO + "The Miracle of Todd-AO" and "A Year Along the Abandoned Road") Saturday 24.1 13.00 "The Master" in Super Panavision 70 16.00 "Lawrence of Arabia" in Super Panavision 70 restored version 20.30 "Interstellar" in full 70mm with Datasat sound Sunday 25.1 13.30 "Out of Africa" in full 70mm blow-up with 6-track Dolby Stereo 17.00 "Oklahoma!" in 4K from Todd-AO 20.00 "Patton" in Dimension 150 (new print) Monday 26.1 18.30 "Samasara" in 4K Super Panavision 70 21.00 EARTHQUAKE in full 70mm blow-up with 6-track SENSURROUND Tuesday 27.1 19.00 "Song of Norway" vintage Super Panavision 70 (Filmsalongen 70mm-special) Wednesday 28.1 19.00 "South Pacific" in Todd-AO (Filmsalongen 70mm-special) Thursday 29.1 18.00 "The Bear" in full 70mm blow-up with 6-track Dolby Stereo 20.00 "Patton" (new print) |
Oslo 2013 70mm Film Festival report 10th Oslo 70mm Festival, January 2013 70mm Festival in Oslo 2010 The 9th Oslo 70mm festival The 2004 Oslo 70mm Film Festival The First Oslo 70mm Festival 2000 70mm Retro - Festivals and Screenings Internet link: Norwegian Film Institute |
 Friday 30.118.00 "El Cid" in Super Technirama 70 (vintage print) 21.30 "Kelly's Heroes" in full 70mm blow-up with 6-track magnetic stereo Saturday 31.1 14.00 70mm Lecture "Size always matters!" by Thomas Hauerslev 15.30 "Doctor Zhivago" in full 70mm blow-up with 6-track magnetic stereo 19.30 "Lawrence of Arabia" in Super Panavision 70 restored version Sunday 1.2 12.00 "War and Peace" by Sergej Bondarchuk in Sovscope 70. 8 hours including intermissions (including soup) 19.00 "Samsara" in 4K Super Panavision 70 Monday 2.2 18.00 "Oklahoma!" in 4K from Todd-AO 21.00 "The Master" in Super Panavision 70 Tuesday 3.2 19.00 "El Cid" in Super Technirama 70 Wednesday 4.2 19.00 "Interstellar" in full 70mm with Datasat sound All films in original language and with Scandinavian subtitles |
|
The Cinema |
|
 Image by Fredrik Mortensen, Norwegian Film InstituteOur newly renovated cinema is equipped with two Philips DP70 70mm projectors. Isco Ultra Star HD 87mm lenses and original Ultra Panavision 70 1.25 anamorphic lenses. Panastereo 70mm magnetic preamplifier for format 40, 41, 42, 43 – with or without A or SR noise reduction. Yamaha DME64 central digital sound decoder. • Latest generation 4k projector, Sony SRX-R515P, with contrast ratio 8000:1 • 5 front channels with ElectroVoice VariplexII, refurbished with BMS drivers. • BGW amps. • 2 x DTS XD10s • and Dolby Atmos sound system with Meyer surround speakers. And of course, custom made masking curtain control with 15 pre-adjusted stops. |
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Festival Tickets |
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 Image by Fredrik Mortensen, Norwegian Film InstituteIf you travel from abroad you may reserve tickets the following ways: E-mail curator Jan E Olsen Fax: + 47 2247 4598 If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Tickets will be ready for you in an envelope with your name at the box office, where you can pay by cash or credit card. Festival tickets: NOK 70,-/100,- All screenings take place at Cinemateket in the heart of Oslo, within walking distance from the central train station Cinemateket Dronningensgate 16 0152 OSLO NORWAY Phone number to box office: + 47 2247 4589 Places to stay: Cochs Pensjonat Centrally located, near the royal castle. 15 minutes walking distance to the cinema. Best value! Thon Hotels Astoria In the same street as the cinema, two minutes walking distance. Great value! |
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