Yes, we are 35mm purists and we show classic movies in the original 35mm film format, if we can. However, sometimes films are not available in 35mm or the prints are in terrible shape with scratches, bad color, and unacceptable sound. What then?
Fortunately, great strides have been made in digital technology and sometimes the quality of a movie in HD Digital is comparable to 35mm or even better. That makes HD Digital a viable option. Only a few classic films are currently available in HD Digital, though, so this is still only a limited alternative.
So, what’s the bottom line? We’ll bring you classic movies in the best possible format. Our default choice is 35mm film, but if the HD Digital format is better, than we’ll go with digital. We list the chosen format in our film listings on our website, blog, and in our Previews flyer, so you’ll know which format we will be screening. (One caveat though: if a print is booked and listed in 35mm and it arrives in terrible shape, we reserve the option to jump to digital. So, check our website before you com to the theater to get any late breaking news on the presentation format.)
We would love to hear your thoughts on the film versus digital divide. What are your thoughts on how the films are presented? Would you be interested in seeing comparisons between the two media? When is is acceptable to jump ship and switch to digital – how bad does the print have to be?
I’m a purist as well and am glad to hear that classic films will be presented on celluloid when possible. A bit of noise doesn’t bother me but obviously if dialogue is too muffled to hear or the picture nebulous it’s best to go digital.
Frankly, I miss the click-click-click of the sprockets when a movie is shown in HD. Add that in, and I’m cool either way.