The Hateful Eight
I got the opportunity to see the roadshow version of "The Hateful Eight" yesterday, in 70mm film projection at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. It was an industry screening presented by the Digital Cinema Society and American Cinematheque.
First off, Robert Richardson, ASC did his usual outstanding job. Beautiful compositions utilizing the Ultra Panavision 2.76:1 aspect ratio. He really pushed the limits of the Kodak stock and it works. Richardson was on hand to talk about the film and for Q&A after the screening.
On the surface, The Hateful Eight is a typical Quentin Tarantino story with lots of bloody shoot outs, which come mostly after the 12 minute intermission. There's a bit of Tarantino's trademark nonlinear storytelling and pop-culture references, as well as that twisted wit. The story could also be considered a parable of today's society, complete with gun violence and racial tension. I even heard some comments in the audience comparing it to "Reservoir Dogs".
There will be three versions of the film out, once it is released, the film roadshow, the digital roadshow (both with overture and intermission), and what Tarantino calls the MALL VERSION, and I don't think I need to explain that term.
The 70mm presentation was, for the most part, beautiful. I say "for the most part" because at one point the projector did appear to loose focus, but was eventually corrected. It was significant enough for Richardson to refer to during his comments. I'm afraid this will be an ongoing issue with the film roadshow, as while you can resurrect the projectors, the projectionists are a bit more difficult to bring back to life.