New York City Repertory Cinema

[schlockvalue]

Every screening of my Heartbreak Kid DCP was cleared through BMS -- the idea behind scanning that 16mm print was just to make a more proper (but of course flawed) HD version of the film accessible to theaters that either couldn't get one of the two circulating 35mm prints or that can't run film. AGFA also had nothing to do with that project.

[Lowry_Sam]

Yeah, my point is more: why not play what's probably the most rewatchable 70mm film of all time every year you commit to a 70mm festival? If there's one movie that perfectly explains the appeal and power of large format, it's that one

After 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien.

I first saw Playtime in 70mm at The Castro before Criterion released the 2-disc set. I remember it looking very good with the only exception of some discoloration during the opening title sequence. While I loved it, I wasn't quite as in awe as I was watching 2001 in 70mm at the Cinerama in LA, but that also could have been a difference in theaters.

[Drucker]

They also played it in 2023. In 2024 it played in MoMI's "See It Big" series, so it's possible that the owner of the print is concerned about wear and they're limiting its bookings to one NYC venue per year.

I have seen that Playtime 70mm print four times since my first viewing in 2005. The print is starting to show some wear and tear and could use a new one, but I doubt it will happen and the owners would probably rather run a DCP at this point. Even if they did, I can’t imagine it being another contact print and would see them going the easy route of a digital to film-out print. It’s also worth noting that I’m not sure about the staff at the Paris Theater or their equipment, but I was told they were the second venue for a new 70mm print of Vertigo a few years ago and they apparently damaged the print.

They also played it in 2023. In 2024 it played in MoMI's "See It Big" series, so it's possible that the owner of the print is concerned about wear and they're limiting its bookings to one NYC venue per year.

Yeah, it can be tough to book rare prints for that exact reason. I posted this before, but even though Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid gets shown regularly around New York City, they don't always have a film print. (IIRC the available DCP was made from a 16mm print, which explains why it looks so crummy.) I think there's only TWO existing 35mm prints that ever get shown: the BFI's print, which I've never seen, and the Academy's immaculate print. When Metrograph screened the Academy's print, they made it clear that it was a tough process, with the Academy going the extra mile of checking out the venue's insurance policy among other things. Elaine May just had a retrospective at Lincoln Center, making an appearance herself, and yet even there they weren't able to book the film at all, sadly an egregious omission.

I’ve seen that BFI print and can attest that it looks excellent. Beautiful, dark colors with no fading and minor damage. The DCP is a scan made from a 16mm optical reduction print (so several generations removed from the negative) distributed by AGFA and made by Muscle Distribution’s Elizabeth Purchell. From my understanding, it often screens in a legal grey zone.

But the difficulty of being able to screen prints is a real phenomenon. Without giving names, a major venue in Los Angeles with union staff apparently damaged an Academy print and the Academy refused to send a print again to them for a year. I work in art and there’s similar logistics when dealing with different types of material. I’ll never forget one lender not allowing a certain artwork that was a centerpiece to the artist’s career out because of the museum’s ancient HVAC system.

My wife is a registrar and I can only imagine the shitshow that she would tell me about if a work of art was damaged!

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Every screening of my Heartbreak Kid DCP was cleared through BMS -- the idea behind scanning that 16mm print was just to make a more proper (but of course flawed) HD version of the film accessible to theaters that either couldn't get one of the two circulating 35mm prints or that can't run film. AGFA also had nothing to do with that project.

Ah! I was convinced AGFA was involved licensing and that licensing for theatrical remained tricky. Thanks for the intel

[Never Cursed]

Wait, why does Bristol Meyers Squibb own the rights to the Elaine May film?

Yeah, my point is more: why not play what's probably the most rewatchable 70mm film of all time every year you commit to a 70mm festival? If there's one movie that perfectly explains the appeal and power of large format, it's that one

After 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien.

I mean, I would rather watch PlayTime than either of those movies, but that's entirely subjective. What I meant is that PlayTime uses the large format and huge screen to its advantage better than any other 70mm movie I can think of because of the enormous amount of choreographed background action. A 70mm print of the Kubrick no doubt looks great (and, having seen a solid third of PTA's filmography on 70mm, blow-ups look great too), but it's practically an internal component of the Tati movie and might work as a powerful argument in favor of this kind of exhibition.

(What I really wish is that US theaters would be as adventurous as the BFI and would program art-house movies on their IMAX screens during slow weeks - when I lived in England, I saw some great stuff there).