“Hamlet”: The North American 70mm Engagements |
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| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 30.11.2018 |
 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. |
More in 70mm reading: Kenneth Branagh's "HAMLET" on 65mm 2013: A Danish Summer of 70mm "Hamlet" to be filmed in 70mm Release of "Hamlet" in 70mm Readers Reviews of "Hamlet" ”Hamlet” in 70mm at Kronborg Castle 70MM "Hamlet" in Ireland 70mm Engagements 70mm Blow Up List |
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