Current status of the former Windsor “Todd-AO theater in São Paulo, Brazil | Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Written by: Paulo Roberto P. Elias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Date: 04.06.2012 |
 In70mm reader João Carlos Reis Pinto wrote me an e-mail
calling my attention to the current status of the Windsor theater in São
Paulo. The Windsor was a well-known installation place for a pair of the
legendary Philips DP70 projectors, and its curved screen was fitted to meet
Todd-AO standards.The place was inaugurated in 1963 and it is located at Avenida Ipiranga 974, São Paulo city, in the state bearing the same name. Here you can see the fac-simile of the paper’s opening advertisement. Click the image to see an enlargement | More in 70mm reading: Mr. Orion Jardim de Faria - A visit to a Brazilian 70mm film Pioneer Large Format in Brazil / 70mm In Rio The Incol 70-35 projector Internet link: Bruno Graziano Alexandre Miko The DP70 |
 The Todd-AO and Philips logos can still be seen in the façade of the
Windsor. Image by
Alexandre MikoThis picture was taken by film enthusiast Alexandre Miko for his photo blog about then years ago. But, according to his recent report to me nothing has really changed. In fact, the Windsor instead of closing down completely as most of the palace theatres did, as a result of the decadence of São Paulo’s city centre nocturnal life, it is showing pornographic DVDs on the very same screen! | |
 The Windsor’s projection booth apparently hasn’t changed much. Film maker
Bruno Graziano shot June 5, 2011 for his photo blog showing one single DP70
projector. Image by Bruno GrazianoThe original picture can be seen in one of his pages. I tried to contact him to see if the other projector is still there but at no avail. At any rate this projector system is used for a yearly event called “Virada Cultural”, sponsored by São Paulo’s city hall. | |
 As the change to digital projection escalates in the surviving theaters it
is difficult to foresee how regular, smaller or independent theaters will
survive, let alone those that still hang on some kind of hope for the
heydays of large gauge projection.I am at least pleased to know that once a year the Windsor transforms itself into a place of interest of cinema aficionados. Quite frankly, it is better than nothing. | |
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