12 replies to this topic

[Gobi-1]

I'm a Junior at my new University so I was really excited about all the on campus activities. My university has recently built a brand new movie theater in the student center and I was looking forward to seeing a movie there.

I was thrilled when I saw that Casino Royale would be playing tonight. A chance to see Bond back on the big screen, I'm there. My joy turned to sorrow when the "film" started and to my horror they simply played the DVD and projected it onto the screen.

It was a disaster.

Not only was it not celluloid, nor a digital print, but it was also not projected in the correct aspect ratio. The image was stretched so far everybody looked squashed. Most of the screen was filled with the black bars on the top and bottom. The didn't even bother using the whole screen. They had the curtains drawn to make a basic square. And finally the only speakers that were on were along the front of the theater so you lost all surround sound.

I made a special trip just to come see the film. It's an hour's drive (one-way) to my university so I was really P.O.ed. My older brother has met me at the theater to see the film and I told him I couldn't watch it like this. He agreed and we left before the opening credits were over.

I'm thinking about submitting a letter to the campus paper to complain about the lazy standards tonight.

[stamper]

So basically, you are saying you guys can't calibrate a DVD player and a screen. Submit your technical hability instead of a letter, get hired, and be happy making money showing films.

[Professor Dent]

Since theater is brand new & probably being run by student volunteers, I'd go easy on them. Who knows what kind of equipment is even in it & it is early in the semester so I'm guessing they haven't shown too many movies. I'd provide them with some constructive feedback & maybe ask to lend some help. You will help improve the next Bond movie they show along with every other movie. Who knows, they may feel the same way you do about the quality of the presentation.

[DaveBond21]

Doesn't seem like there is much point showing movies on that equipment!!

[Turn]

I thought judging by the title of the thread that it was a censored version of the film. There was a company that took films and cut out the sex and violence for a while, but I believe they were shut down by one of the Hollywood guilds since that basically said what they were doing was censorship, which they had no right to do.

Universities have been showing projected versions of videos for years. I recall watching a projected version of Rebel Without a Cause when I was in film school in the late '80s.

[Gobi-1]

Let me make clear that it is a real movie theater. They have a film projector and everything and show films that are in the last stages of their theatrical run, for example "Ocean's Thirteen" and "Evan Almighty" played this weekend.

I figured they had managed to get a film print of Casino Royale. It happens. I read on CBn all the time about "One-Night-Only" showings of the Bond movies in different cities. I thought I had lucked out and would get to go see one.

So you could understand how I was disappointed when they simply did something I could have done at home myself with a better quality presentation.

[Barbershop Quartet]

This cant be wose than the time I settled down to watch Royale on a "long-haul" flight.

Kick back, watch some Bond... Get part way through and find... wait for it... The entire poisoning sequence was cut.

"That last hand nearly killed me"... no it didn't, I'm thinking, it didn't HAPPEN!

What riled me more was that the Departed and Dirty Harry were showing, totally uncut! Who know's what the airline censors were thinking.

[mccartney007]

My first experience watching THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH was pretty dire -- the sound was distorted, cut out and and occasionally a speaker would start squealing.

[HildebrandRarity]

Gobi-1, you were not even born then but OHMSS was truly "butchered" by ABC tv back in 1979.

Some on here will remember that showing. Kojak was big back then and Lazenby did a voice over narration with the ski sequence starting the movie on the first of two nights.

[RazorBlade]

Gobi-1, you were not even born then but OHMSS was truly "butchered" by ABC tv back in 1979.

Some on here will remember that showing. Kojak was big back then and Lazenby did a voice over narration with the ski sequence starting the movie on the first of two nights.

I'm glad I missed that.

[Monsieur B]

Gobi-1, you were not even born then but OHMSS was truly "butchered" by ABC tv back in 1979.

Some on here will remember that showing. Kojak was big back then and Lazenby did a voice over narration with the ski sequence starting the movie on the first of two nights.

No, I don't think that was Lazenby doing the voice-over narration. Just some uncredited techy from ABC doing a pretty bad Lazenby impression. Why did ABC feel the need to re-edit the film? It's perfect as is!

[Barbershop Quartet]

My first experience watching THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH was pretty dire -- the sound was distorted, cut out and and occasionally a speaker would start squealing.

Ah, but you still grew up a Bond fan :-D

[marktmurphy]

This cant be wose than the time I settled down to watch Royale on a "long-haul" flight.

Kick back, watch some Bond... Get part way through and find... wait for it... The entire poisoning sequence was cut.

"That last hand nearly killed me"... no it didn't, I'm thinking, it didn't HAPPEN!

What riled me more was that the Departed and Dirty Harry were showing, totally uncut! Who know's what the airline censors were thinking.

But they left the whole blowing-up-a-plane sequence in there? How odd.