Another Hollywood Icon, Still Closed
Since I was in the vicinity, I decided to walk down to Sunset via Vine Street and check out the Cinerama Dome.
The Cinerama Dome was named a national landmark, so there is no chance it would ever be torn down. But the Pacific Theaters company went under during the pandemic, and the doors to it and the Arc Light Theaters adjacent to it, have not yet opened. AMC apparently passed on buying this chain of theaters. So the place (and the Arc Light) remain closed after more than two and a half years.
The theater has been in existence for nearly 60 years. Some of the best films have shown there, many in wide screen formats meant to be seen on a Cinerama screen, even if they were not shot in the original three-panel Cinerama format. That format was great for travelogues and the like, but it was soon discovered that theatrical films -- dramatic films -- didn't work in that format most of the time. Action scenes were all right, though they often had to be shot in 65mm and optically "split" to be seen in the Cinerama format. One such example was "How the West Was Won." I've seen the film many times, either at a regular theater or on TV, but I finally got to see it in the proper Cinerama format over fifteen years ago, at an afternoon matinee. The scenes shot in 65mm were all too obvious compared to the scenes shot in the three-panel format. Still, it was a great experience to see it in Cinerama. And, in the main lobby, a real Cinerama camera was on display, so one could see just what those things actually looked like.
After "How the West Was Won," and "The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm," it was decided that any future films made for Cinerama be shot in 65mm, either with spherical lenses, or the 1.25 anamorphic lenses. The latter stretched out the image to become a 2.76 to 1 aspect ratio, the same width as the three-panel Cinerama. The Cinerama name remained on the ads and in the credits, due to a contractual agreement with MGM and UA.
I've read where the Dome either has been bought, or it will be bought soon. But the dates to its reopening are not confirmed; one source said 2023, another said 2024. In any case, it will reopen, which is good news all around.
One more thing: the name "Cinerama" is actually an anagram of the word "American."
Another Hollywood Icon, Still Closed
Since I was in the vicinity, I decided to walk down to Sunset via Vine Street and check out the Cinerama Dome.
The Cinerama Dome was named a national landmark, so there is no chance it would ever be torn down. But the Pacific Theaters company went under during the pandemic, and the doors to it and the Arc Light Theaters adjacent to it, have not yet opened. AMC apparently passed on buying this chain of theaters. So the place (and the Arc Light) remain closed after more than two and a half years.
The theater has been in existence for nearly 60 years. Some of the best films have shown there, many in wide screen formats meant to be seen on a Cinerama screen, even if they were not shot in the original three-panel Cinerama format. That format was great for travelogues and the like, but it was soon discovered that theatrical films -- dramatic films -- didn't work in that format most of the time. Action scenes were all right, though they often had to be shot in 65mm and optically "split" to be seen in the Cinerama format. One such example was "How the West Was Won." I've seen the film many times, either at a regular theater or on TV, but I finally got to see it in the proper Cinerama format over fifteen years ago, at an afternoon matinee. The scenes shot in 65mm were all too obvious compared to the scenes shot in the three-panel format. Still, it was a great experience to see it in Cinerama. And, in the main lobby, a real Cinerama camera was on display, so one could see just what those things actually looked like.
After "How the West Was Won," and "The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm," it was decided that any future films made for Cinerama be shot in 65mm, either with spherical lenses, or the 1.25 anamorphic lenses. The latter stretched out the image to become a 2.76 to 1 aspect ratio, the same width as the three-panel Cinerama. The Cinerama name remained on the ads and in the credits, due to a contractual agreement with MGM and UA.
I've read where the Dome either has been bought, or it will be bought soon. But the dates to its reopening are not confirmed; one source said 2023, another said 2024. In any case, it will reopen, which is good news all around.
One more thing: the name "Cinerama" is actually an anagram of the word "American."