Blimp at the Academy
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, 27 June, 2012
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, will show the digitally restored print of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp on June 27th at 7.30pm. Special guest - Thelma Schoonmaker
Barbara Siek reports:
Brief report from tonight's BLIMP screening at The Academy in Beverly Hills: the event was well attended. There was already a line outside when I arrived there at 18.00 thinking I'd be early since the event didn't start until 19.30. Tom Sherak, President of the Academy, or I think it was he, introduced Thelma by talking a bit about the length of time it took to complete the restoration of the lengthy film and stressed that without the financial aid of The Film Foundation, founded by Marty, and a few other major donors, it would never have happened.
Thelma talked about the restoration illustrating the process briefly with a brief slide show of several pre-post frames of the film. She also spoke about Marty's help to Micky, also the anecdote of the red gloves in Raging Bull, etc. The print was stunning, bright, clear -- I saw things I hadn't before, and made me so glad that this amazing film was saved from mold and deterioration.
The audience clearly loved PnP and the film. They applauded as each of the main actor's names as they appeared in the credits, laughed at the comic parts (although one segment of laughter puzzled me), and in general thoroughly appreciated the film. In the surrounding rows where I sat, people seemed to be very knowledgeable about Micky and Emeric's films. The man I sat next to knew all of them in depth, had met Jack Cardiff and told me his favourite film was Peeping Tom. When I admitted to him that Peeping Tom wasn't my favourite (sorry, folks), but that Black Narcissus was up there with I Know Where I'm Going!, he nodded and said, "Yes, Black Narcissus is very special; it's a visual work of art."
I talked briefly to Thelma after the film and asked her if she might give me any information of the forthcoming Anna Pavlova: A Woman for All Time. She said all she could say is Micky didn't direct it, which I took to mean that she may not know anything more about his connection with it.
The weather was perfect, and when I left, Thelma was still there, this time standing in front talking to people who hated to let her leave.
I managed to get a few pics of Thelma on stage during her introduction. I'll send them to Steve. It was a great evening. I wouldn't have missed it.
Best,
Barbara
Other P&P trips
