Re: DLP showing Was Re: Master and Commander AR

Daniel P. B. Smith wrote:

> 
> I saw _2001: A Space Odyssey_ on its first run in New York and in the
> space scenes the "space" seemed to me to be absolutely stark pitch
> black.  I don't know what technology was used to accomplish this.  My
> recollection is not good enough for me to swear in a court of law that
> the edges of the frame were not visible, but I certainly remember that
> space was BLACK. Not dark, not black-with-little-flecks-in-it, certainly
> not black with little white dots or scratches in. Just black.

Cinerama with a strip screen.  I don't think any motion picture format
can reproduce contrast as well as that.

> I was terribly disappointed to see it recently in 70mm at a local
> theatre, and the blacks were distinctly washed out. In this particular
> case, it was a smallish theatre and it's possible that screen light
> reflecting off the cinema patrons themselves might have been enough to
> have an effect.

A far flatter or totally flat screen and of course, no strips. Makes a
huge difference.  Also most all theaters today have far more interior
lights on during the films than 30 or more years ago.  Perhaps as much
for safety concerns as anything. The average theater in the 50s and 60s
I went to was so dark it could be downright scary to try to find a seat
if you entered during a dark part of a movie in progress.  I often had
to wait in the back until some light from the screen gave me a view as
to where the and empty seats really were.  A couple of local 2000 plus
seat theaters were so dark even the aslies were all but invisible
dduring the movie.  In fact the only lights came from the scattered
built in 7 watt floor lamps in every 6 ot 7th aisle seat, and of course
at least half of them were burnt out.  Plus the lighted red exit signs,
but again many were burnt out or had only one of their two lamps
working.  

Safety be damned, I liked that darkness and it did make the contrast
look far better and of course, was extra effective in any sort of horror
film.   Frank