The
following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter
large-format engagements of “Hamlet” in the United States and Canada. These
were the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture.
The Castle Rock presentation and Columbia release — directed by Kenneth
Branagh (”Murder on the Orient Express,” “Death on the Nile”) and starring
Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Gerard Depardieu, Charlton Heston, Derek
Jacobi, Jack Lemmon, Rufus Sewell, Robin Williams, and Kate Winslet — opened
Christmas Day in limited release and expanded one month later.
“Hamlet” was the lone first-run film released in 1996 with 70mm prints for
selected engagements. Thirty-one large-format prints of the film were struck
for worldwide distribution with fourteen of them booked in North America.
(Five of the 70mm prints were struck from the film’s original negative
[including the first three prints booked in North America] with the balance
being printed from an inter-negative.)
The 70mm prints of “Hamlet” featured 2.20:1 full-frame imagery sourced from
65mm photography (Panavision Super 70) and Six-Track Dolby Stereo
(SR-encoded Baby Boom format with a Split Surround playback option).
For the release of “Hamlet,” Columbia employed the services of Lucasfilm’s
Theatre Alignment Program (TAP) to evaluate and approve the cinemas selected
to book a 70mm print.
Pre-release screenings included invitational/benefit previews (some with
director and/or cast reception and introduction) at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Center IMAX (December 6th); Regency 6 in San Rafael, California (December
13th); Lincoln Center in New York City (date ?); Smithsonian in Washington,
DC (date?); Chicago (date and venue?); Los Angeles (date and venue?); and
Toronto (date and venue?).
Note that some cinemas screened a 70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo print
utilizing Dolby-compatible equipment from another manufacturer (EPRAD,
Smart, Ultra Stereo, etc.), and in some instances an exhibitor made a
special request for a 70mm print that lacked Dolby Noise Reduction so that
it could be played on a cinema’s older, pre-Dolby-era sound system.
Opening date YYYY-MM-DD … locale — cinema (duration in weeks) [notes]
1996-12-25 … Los Angeles, CA — Laemmle’s Royal (11)
1996-12-25 … New York, NY — Sony’s Paris (14)
1996-12-25 … Toronto, ON — Cineplex Odeon’s York Twin (8) [THX]
1997-01-24 … Atlanta, GA — UA’s Tara 4 (8)
1997-01-24 … Boston, MA — Landmark’s Kendall Square 9 (12)
1997-01-24 … Chicago, IL — Sony’s Fine Arts 4 (11)
1997-01-24 … Denver, CO — Landmark’s Esquire Twin (1+)
1997-01-24 … Newport Beach, CA — Edwards’ Newport Triplex (6)
1997-01-24 … Royal Oak, MI — Landmark’s Main Art Triplex (8)
1997-01-24 … Sacramento, CA — Landmark’s Tower Triplex (8)
1997-01-24 … Scottsdale, AZ — Harkins’ Camelview 5 (8) [THX]
1997-01-24 … Seattle, WA — Landmark’s Guild 45th Twin (1+)
1997-01-24 … Vancouver, BC — Varsity (6)
1997-01-24 … Washington, DC — Cineplex Odeon’s Avalon Twin (8) [HPS-4000]
Note that some of the presentations included in this listing may have been
presented in 35mm during the latter week(s) of engagement due to contractual
terms or print damage and the distributor’s unwillingness to supply a 70mm
replacement print or because the booking was moved to a non-70mm-equipped
auditorium within a multiplex. As well, the reverse may have been true in
some cases whereas a booking began with a 35mm print because the lab was
unable to complete the 70mm print order in time for an opening-day delivery
or the exhibitor negotiated a mid-run switch to 70mm. In these cases, any
35mm portion of the engagement (or movement out of a branded auditorium) has
been included in the duration figure.
SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS
1997-04-25 … Dayton, OH — New Neon Movies (4)
1997-04-27 … Hartford, CT — Cinestudio (3 days)
1997-07-01 … San Francisco, CA — Castro
1997-07-16 … Brookline, MA — Coolidge Corner [70mm and scope series]
1997-09-14 … Worcester, MA — Worcester Polytechnic Institute [Fall film
series]
1997-09-19 … Riverside, OH — Telkamp’s Page Manor Twin (1)
1998-04-05 … Hartford, CT — Cinestudio (3 days)
1999-08-22 … Austin, TX — Paramount [summer classics series]
2001-11-10 … Columbia Heights, MN — Heights [70mm festival]
2006-08-20 … San Francisco, CA — Castro [70mm festival]
2008-04-23 … Champaign, IL — Virginia [EbertFest]
2011-05-05 … Santa Monica, CA — Aero [Kenneth Branagh tribute]
2013-02-24 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival]
2013-02-26 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival]
2013-06-02 … Santa Monica, CA — Aero [Shakespeare series]
2013-09-17 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival]
2013-09-22 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival]
2014-08-03 … Silver Spring, MD — AFI Silver Triplex [70mm festival]
2016-02-20 … Columbus, OH — Gateway Film Center 8 [Brunch with the Bard]
2016-09-02 … New York, NY — Museum of the Moving Image [70mm festival]
2016-09-02 … New York, NY — Museum of the Moving Image [70mm festival]
The information included in this article was principally referenced from
film industry trade publications, regional newspaper promotion, print
enclosures, TAP records, and Dolby records. Special thanks to Henry
Atkinson, Eric Carter, Geoff Jones, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Thomas
Piccione, and Phil Piga.
International 70mm engagements of this title have not been accounted for in
this work.
If you believe this article contains any errors or omissions, please
consider emailing the
author or editor.
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Release of "Hamlet"
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Readers Reviews of
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”Hamlet” in 70mm at Kronborg Castle
70MM "Hamlet" in Ireland
70mm Engagements
70mm Blow Up List
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