70mm Film Festival brings cinema classics to the biggest screen in Palm Springs

The Palm Springs Film Festival is held once a year, but dedicated film enthusiasts keep cinema culture alive in the city with screenings of short films, international films, and LGBTQ+ films throughout the year. Cinephiles in town rarely get an opportunity to see some of the greatest movies of all time projected in 70mm.

Local film buffs usually have to drive several hours to Los Angeles to catch regular screenings of 70mm films. But not this weekend. The Palm Springs Cultural Center’s historic Camelot Theater is playing host to the Palm Springs 70mm fest, presented by Mubi.

Four films will be shown at the theater: “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Vertigo,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” and “Interstellar.” Three of those movies are often considered among the greatest of all time, with “Interstellar” being a more recent favorite from director Christopher Nolan.

If you’ve ever had a film buff for a friend, it’s more than likely you’ve heard them extol the virtues of 70mm film. But for casual movie fans, it’s a distinction without a difference.

70mm is a film format that requires special equipment. It means frames are larger and wider in aspect ratio than what you usually see in 35mm format. Expect images on the screen to be better, brighter, and sharper.

One of the best reasons to see these films in 70mm: all of these films were originally shot on 70mm film. The directors, cinematographers, and editors that pored over every frame of the film were using 70mm film. 

Directors, especially Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, and David Lean, definitely were not anticipating people watching these movies on a tiny phone with a screen smaller than seven inches. The Camelot’s 70-foot screen is more than 130 times that size. 

Lauren Wolfer, an event producer who worked to bring the 70mm festival to life, said “2001” and “Lawrence” are the cornerstones of the festival, “Those are really the quintessential 70mm film and theatrical experience,” she said.

Of all the films, Lawrence of Arabia might be the most important to carve out time for. Some film lovers say it’s not even worth it to watch it at home.

The 1962 epic is often at the top of the lists for greatest films of all time. It inspired countless directors, including Steven Spielberg, whose first viewing of the film in 70mm “pulverized him” and almost made him quit directing because he thought the bar was too high.

Roger Ebert called the opportunity to see “Lawrence” on 70mm as one of the experiences that must be done during the lifetime of any film lover. He wrote in 2001 that some of the movie’s best shots just don’t work if you’re watching the film at home.

“In a movie theater, looking at the stark clarity of a 70mm print, we lean forward and strain to bring a detail out of the waves of heat, and for a moment, we experience some of the actual vastness of the desert, and its unforgiving harshness.”

The three other films have just as much to offer: “Vertigo” uses color as a part of storytelling and groundbreaking techniques like the dolly zoom, “2001” in 70mm overwhelms the viewer with its larger-than-life spacecraft and special effects pioneered by Douglas Trumbull, and “Interstellar” has some of Christopher Nolan’s most memorable and emotional moments.

Wolfer said there’s just something about watching these movies on the big screen that reminds us of the thousands of people who worked to create the film.

“Blood, sweat, and tears literally went into making that movie magic for [‘2001’],” she said. “Seeing these practical effects and the lengths people went to to create the movie, all on a physical medium, just reinforces that.”

The theater had to hire specially trained union projectionists to screen the films because the studios that approve screenings must be careful to prevent damage. 

Screening these classics is not as easy as pressing play on Netflix. The physical labor it takes to get these pictures on screen is often forgotten, “With ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ you’re talking hundreds of pounds of film needing to be handled, but also handled delicately because it’s actual film,” Wolfer said.

Watching a movie on film rather than digitally not only brings exceptional color and detail into the frame but also imperfections that remind us of the craft of filmmaking and the craft of projecting.

Those little imperfections and the knowledge that humans are working to project physical film on a screen make the movie-going experience more tangible and real, rather than ones and zeroes floating through the air via WiFi.

Wolfer said it was a “huge thrill” and “honor” to showcase these films and ensure they keep inspiring future filmmakers and movie lovers alike. “What these people accomplished and these films are like a living thing that people are still going to theaters to watch.”

“I’m hoping this experience helps people understand why it’s so important to see these movies in theaters,” she said. “It’s inspiring that next generation of filmmakers to continue that conversation.” 

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More information: The film fest will be held on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, with showings at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20. Turn here for complete details.

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