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"Oppenheimer" Reviews |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter
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Written by: Francesco Gualeni (Italy), Howard B. Haas, (USA), Mark Lyndon (UK), Jonathan Kleefield, M.D. (USA),
Paul Margulies (UK), Scott
Pickering (Canada) & Mark Trompeteler, FBKS (UK) |
Date:
24.07.2023
Updated:
28-07-2024 |
"Oppenheimer" - A Cinematic Paradox - in 15/70mm
and 5/70mm.
Francesco Gualeni writes from BFI
IMAX London (UK) and ARCADIA Melzo (Italy)
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Francesco
Gualeni and Laura Fumagalli, Arcadia
This summer I was blessed to be able to see Nolan's latest masterpiece,
"Oppenheimer", in the two best ways that a movie can be seen today: IMAX
15/70mm and 5/70mm. I saw "Oppenheimer" in 15/70mm at BFI London
twice, in the first showing on the 5th of August I watch the movie, the
second time on the 9th of August, I focused more on the technical aspects.
Due to the pandemic, I had missed the IMAX screening of "Tenet" in
2020 so the last film I had seen in 15/70mm was "Dunkirk", in 2017.
For this reason, I was very excited to be able to see the film in this
beautiful format and expectations were met (partially...).
"Oppenheimer" is a beautiful movie, with a magnificent Cillian Murphy
and an even greater Robert Downey Jr. It is a movie with an uncommon
lengthtime (three hours) but this allows you to enter even more in tune with
the story both from an emotional and a psychological point of view, also
because the film is unfortunately of a disconcerting relevance these days,
even if it tells a story set in the 1940s. The IMAX scenes shot in black and
white with the new 65mm film stock Kodak has provided especially for this
movie are thrilling and the quality of the film offers blacks and contrasts
that no digital projection can match. However, I was a bit disappointed with
the logic behind the ratio’s change from 1.43 IMAX to 2.2.
Unlike what had happened before for "The Dark Knight Rises",
"Interstellar" or "Dunkirk" where entire sequences were shot in
IMAX and presented in 1.43, in "Oppenheimer" the change of format
from 1.43 to 2.2 also takes place discontinuously within the same sequence.
I can understand that this is due to the difficulty of using the noisy IMAX
camera in certain scenes where the dialogue is recorded live, but the change
in between formats really creates a certain visual distraction.
Nevertheless, for those who love movies on the big screen, watching
"Oppenheimer" in 15/70mm is a real joy for the eyes and when the images
open up in all their size, definition and brightness, I only wished those
images would never end.
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More in 70mm reading:
in70mm.com News
About "Oppenheimer" and Large
Format
Where to see "Oppenheimer" in
the Splendour of Glorious 7OMM
"Oppenheimer" Production Notes
"Oppenheimer" is Christopher
Nolan's next adventure in IMAX 7OMM
"Tenet" |
"Dunkirk" |
“Interstellar” |
"Inception"
"Nope"
Panavison Large Format Motion
Picture Systems
in70mm.com's IMAX Page
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"Oppenheimer"
at the BFI IMAX in London, UK. Photo by Francesco Gualeni
At the end of the screening, I asked if I could
visit the projection booth and the BFI staff was very kind to accompany me
and show me the famous 11 mile long reel, which many have already written
about, to give me a piece of IMAX film and to tell me a little of technical
curiosities as an example that the 4K laser projector at the BFI is
currently not set up to project films in 1.43 but only in 1.90 and this is a
real shame because at the Science Museum I saw the IMAX documentary
“Under the sea” in laser 4K 3D in 1.43 and it was truly spectacular. I
think many underestimate the 1.43 ratio which is one of the fundamental
parts of the IMAX experience, an experience that is completely lost in
digital IMAX 1.9 projections.
Back to Italy, I had to wait until August the 23rd, the day the film was
released in my country. Only three 70mm prints were distributed. One of
these is at the ARCADIA Cinema in Melzo - Milan, a 70mm cathedral whose
mission, since opening, has always been to present movies in the best way as
possible. Unfortunately, I missed the events on the premiere day. At the end
of the very first morning screening starting at 10.30 am, ARCADIA has hosted
a special “Post Screening reactions” with astrophysicist Luca Perri. He has
brieftly introduced the audience to concepts like scientific’s fission and
fusion, to how “the Gadget” has been built and successfully detonated and
all details of the Mahnattan project.
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White
gloves to handle 70mm is mandatory at the
Arcadia cinema, Melzo, Milan. Photo by Arcadia
In preparation of "Oppenheimer"’s release, since November 2022,
ARCADIA has held a series of conferences “Science & Nolan Films”. They had
started with “The Science of 2001 A Space Odyssey” (one of Nolan’s favourite
film) and had continued throughout 2023 with “The Science of Interstellar”
in January, “The Science of Tenet” in March, “The Science of Inception” in
May. The full conference “The Science of Oppenheimer” will be held on
September 23rd and it is already sold out. As in the previous conferences,
astrophysicist Luca Perri will lure the audience in highly interesting
conference on everything science-related to "Oppenheimer".
I saw "Oppenheimer" in ENERGIA PLF Screen on August the 25th. At the
entrance, the staff handed out a special give-away, a 70mm film frames
strip. Laura Fumagalli told me patrons are driving hundreds of kms from all
over Italy to see "Oppenheimer" in 70mm in ENERGIA. The vast majority
of showtimes are in Italian Dubbed but they have received an unprecedented
demand for screenings in Original Version with subtitles. So I know they are
adding more of those in the weeks ahead.
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Screen
30 meter across. Sold out show of "Oppenheimer" at the ENERGIA PLF Screen at
Arcadia cinema, Melzo, Milan. Photo by Arcadia
The 70mm print was perfect and the projection excellent, as always. The
black and white images had unprecedented depth and contrast and the huge 30
meters wide screen made even more spectacular. The amazing Meyer Sound
speakers have fully immersed me in the movie and brought out all their power
in the shockwave and post-explosion scenes. Wow !
I always thank everyone, all over the world, who make efforts to preserve
the cinema experience on 70mm film, and especially to ARCADIA for their
ongoing offerings of 70mm high quality projections to Italian moviegoers (in
Italy there are no 15/70mm IMAX theaters anymore). It is difficult to make a
comparison between 15/70mm and 5/70mm presentations. They have different
auditoriums, different aspect ratios in some sequences, different screen
sizes, different sound systems but both are a wonderful way to be part of
the cinematic experience, different but the same, at the same time. A
cinematic paradox.
Francesco Gualeni
04.09.2023
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"Oppenheimer" in 15/70 IMAX – The change is amazing in its effect
Paul Margulies writes from Cinema City Flora, in Prague, Czech Republic
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The
Imax 70mm projector which has been lovingly maintained, and with the
exception of "Tenet", has shown Nolan’s film going back to the Dark Knight
series in 15/70.
To me it seemed that the film was 1.43:1 for more than 50% of the running
time. There are places where it switches suddenly within a single shot. The
change is amazing in its effect. It is just jarring enough to focus
attention on the subject matter. I think it actually adds to the overall
dramatic impact of the scene. I haven’t seen the film in another format, so
I can’t compare.
Having now caught 3 screenings of "Oppenheimer" in 15 perf/70mm at
the Imax theater in Cinema City – Flora, in Prague, I can say that the 3rd
time was as pristine as that first public screening (after more than 100
runs). I caught the first “preview” screening on July 20th, 2023 (at
12.01am), another 2 weeks later and finally a late screening on August 22nd.
Interestingly, Cinema City has managed to eke out more screenings past the
end-by date. While under contract for "Blue Beetle", "Gran Turismo"
and now "Equalizer 3", the theater is showing Oppenheimer once an
evening. It’s possible due to the relatively short running time of the
Denzel Washington film. So far, the schedule shows the 70mm print screening
once-per-night until September 6. While not yet sold-out, the only remaining
seats are in the front two rows. Amazingly, there have been 2nd shows on
weekends, beginning at 12:45am! Sold-out with an exit time of around 4am
Cinema City management told me that, as the only Imax room in continental
Europe, people from at least 15 countries, as far away as Finland have
purchased tickets online.
The Cinema City Flora complex is on the upper level of a shopping center in
Prague, accessible via bus, tram and metro systems. The Imax theater seats
380 people in the very steep stadium layout, guaranteeing perfect viewing.
The CinemaCity IMAX at the Flora shopping center is the only IMAX in the
Czech Republic, and is the only theater in the EU showing this film in 70mm.
The film has shown an average of 2-3 shows per day for 5 weeks. I saw the
very first screening at the midnight premiere (12.01am - Thursday night),
July 20. The print was clean, scratchless and showed no visible wear and
tear after more than 100 runs through the projector. Kudos to the projection
crew!
Paul Margulies
25.08.2023
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It was fantastic seeing "Oppenheimer"
in IMAX 70MM!
A review by Howard B. Haas seeing “Oppenheimer” 8. August 2023 at the King of Prussia IMAX
15 perf/70mm.
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Howard B. Haas
at the King of Prussia IMAX
As a Philadelphia resident, I was thrilled to see "Oppenheimer"
at the only theater in the Philadelphia region to show it in IMAX 70MM,
Regal's United Artists King of Prussia 16.
First, this is a multiplex, but partly due to the IMAX, it is the most
prominent mainstream movie theater in Philadelphia's western burbs, on
the famously affluent "Main Line." It is a short distance from one of
the nation's largest, and most successful shopping malls, the King of
Prussia Mall. The multiplex was opened by the United Artists Circuit in
2000, with large screens, stadium seating, and surround sound in all
auditoriums. It replaced smaller movie theaters in the King of Prussia
area, and eventually became one of the "go to" movie destinations for
the entire western suburbs and beyond. Since its opening, one screen has
become a RPX (Regal Premium Experience) and another has become a 4 D
auditorium. I myself have seen many new movies in the various non-IMAX
auditoriums. I've also seen Fathom Classics there, which though shown
digital, are often films which were originally filmed in 65mm or were
blowup or were shown anyway in 70mm, notably, in the order that I saw
them, "Cleopatra" (1963), "The Ten Commandments" (1956),
"Ben Hur" (1959), "Star Trek: The Voyage Home" (1986).
• Go to gallery "Oppenheimer" in IMAX
7OMM at the King of Prussia IMAX, USA
Before "Oppenheimer" I had only seen IMAX 70MM films in the only
other theater in the Philadelphia region that has shown them,
Philadelphia's Franklin Institute which is in "Center City" (downtown).
The Tuttleman IMAX opened in 1990 with a tilted, domed screen over 70
feet wide and four and a half stories tall, with more than 50 speakers
and mostly showed educational, science films, but also occasionally
showed Hollywood blockbusters. I saw three films there, and as with
"Oppenheimer" two of those movies were directed by Christopher
Nolan, "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) and "Dunkirk"
(2017). The last film I saw there was "Star Wars 8: The Last Jedi"
(2017). I would have liked to have seen Nolan's "Tenet" (2020)
there, but during the Pandemic, the Tuttleman IMAX was not open, and all
New York movie theaters including AMC Lincoln Square with its IMAX were
ordered closed, so I saw "Tenet" in the Dolby auditorium of
Philadelphia's AMC Fashion District 8, which is also in Center City. The
Tuttleman IMAX has not reopened, and unfortunately, a recent comment to
the press by a Franklin Institute staffer indicated the theater might
not reopen.
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King
of Prussia IMAX cinema. Image: Howard B Haas
Days before "Oppenheimer" began, I went online to purchase a
ticket, but I found that at the King of Prussia IMAX, all screenings for
its first few weeks were sold out, or nearly sold out, leaving few
seats. Some cities like the DC area and New York City had regular 70mm
screenings of the movie, but the Philadelphia region had no 70mm
screenings, and only one theater, the Philadelphia Film Center in Center
City, showed the movie in 35mm. So though the region had other IMAX
theaters showing "Oppenheimer" digitally, and has a few Dolby
auditoriums that were showing it in Dolby Vision and Atmos, it was not
surprising to find the King of Prussia IMAX 70MM has sold out every
screening.
When I arrived early for my 2 PM screening, on Tuesday, August 8, the
IMAX auditorium, which is auditorium 9, but is clearly set off by its
own entry hallways inside the multiplex, was packed for the earlier
screening. Also waiting to enter was a man with his young son. The man
eagerly told me he had driven 3 hours from the Maryland suburbs of
Washington D.C., because there were no IMAX 70MM showings in his area.
He had already seen "Oppenheimer" in digital, but his son had not
seen the movie.
It was fantastic seeing "Oppenheimer" in IMAX 70MM. The
auditorium has about 250 seats, all comfortable recliner chairs, and I
sat in the most rear row, which is my usual preference in most movie
theaters. The sight line was excellent. The massive screen is 74 feet
wide, 52 feet high, and is set to show the films in proper 1.43 IMAX
aspect ratio. Though in its third week, the projected print quality
seemed perfect. The resolution and visuals were excellent and needless
to say to anybody reading my opinion in this newsletter, was far more
beautiful than digitally filmed and digitally projected films. The sound
was very good, though I have been spoiled by superior Dolby Atmos
surround sound. Most, at least 80% of "Oppenheimer" filled the
screen, meaning most of the film was filmed with IMAX cameras. The
remainder was a bit letterboxed, at least at the top, so it was filmed
with 65mm cameras, though that resolution seemed equally good to me. The
movie itself was fantastic, far less convoluted and more "real world" to
me than Nolan's "Tenet" I was a big fan of Nolan's "Dunkirk"
but the gimmick of "Dunkirk" was WW2 being waged in three ways,
on the ground, by sea, and in the air. "Oppenheimer" was more
about plot. Everybody knows that the US succeeded in developing the
atomic bomb, but I won't describe what later happened with the scientist
Oppenheimer so I don't give movie spoilers. For me, especially seeing it
in IMAX 70MM, the three hour "Oppenheimer" film was a riveting,
compelling thriller, and was the best movie of the year so far!
I would gladly return to the King of Prussia IMAX for any feature film
in IMAX 70mm that I wish to see!
Howard B. Haas
8. August 2023
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IMAX Comes of Age!
A personal opinion by Mark Trompeteler FBKS, following seeing a 15 perf/70mm
screening of “Oppenheimer” at London’s Iconic BFI IMAX Cinema.
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A
person strives for something, does something, there are consequences, and
the person reflects on, and may come to regret or be haunted by what they
have done. This simple story is one of the oldest and essential narratives
of drama – from ancient times up until today. Christopher Nolan by exploring
the story of Robert Oppenheimer, who led the scientific team that developed
the atomic bomb - the power to obliterate cities, incinerate populations and
destroy life on this planet, and his subsequent reflections on what he
brought about – raises such a simple story to truly epic proportions. This
accompanied by some political and societal vilification of the man, adds
even more to this epic drama.
Following 2-3 weeks of completely sold out screenings of the film at this
iconic venue, my wife and I, and two friends, caught up with the film at
another sold out screening on August 8th. Michael Ford, the technical
manager, told me after the screening that their print had been screened some
70 plus times prior to our screening. It looked absolutely immaculate on the
screen in our show. A tribute to this fabulous analogue IMAX format and the
projection team at the venue. The depth, detail and richness of the
celluloid analogue images on the screen were a joy to behold.
• Go to 65mm Film: The Fabric of Magic. Part 1
– The Kodak View
• Go to Projecting “Napoleon” – une
pièce de resistance
Both the power and irony of
"Oppenheimer" as a movie, and its bringing about the coming of age
of IMAX as a cinematic
artistic tool, is that it totally succeeds on playing against type, on what
both 70mm and widescreen enthusiasts, and a more general audience, might
expect of a true IMAX film. IMAX has now come a long long way from how it
started – a format that was growing a catalogue of short 30, 40, 50 minute
short featurettes
of travel, exploration, underwater, wildlife, and outer space type subjects.
It has developed technically, narratively, and creatively, and is living a
much longer life, in the way that three strip true
Cinerama was never able to do.
Many of Nolan’s great preceding films like
"Tenet",
"Dunkirk",
“Interstellar”,
"The Dark Knight" – played on IMAX’s brilliance in using the huge
cinematic canvas to portray and explore spectacular action, large numbers of
extras, sweeping landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes and skyscapes and
fantastic production design and special and visual effects. The brilliance
of “Oppenheimer” in bringing about the maturity of IMAX as a
cinematic tool is how it portrays a truly epic theme in such a very intimate
way. It draws the audience into the story via extremes acts of visual
intimacy. Just Oppenheimer’s face in extreme close up is repeatedly used on
the huge canvas of the IMAX screen. It is also repeatedly emphasised by the
use of a shallow depth of field. Cillian Murphy’s face fills the giant
screen and the audience is confronted by a person haunted by the
consequences of what he has done. This being in IMAX it is done in the most
intimate cinematic way possible. This intimacy is emphasised by the sheer
quality of the IMAX 15perf 70mm format – you can almost count every pore on
the skin of his face. The effect to me was not that far removed from the
suffering, and all the weight of all the sins of mankind, being reflected on
Christ’s face in Christian religious iconography. Whilst obviously the film
has a good explosion or two , and in that fact some instances of spectacular
action, and effects – the intimacy that IMAX is capable of, to me, was a
revelation. This is a film that consists more of ideas, scientific thought,
arguments, words, people working and speaking in sometimes small rooms,
relationships, moral dilemma and politics rather than the sweeping
landscapes, spectacular action and epic production design normally
associated with the IMAX format. To me, in successfully achieving this epic
piece of storytelling, involving sometimes difficult content, to a general
audience, in such a very intimate way, Nolan has further developed IMAX
significantly. On a minor note, like many a current “tentpole” movie being
released today, I personally thought it could have benefited from being a
little bit shorter and tighter in length – but perhaps that is just me. I
thought exactly the same of the latest “Mission Impossible” movie
that we saw the next day.
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Audience
Arriving for "Oppenheimer" at BFI IMAX. Picture: Mark Trompeteler
“Oppenheimer” is a film of cinematic sophistication. Taking on the
classic Jean Luc Godard concept of - “Every film should have a beginning,
a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order” –
“Oppenheimer” inter-cuts between different time periods. The colour
parts of the film seem concerned with the telling of his story from a
personal, chronological, almost autobiographical point of view relating to
testimony he is giving in a small room as part of his security clearance
hearing. This is inter-cut with an almost public societal point of view of
public testimonies and senate hearings filmed in a black and white
documentary way. Nolan’s acceleration of developing IMAX to mature
sophisticated cinematic medium, that has now fully come of age, lies not
only in his direction, but in his conception and writing of the highly
literate screenplay for this film too.
The whole experience of "Oppenheimer" is also propelled by Nolan’s
use of music. Almost as an ever increasingly rapid metronome the
characteristic prominent use of loud music layered over and throughout the
film facilitates the sense of suspense and significantly manipulates the
emotional impact and the pace of the film. The use of fast short cuts and
abstract imagery to hint at Oppenheimer’s thought processes and the
immensity of what he is dealing with goes right back to the cinematic
techniques of Gance and
Eisenstein. With superb large format cinematography, excellent period
production design and some great performances – it is all woven together to
make this an outstanding film.
No single Director has done more to develop true IMAX to the powerful medium
that it has now become. Thanks to Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” – true IMAX
has truly come of age !
Mark Trumpeteler
London, UK
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"Oppenheimer" in 15/70 IMAX
Reviewed by
Jonathan
Kleefield, M.D. at the Providence Place Cinemas 16 and IMAX,
Rhode Island, USA
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Author Jonathan
Kleefield, M.D. having just attended an IMAX 70mm performance of
"Oppenheimer", 8. August 2023.
In a past contribution to this journal (“Eighteen
Years Later”), I recounted my difficulties in viewing Steven Spielberg’s
“West Side Story” in an IMAX-branded theatre. Issues with image
clarity and contrast, and deafening sound levels made the experience very
unpleasant. The remedy was to view the same film in my home theatre, using a
4K UHD disc. Some improvement in the viewing experience was also achieved
when I viewed Christopher Nolan’s
"Dunkirk"
in the same home theatre, again with a 4K UHD disc.
• Go to A Nostalgic View of 70mm in
New York City - 1950-1970
• Go to Eighteen Years Later
• Go to Now showing in 70mm in a
theatre near you!
Nevertheless, for nearly a year there has been a virtual media blitz about
Nolan’s current film,
"Oppenheimer", particularly as it is the first large scale dramatic
film to be acquired with IMAX 15/70 technology, though for dialog scenes,
65mm Panavision equipment was substituted as the current IMAX film cameras
are too noisy to permit live dialog recording. Also, Nolan commissioned
Eastman Kodak to produce a black and white IMAX film stock, which was to be
used for selected portions of the film involving the presidential cabinet
nomination of Oppenheimer’s nemesis, Lewis Strauss. A significant feature of
this film is that it was to be shown in IMAX 15/70
in only 30 theaters worldwide,
19 of which were in the USA. In one of those theaters, in Providence, Rhode
Island, I attended the showing yesterday morning.
The theatre itself seats about 400 people, and has about 13 rows, in a
stadium configuration, allowing an excellent line of sight. My seat was in
row J near the center, considered nearly ideal. There were no advertisements
before the film started - a true relief. The screen itself was very large,
and while there were segments that were filmed in 65mm, having a wider
aspect ratio than the nearly square IMAX format, the change in formats was
not overtly distracting. The image itself was quite clear, but sadly, scenes
that were dimly lit, with large areas that were dark in the frame were not
rendered inky black, but rather a weak black cast reminiscent of LCD flat
screens of twenty years ago. That is, in those areas, you could perceive the
actual screen material, rather than the image itself. People who have been
writing about home video have been emphasizing for years how important
having those “inky black” parts of the image literally allow it to “pop.”
This deficiency was not as apparent in brightly lit scenes. Scenes showing
this rather weak contrast included the sunrise horseback ride in Los Alamos,
and a chat by a fireside, again in Los Alamos. I know the Kodak Vision 3
film stock used for this film, as indicated in the Kodak brochure, has a
formulation of “dye layering” that tries to maximize image contrast, so I
suspect that this viewing impression is a limitation of the projection
system. I can’t imagine a “colorist” would have deliberately altered the
image in post-production to create this effect, although their work was more
than apparent in the outdoor scenes filmed at the University of California
Berkeley campus. A color palette overemphasizing the green grass, but
attenuating the blue sky and yellow values was employed, appearing quite
different from the scenes in Los Alamos, which had a far warmer color
spectrum. I know colorists try to create the mood of a specific era by
altering the color - a technique which I often find artificial and
distracting, rather than supportive of the drama.
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The
projector itself produced a rock steady image, and it was rather remarkable
that after passing that film through it nearly 80 times since the premiere,
that there was no sign of scratching, or obvious dust. Credit must go to
both Kodak for making such a sturdy film stock, as well as the care used by
the projectionist(s) in handling this 11 mile long reel of film! There was negligible visible film grain in either the color or black and white sequences.
A more serious problem arose with the sound. As I had experienced in my
previous theater visit, the overall sound level was extremely loud, and
Nolan’s tendency to obscure dialog with ever escalating levels of music
and/or sound effects made it difficult to hear some key phrases. The overall
deafening sound throughout the film resulted in the explosion at Trinity
being almost anti-climactic. My ears were “ready” for a big bang by that
time, having been assaulted for nearly two hours prior to it occurring!
Also, it’s my opinion that despite Nolan’s zeal for “practical effects,”
including that used for the Trinity test, it would have been more effective
to use the actual bomb footage as a basis for creating a more believable
explosion. I know the real explosion was originally filmed in black and
white, but since Nolan already used black and white film for segments of his
production, the shift should not have been jarring. The high speed
photography available for viewing that explosion, in my opinion, is about as
horrifying as you can get and shows fascinating elements of the fireball’s
architecture not reproduced in Nolan’s recreation. If you don’t believe me,
it’s all on You Tube!
I will be planning to buy the 4K disc of this film and see if the issues I
raised above can be corrected - I am confident most will no longer be a
problem. Additionally, I should mentioned that I had already read the
biography of Oppenheimer used as the basis of Nolan’s script, and thus I was
better prepared to watch this film. Having been involved with physics all my
life, and having also read the excellent Richard Rhodes books about the
atomic and hydrogen bomb, that knowledge helped me to understand what was
going on during this film. However, particularly given Nolan’s tendency to
jump back and forth in his narrative, without explaining things to his
audience, I can imagine many people did not truly understand the events
being shown to them other than in a most superficial fashion. I feel a
subject as important as this one deserves a film where an audience member
can learn a bit more about the issues raised by viewing it. The jumbling of
events in this film made that aspect of this movie hard to assimilate.
However, I feel Nolan is to be commended for taking it on, and his cinematic
flare is most beautifully illustrated in a scene not talked about in most
reviews. Immediately after Hiroshima, Oppenheimer is to go into a lecture
hall at Los Alamos to join in the celebration. To the shouts of “Oppy!,
Oppy!”, he walks into the room, only to have the sound of the cheers
shut off, followed by the ominous nuclear flash, and then images suggesting
immolation of his staff. This sequence was a superb synthesis of cinematic
devices that surely would have made Sergei Eisenstein, the great Russian
director, tip his hat (not a pork pie type) towards Mr. Nolan.
In whatever setting you see this film, it is more than worth your time.
Jonathan Kleefield, Boston, USA
10.08.2023
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The movie itself was good
Reviewed by
Scott Pickering
at the Langley IMAX in BC Canada
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Langley
IMAX in BC Canada. Picture by: Scott Pickering
Being a big fan of true IMAX using 70mm film prints, I had to see this
release in 70mm when it came available in my area once again. I saw
"Dunkirk"
in this same theater in 70mm IMAX 6 years ago. This was one of the few theaters left that
still kept their 70mm projection
system. I have been
watching real IMAX since 1986, when it first became available in Vancouver
BC at Expo 86. That theater has since shut down the IMAX films, so Langley
was the only one left. Im not sure if the OMNIMAX at the Science World still
offers film projection. The Langley theater has had its IMAX venue since the
late 90s I believe. I saw quite a few
true IMAX films in this theater over
time, with quite a few of them being Nolan films. Why is Nolan the ONLY
director that will still insist on 70mm prints for his films? I wish more of
them would. I was also happy to see this release with the B&W portions shot
on real B&W film, as I too myself wished I could make a film that way at one
time. Nolan is the guy who could get that done though. Now on to this new
release.
I got my tickets a month in advance and it slowly sold out each showing the
closer it go to release. I got my ticket the first day it was available. My
ticket was for the 2PM show on Saturday the 22nd. Once I knew Langley was
once again showing a 70mm print, I was waiting to get my ticket. The day we
got there, the theater was of course sold out. People were wandering all
over trying to find their seats. The ushers came in to help. There were
people from all over in our viewing. I sat next to a couple guys who came
all the way up from Seattle to see this here. They no longer have 70mm
options in their city to see it this way. I heard some other people flew in
just to see this show. Before it started, one of the theater staff
introduced the show and talked a little bit about this presentation. I
missed out on getting the handout film print clip of IMAX. They ran out. So
the movie began and it was how I remembered film prints being.
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This print did weave a little at times, you could clearly see the flicker on
the screen, and the image was not quite rock steady. There was dust on the
print a couple times too. So this was obviously a film print I was watching.
You get so used to the clean stable digital presentations, that seeing film
once again is a little unusual. I loved what I was looking at. Being one of
the 31 theaters showing in IMAX, I felt privileged and very lucky. The
presentation didn’t have any mechanical issues like some other venues in
Canada have had this last week. I hope they get their problems sorted out.
The 70mm 5 perf sections on the print looked very good. Better that Dunkirk
did on its print. I could still see a bit of a contrast difference between
the IMAX and 5 perf sections though. The 5 perf stuff held up very well on
the IMAX print. The B&W portions showed the grain, even in 70mm. The B&W
IMAX sections were noticeably less grainy, and that surprised me, since 5
perf isn’t that much of a blow up if at all. I didn’t really see much of a
tint in the B&W segments, as some others have reported showing green tints.
I still think it would have looked better if a B&W print was an option.
Duping B&W to color print stock never looks as good. But it was a real treat
to see B&W in 70mm. I wish this would be an option again for future film
makers. Fotokem said they would consider doing it again if the right amount
of stock was sent to them. But their lab manager says no to that. The color
segments of the film looked softer than I remembered IMAX being. A softer
look is a film trait, even in 70mm. I certainly don’t see how IMAX can be
18K rez, after view IMAX film again today. I think 8K would give it a run
for its money. But needless to say I'm a tried and true film nut. I love
using film myself for photography. I really have to admire for Nolan
sticking to his guns using film for his movies. He and I would make many of
the same decisions if I was making films myself. Old school just looks
better.
The movie itself was good. I need another viewing just to try and make sense
of some of it. I wouldn’t say this was Nolan’s best work, as its different
to me than some of his other movies. But I have to admire what he was able
to achieve.
I hope there are more opportunities to see 70mm IMAX here in BC. But I'm
concerned at some point they may give it up, especially if Nolan stops
making films.
Scott Pickering, BC, Canada
24.07.2023
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"Oppenheimer" is the film of the
year
Reviewed by Mark Lyndon
at the BFI IMAX, London, UK
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Mark
Lyndon with a Geiger Müller counter
*)
at the BFI IMAX London, UK. Picture by: Tim Collins
"Oppenheimer" is the film of the year, selling out to packed
houses, mesmerizing and capturing the complete and rapt attention of of
the BFI IMAX audience.
"Oppenheimer" is a phenomenal masterpiece,
a white hot contender for the greatest large format film of them all.
"Oppenheimer" is an artistic triumph in every department. Here,
Nolan has surpassed even himself. Here is some of the most compelling
drama ever presented in any medium.
Cillian Murphy gives a shattering, career defining performance as
Oppenheimer with superb performances from a starry supporting cast,
including Emily Blunt as his deeply troubled wife Kitty, Matt Damon as
the tough, no nonsense overseer of the Project, General Groves. Robert
Downey Jr. as Oppenheimer’s friend and nemesis, Lewis Strauss. The plum
rôle of Niels Bohr, the great Danish Physicist, who dubbed Oppenheimer
as the American Prometheus, after the tragic hero of Greek mythology who
gave fire to mankind and was duly punished eternally for his pains; is
given here to the great Kenneth Brannagh. How right Bohr was.
The cinematography of Hoyte van Hoytema ranks amongst the most sublime
ever to grace a giant screen. Hoyte is an accomplished master of the
craft of colour as well as black and white cinematography, a great
artist. Thanks to Nolan, the world has come to learn, once more, just
how great large format cinema can be. IMAX 70mm film is now the pinnacle
of the art of the moving image.
Mark Lyndon, in70mm.com, London, UK
22.07.2023
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*) If it reads over 50 CPM start worrying. If it reads over 100 CPM, run
like hell.
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Go: back - top - back issues - news index Updated
28-07-24 |
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