Tweet TCM Casablanca 70th Anniversary Screenings

[silentfilm]

http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/casablanca.aspx?d=3%2F21%2F2012

Turner Classic Movies Presents Casablanca 70th Anniversary Event
03/21/2012

NCM Fathom, Turner Classic Movies, and Warner Bros are coming together again to present Turner Classic Movies Presents Casablanca 70th Anniversary Event in select movie theaters nationwide on Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00PM (local time). The event will begin with Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne taking audiences behind the scenes of this epic love story in a special original production showcasing stories from those who were on set and those who simply admire this timeless classic. Once again, audiences will see this beautiful and timeless classic on the silver screen.

Casablanca is a classic tale of unrequited love and is a project that defined the “golden age” of Hollywood and allowed audiences to fall in love with cinema all over again. Turner Classic Movies Presents Casablanca 70th Anniversary Event is the only opportunity to see this stunning digital presentation grace the silver screen on Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00PM (local time) with additional matinee showings at select movie theater locations. Check your local listings for more information.

Don’t miss the most romantic film of all time. More beautiful than it’s ever been!

Click here to download the Casablanca Date Night Guide and enter to win a romantic weekend away & dinner for two.

TICKETING*
Tickets are on sale NOW but seats are limited – so buy your tickets early! Enter your zip code to find your nearest participating movie theater.

THEATERS
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*Check back often if ticketing is not yet available for your nearest theater location as updates are being made daily. Please note: Theater locations are subject to change.

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Casablanca will be shown in its original aspect ratio. Bonus content not rated.

I will be going. Sadly, I'll be going stag as my wife finds Casablanca "incredibly dull."

My father expressed interest but not enough to spend $12.50 a ticket. If he won't pay that for his favorite movie of all time, I doubt he'll ever go back to the theater.

Oh well.

Caveat Emptor, most of the theaters running Fathom events are doing so on presentation projectors (the kind that run the slideshows beforehand) for contractual reasons in compressed HD (1080p). If that turns you off, contact the theater beforehand to make sure.

[silentfilm]

Since I already have the BluRay and I've seen it 20 times, I'm going to pass too. It would have been worth it if it was a 4K digital version or a 35mm print.

Saw this in Albany, NY and the theater was packed. There's something magical about seeing a classic film with an audience. Really a fun experience overall and worth the $12.50 I paid for the ticket.

My wife and I attended the screening at the Cinemark theater in our hometown, Stephenville, TX, last Wednesday. There were about 15-20 people on hand to see it in a theater that held about 100.

It was a good experience, but I actually thought the Blu ray pushed by our Oppo-83 player through our 58" Panasonic 1080p plasma at home via HDMI cable gave a better image (better black levels, better contrast, maybe even better detail). The image in the theater was not particularly immersive (maybe we sat too far back), and oddly, not as sharp an image (IMO) as our setup at home.

I understand that Cinemark will continue to screen classic movies and I intend to support this effort.

Before you start wishing for 35mm exhibition of this movie, remember there are only limited options:

Most 35mm revival house prints of years ago were worn, splicy and not always the sharpest contrast, due to cheap lab work of the 70s and 80s. This doesn't even take into consideration the oft-out of focus presentation at some theatres.

When I ran the (35mm) 50th Anniversary reissue in 1992 at my theatre in Michigan, the print was darker contrast and nothing like the new Blu-Ray release I ran last year at a local theatre on their professional equipment with scaler.
The Blu-Ray release was sharp, many scenes deep depth of field and a delight on the big screen.

I attended the local showing of CASABLANCA last night, and was very impressed with the presentation.

The picture quality was very good, and I would give it 4-1/2 stars. I thought the image could have been a little lighter, but that could easily have been the fault of the projectionist. Contrast was excellent, and the image was steady and sharp. I noticed a tiny bit of grain here and there in a few scenes, but overall (and especially for a 70-year old film), it looked great. I remember running CASABLANCA in the 1970's, in 16mm on a 20-foot wide screen, and it looked pretty good. This was likely digital projection (no splices that I could see), and it looked better than a 16mm print, but probably not as good as a pristine 35mm print would be. Still, Ingrid looked very luminous when necessary!

Ironically, because the theater screen was built for widescreen format and the film was shown in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, the width of the picture (probably about 30 feet) was limited by the height of the screen.

I was also impressed by the sound quality, which I would give 5 stars. For starters, there was none of the usual hiss that you often get with the old optical soundtracks. And unless my memory is failing me, I also seem to have heard various remarks and lines that I don't recall hearing in past viewings.

So all in all, I thought it was worthwhile. "Vive la France!!" SETH