UPDATE: NWFF has backed off showing the 35mm Planet of the Apes at the same time as SIFF’s Blu-Ray, but the film will definitely show. As soon as I get a confirmed date, I’ll put it up here.
If you’re a classic sci-fi enthusiast, you may have been looking forward to SIFF Cinema’s upcoming “Sci-Fi on Blu Ray” series for awhile now. Planet of the Apes, 12 Monkeys, 2001: A Space Odyssey—it’s all there.
The Northwest Film Forum is also aware of this series, and they’re asking some valuable questions about it—in a somewhat confrontational manner. Regarding Blu Ray, they want to know,
“Aren’t these so-called high-tech presentations of classic films acts of convenience and promo glitter, when in fact the analog medium on which these movies were shot and intended to be shown is both superior and available for exhibition?”
NWFF will explore the question of medium—in this case, the value of Blu-Ray vs. 35mm—with a screening of a “glorious, pristine 35mm print of the 1968 film PLANET OF THE APES on Thursday January 28th at 7pm.”
Oh right—that’s the exact same time as the SIFF Cinema Planet of the Apes screening. NWFF’s will be followed by a forum on the significance of format and the future of exhibition with local film writers Sean Axmaker, Dennis West, and Jeff Shannon.
I know I’ll be there, nerding out. Join me, if you’re not at the Blu-Ray screening of 12 Monkeys.
