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Posted: |
Apr 25, 2014 - 12:11 AM
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By: |
philiperic
(Member)
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I only found out by chance last weekend that the biggest epic of them all(!!!) was back in theaters in the U.S. for four performances - two over last weekend and two showings on Wednesday. It was shown in Regal Cinemas nationwide- it is part of a five film Epic series including BEN-HUR, GLADIATOR, TITANIC and SPARTACUS -
I could not go over the weekend so set aside five hours yesterday to see to my all time favorite again(!!!). And I am so glad that I did - it looked great and sounded wonderful.
In the end credits , there was 2010 restoration tag -- part of the BR ? - but it really looked like a film. I have never seen this shown in its entirety in a cinema before including the Overture, Entr'Acte and Exit Music plus the original roadshow introduction by Mr. DeMille. With a 15 minute intermission, it ran about 4 hrs and 10 minutes. Amazing!
Even after literally 100s of viewings over the last 58 years, I still found new details and wonderful moments to relive. For example, I noticed that a number of dialogue driven scenes especially in the first half , fade to black but one still sees characters talking - lips still moving -suggesting in the editting quite a few scenes were abbreviated. I would love to compare an early draft of the screenplay to the finished one -- I am sure that there would be some interesting variations. Even though the dialogue is often poked fun at it because of its supposed overblown or archaic style/structure, I actually believe that the four screenwriters created a classic film --- partly by skillfully interweaving various fictional plots along with as much Bible and historical accuracy as possible -- I am sure some fans after all these years believe that an Egyptian Queen named Neferteri hardened Pharoah's heart against Moses and almost prevented the Exodus.
Because of the clarity of the sound, I heard lines that proabably have never been this clear in a theater before- for example when Moses is brought in chains before Sethi , you could every word that minor players were suppose to be somewhat saying under their breath. It just stuck me that technology has given more detail to this already amazing film.
I know that this is very different than BEN-HUR - that it doesnt have the "intelligence" or reputation of the Wyler masterpiece. Still it is loved by movie fans worldwide, maybe more than any other similar film including BH . So there is something here that is unique --- iconic , amazing, perfect -- I dont know the right adjective.
My only quibble with this showing was I remember back in the late 50s + 60s that the Vista Vision Technicolor was more eye popping than in this restored effort. Could it be my eyes? Did I see it more vividly as a child or teenager ? Maybe someone else saw this in theaters and understands this besides me -- it looked great - sharp, accurate, faithful to the original but not as intense. Maybe this comes from watching it so much on the TV screen and being able to adjust it to higher intensity? Something is different.
Still - if you ever have an opportunity to ever see TTC on a giant screen in the future , do it ---you won't regret it .
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