Gandalf, Jack Sparrow, and a Muffled Candidate

It’s only a couple of years since Attack of the Clones pushed digital film projection into the mainstream, but I don’t think it’ll be too much longer before it starts to take over, and it can’t come too fast for me. A. and I have been used recently to seeing films at The Arclight in Hollywood, where, as well as regular 21+ screenings, which allow the audience to take drinkies into the show – and also allow them to know they’ll be free from noisy kids, even at stuff like Spider-Man 2 – digital screenings are common. I try to choose them as often as I can, and I think I’ve been spoiled. It’s worth a lot to have a stable picture, a clean soundtrack, and none of those reel change markers that loom hugely once you know what they are.

Because, well, because it’s The Chinese, we went to see The Manchurian Candidate at Grauman’s Chinese last night, and they dropped the ball. About 20 minutes from the end, the sound became muffled. It happened at first in the middle of a scene where that might have been intended – a kind of druggy sense of dislocation – but it soon was obvious that it wasn’t. Essential dialogue was inaudible. It got worse, and then literally at the climax of the film the sound cut out completely for about 30 seconds. The inevitable wails of despair and frustration followed – the management was fortunate that it wasn’t a very full house, otherwise they might have had a riot on their hands. We ended up getting four free tickets to compensate, but, well, Grrrrr. Just Grrrrr.

As for the film, I’m reluctant to think too much about it, given how screwed up the projection was. I’ve not seen the original, but was aware of the basic premise, and despite perfectly good performances there didn’t seem to be much there. Demme gives away the heart of the film quite early – as he probably had to, given the fame of the original – but doesn’t have a great deal left in reserve.

As for Hollywood, it remains forever Hollywood. An imposing Gandalf walked past us – staff swinging purposefully and wide-brimmed hat at just the right jaunty angle – as we came up past the Kodak Theatre, and while we waited for the film to start, scoffing Red Vines and BonBons, an off-duty Jack Sparrow wandered in and sat close to the front. I don’t think it was Johnny Depp, but then this is Hollywood, USA (as it used to say at the end of Tom & Jerry cartoons), so who knows.