"The Hateful Eight" at the "Lichtburg" in Germany |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Written and photographed by: Ulrich Rostek | Date: 01.02.2016 |
 Like everybody within the 70mm community I was absolutely keen on seeing
"The Hateful Eight" (which means I was dying to see people dying)
since I read the movie was going to be shot in Ultra Panavision 70 - my
excitement growing from day to day ever since. In Germany only four 70mm
prints were distributed to the very few movie theatres still capable of
projecting this high end film format. The 70mm-cinema next door to me -
about ten miles from the place I live - is the "Lichtburg" in the city
of Essen. Offering 1250 seats, the "Lichtburg" has the largest
auditorium of all movie theatres in Germany. Since 1998 the building
housing the cinema is a class listed monument. |
More in 70mm reading: Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" in Ultra Panavision 70 "The Hateful Eight" in der Essener "Lichtburg" What did you think about the 7OMM Road Show Version of The Hateful Eight? Why drive 400 miles to see Hamlet in 70mm? Internet link: |
 Therefore it is out of
reach of the real estate brokers' greedy tentacles and protected from
being turned into a shopping mall. Being completely restored in 2002 the
interior breathes the atmosphere of the fifties when the movie theatre
was one of the most important traditional premier houses, hosting lots
of German and international stars. Still today rarely a month passes
without a German or European film premiering at the "Lichtburg".
Equipped with a 150 square meters roller screen the cinema can also be
used as a concert hall. And - besides modern 4K digital 3D projection -
a DP75 machine survived, ready to start rolling for "The H8ful Eight" on
Wednesday, January 27th, 2016. 7:30 pm. |
|
 And now in the almost sold out auditorium the light is dimming, the gong
sounds followed by the opening music, the overture title card lights the
slowly opening curtain, unveiling the wide wide wide screen, perfectly
masked to 2,76 aspect ratio. After the overture the CINERAMA logo hits
the screen. What a sight! Up to this moment already 5500 seats were
booked in presales for the first week, grossing more than 71.000 EUR or
77.000 USD respectively. Back to the movie: Even the first shots, set in
the endless snowfields of Wyoming, show what modern film stock combined
with wide gauge photography can do. The high contrast range, razor sharp
images and an almost unnoticable film grain provide a picture quality
far superior to any digital image, even 4K. Here DOP Robert Richardson
shows his extraordinary talent developing image compositions in a film
format not used for nearly 50 years, perfectly framing the setups and
sceneries. |
|
 Those People who cannot stand the sight of blood should leave the film
alone. People familiar with Tarantino's movies know what is waiting for
them. At least it's a typical Tarantino picture with long dialog
sequences, always balancing the thin line between philosophy and
insanity. Last but not least there is such an excellent cast, each of
them portraying his or her character brilliantly. Their acting reminds
more of a stage performance than of an action movie. However, the
intimate play may soon turn into a splatter orgy - and surely it does.
Good to know that no animals were harmed during the production of this
motion picture. People may say the film is too long. In my opinion the
tempo is perfect. The human eye and brain simply needs a longer time to
process all the visual impressions the extra wide 70mm format offers.
All that tiny little details to be seen in the background while in
close-up shots every beard stubble almost breaks out of the screen, even
without 3D glasses. Director, cinematographer and editor give their
audience all the time they need to fully inhale the rich images.THINK BIG! - Tarantino did it. This is where craftsmanship meets showmanship. A 70mm Ultra Panavision roadshow is an experience to remember. |
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