Nothing encapsulates the true movie theater experience quite like seeing a movie in 70mm. Unfortunately, most theaters have moved on to digital and few retain the capabilities to show a film in that format. Paul Thomas Anderson shot The Master in 70mm but it was difficult finding a place that could show it that way. And now Quentin Tarantino has done the same with The Hateful Eight, only now he and Panavision are making sure audiences can see it exactly as he intended.
The buzz THR has picked up on says Panavision is looking to equip about 50 U.S. theaters with equipment to show The Hateful Eight in 70mm, while also finding ways to optimize the digital version for the others. Why is Tarantino going through all this trouble when most casual audiences aren't concerned with such a thing? Tarantino has always been a fierce proponent of film over digital, and this is another way to give audiences a truly special experience. Panavision VP of Optical Engineering Dan Sasaki recently said at the Cine Gear Expo...
"He really wants to get people back into theaters. You’re not going to get this [at home]. He did something really great to bring that [experience] back. Quentin wanted an epic Western, something that hasn’t been seen in forever, that would really wow people. [When he saw this test,] he started bouncing in his seat."
And if that's not enough to get film fans excited, check out this beautiful, sun-kissed 70mm image from The Hateful Eight, tweeted out by cinematographer Bill Bennett. This Christmas is looking better and better.
Ultra Panavision 70 "Hateful 8", 1.25 times anamorphic squeeze, yielding an extremely wide aspect ratio of 2.76:1 pic.twitter.com/Efm5FA9BjK
— Bill Bennett ASC (@CineBill) June 6, 2015
