A Star is Born Fathom Events

Went to the theater last night to see A Star is Born (1954). It was a Fathom Event and those are usually hit or miss depending on the theater and who is actually operating the projector.

I actually couldn't tell if this was the 4K restoration or not. Some of the disolves were a little rough, which led me to believe that this was the print available on the original DVD. At times the picture looked striking others not so much. I'll have to revisit the Blu Ray and make some comparisons.

Anyway, having seen this picture numerous times, I was amazed at how seeing it in a theater made it feel like a completely new experience. Those wide camera angles were so much more impactful, the sound at times caused the theater walls to vibrate. Even the larger than life performances made much more sense. Those three hours flew by and it was well worth the trek in the rain to see this wonderful movie again.

 

I saw this last Sunday at my local Cinemark. Despite my highest hopes, I felt that I was just watching a projected DVD. It started with no pre-show trailers or introductory material (via TCM as several others I've seen at "Fathom Events") I was completely underwhelmed by the sound. Not that loud and I could barely detect much stereo separation. The image was darker than I'd have hoped for and fuzzy at times (not including the REALLY poor looking moments with the still images over the found dialogue tracks.) And at other times, several scenes glowed with razor sharp, Kodachrome-looking color and sharpness! Sadly, the entire audience totaled THREE! Me and a young couple that appeared to be about 18-20. They bounded out after it was over. I wanted to catch them and asked them what drew them to the showing. I asked when I purchased my ticket if there would be an intermission and the 16 year old ticket seller almost couldn't comprehend my question. They said they'd call a manger, but I declined and said, "That's OK." Sure enough, an INTERMISSION card hit the screen. The lights did not even go up. So I elected to treat myself to popcorn and a drink. ($9.00 total for the smallest of each! Ticket was $6.00) In the short time it took for me to get that and back- by the time I returned to the theater- the picture had already started. I'm guessing they allowed 5 minutes for the intermission. In closing, I will agree with the previous poster- as far as the widescreen presentation- it was like seeing it for the first time. Glad I went, but there were those negative aspects.

 

Initially, I wasn't going to go. I have the Blu, my home set up works well (I jumped on the UHD band wagon) and I find going to the theater to watch a DVD a little lackluster.

As I said, I couldn't tell what they were projecting, SD or 4K. But I was the only person in the theater. Weird at first but having the whole theater to yourself is kinda fun. You can sing along if you want to. ;-) I would have liked a better attendance, tho.

The intermission card flashed on the screen for maybe 60 seconds then it was back to the movie. No real break.