I had been in situations where I was expecting a screening of a print but was sad to see that it was nothing more than a copy of the film on DVD. Having this happen to me several times I was a bit cynical to the whole deal. They wouldn't really take the time to order prints of these films, would they? I still bought my ticket hoping for the best.
The night of the showing finally came and my level of excitement really hadn't peaked quite yet. The unsureness of the method of screening probably more than any other reason prevented me from attaining that level.
As I sat there in my cushy seats the spaces around me slowly began to fill up more and more. In addition to myself two of my friends Ian and Thomas joined me to see this classic film. Finally the dreaded "Inside Look" concluded and the house lights came up. I wasn't too surprised by this, I figured there would be some sort of prize giveaway or trivia question to be asked by the most expert Indiana Jones fans in attendance, and this situation was no exception. The prizes were given out and before the manager turned out the light once more he mentioned something about how the PRINT of the last film, "The Goonies", was a little rough but that this one should be in better shape.
WAT.
!
Nothing could contain my excitement after I heard him utter this statement. I was busting. I was geeking out. Hard. But it wasn't just because of the fact that I was about to watch one of my favorite movies in a 35mm print on a big screen for the first time ever. No, no. It was way more than that. This meant that I was also going to be able to see Jurassic Park in 35mm. The Shining in 35mm. Ghostbusters in 35mm.
I felt like my head was going to explode.
The film finally began after the requisite trailers for the big name blockbusters and it was better than I could've ever imagined.
There was so something so different about seeing a film in this manner. This being a film that I had watched well over a dozen times. Even after seeing it all those times on the television screen or on DVD, I felt like I was watching it for the first time. I was noticing things that I never was able to catch on the minuscule screen in my apartment. Details that I am sure many of those that were in attendance never had the chance to see until now.
Watching it in 35mm did something else to the film as well. It just felt more, well, alive. All of the scratches, all of the particles, gave it a feeling of being alive. It made me feel like I was watching history. Each one of those scratches was made at some point. Who knows maybe this print was from one of the first runs of the film in 1981? Highly unlikely, but why not? I can only hope that the next few screening will be just as, dare I say it, magical as this one was.
Oh, and if you're interested in attending one of these screenings, here's a link on fandango. Tickets are only six dollars.http://www.fandango.com/regalsehome3cinemas_aaatz/theaterpage
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