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tnt
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SPARTACUS at the Fox Theater
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Jul 20 06:27 UTC 1991 |
I just got back from seeing 'SPARTACUS' at the Fox Theater in DeTroit a few
hours ago.
SPARTACUS originally premiered in 1960 (182 minutes long). In 1967 it was
re-rereleased in 1967 in a shorter (161 min) version. In the late 1980s &
early 1990, the film was restored, & scenes that were cut from the original
were added back, so that the legnth is now 197 minutes, & has 6-track Dolby
sound on its 70mm print.
SPARTACUS, directed by Stanley Kubrick, took three years to film, & ended
up winning 4 Academy Awards.
The basically true story revolves around a slave named Spartacus (Kirk
Douglas) who used to be a soldier, until he was captured by the Romans, &
forced to become a gladiator. Spartacus led a small, successful rebellion
which caused other slaves to rebel & align themselves with Spartacus. This
caused the Roman Senate to panic because Spartacus' 'army' was becoming quite
powerful, not to mention the fact that the slave's rebellion was unnerving to
the wealthy Romans who were accustomed to owning many slaves... Spartacus
& his army end up kicking the booty of two Roman armies sent to challenge him,
and the climax of the movie occurs when several other Roman armies intercede
as Spartacus heads towards Rome.
Interestingly, some of the crowd noises used in the movie were actually
recordings of the crowd at a 1959 fottball game at MSU between the 'Spartans'
& Notre Dame!
It is a good movie regardless of whether you watch it at home on TV, or at
a theater, but it is a fantastic movie to go see at the Fox! The Fox Theater
opened in 1928, costing 10 million dollars. It was built by & named after
William Fox, who founded the movie company of the same name. The interior
has all sorts of gold leafing, brass trim, hand stenciled canvas panels,
decorative figures, & even a glass chandelier weighing two tons. Even though
the theater does look huge, it is hard to believe the balcony & main floor
have a total seating capacity of nearly 5000! One of the two pipe organs
(almost 3000 pipes, in 7 different chambers) is played before the movie, &
during intermission. All the seats are quite comfortable, & afford a good
view of the huge screen.
I think it is safe to say that the Michigan Theater --which perhaps most of
you have been to-- is similar to the Fox, but on a much smaller (& cheaper)
scale.
Tickets to see SPARTACUS at the Fox are $10 each, & seating is general
admission. I understand that you can get coupons for $3 off from Little
Caesar's outlets, although they're only good for Thursdays.
SPARTACUS runs thru 28 July. Showings are at 7:30PM Tuesday - Friday. On
weekends, showings are at 2PM & 7:30PM.
Parking is convenient (right across the street) & inexpensive (I paid $1).
The movie is great, the theater is great, so prove that you aren't a
racist suburbanite, & go see it!
Tickets are available at the door, or from any TicketMaster outlet, & you
can call 313/567-6000 anytime for more info.
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| 20 responses total. |
mythago
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response 1 of 20:
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Jul 20 11:43 UTC 1991 |
The Fox is a beautiful theater indeed.
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remmers
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response 2 of 20:
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Jul 20 14:28 UTC 1991 |
The restoration job that's been done on the Fox is nothing short of
fantastic. We saw "Lawrence of Arabia" there a couple
of years ago.
"Spartacus", along with Otto Preminger's "Exodus" that was released
about the same time, occupies an interesting place in film history.
The screenplays for both films were written by Dalton Trumbo, who
along with many other Hollywod film people was blacklisted during
the McCarthy era and had been able to obtain work only by writing
under pseudonyms. In "Spartacus" and "Exodus" he was credited under
his own name, effectively bringing an end to the blacklisting era.
Don't think I'll be able to make "Spartacus" at the Fox, but will
try to catch it when it comes to Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater --
another restored, if somewhat less impressive, movie palace --
in August.
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polygon
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response 3 of 20:
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Jul 20 15:05 UTC 1991 |
The one thing that really dismayed me about the restoration was the omission
of the original credits. If you want to know what actor played some minor
character, you're totally out of luck!
The real Spartacus defeated five Roman armies, not two; and his downfall was
not the treachery of pirates but the refusal of much of his ragtag army to
leave Italy (they were at the Alps). After his army split, Spartacus's half
ran into Pompey returning from Spain; Spartacus fell in battle.
Having seen the Fox Theater before and after *its* restoration, I'd have to
say that it didn't really need a lot of (visible) work -- mainly cleaning
and polishing. The biggest problem with the theater before the restoration
was the sad state of the auditorium seats and floor. All of the 4600-plus
seats have been reupholstered, and carpeting laid down on what used to be
bare concrete floors.
No doubt it required extensive rewiring and HVAC work (the last time I was
at the Fox, they took us backstage so we could marvel at how antiquated the
electrical and lighting system was). But I was amused to see that the
restoration cost only $8 million and took less than a year. For something
as big as this, that's not much time or money.
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steve
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response 4 of 20:
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Jul 20 16:09 UTC 1991 |
It is a wonderful place, a reminder of the times when the movie theater
was the place to catch up with people, and was the only place to see
newsreels, as well as movies. Besides the incredible interior, the screen
is the largest that I know of in this area.
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polygon
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response 5 of 20:
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Jul 20 18:13 UTC 1991 |
This item has now been linked to the history conference.
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popcorn
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response 6 of 20:
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Jul 20 20:27 UTC 1991 |
This response has been erased.
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tcc
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response 7 of 20:
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Oct 23 10:17 UTC 1991 |
re 2: remmers! You were there too? I got the tickets from a WJZZ DJ freind
of mine. Balcony, left-front.
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choke
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response 8 of 20:
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Oct 31 02:56 UTC 1991 |
Kudos to 'polygon' for that historical information.
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chelsea
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response 9 of 20:
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Oct 31 02:59 UTC 1991 |
Choke! Do you realize we were both, simultaneously stating "Kudos",
but in different items? Awesome.
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remmers
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response 10 of 20:
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Oct 31 14:15 UTC 1991 |
As was "Spartacus".
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choke
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response 11 of 20:
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Nov 1 19:41 UTC 1991 |
Truly a frightening phenomenon.
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suzie
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response 12 of 20:
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Nov 3 13:53 UTC 1991 |
Have I got the hang of this?
"Take it to the KUDOS conference!"
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ninny
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response 13 of 20:
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Jan 15 04:27 UTC 1992 |
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choke
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response 14 of 20:
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Jan 16 09:34 UTC 1992 |
The little dog hits <more>
You die...
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popcorn
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response 15 of 20:
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Jan 16 23:56 UTC 1992 |
This response has been erased.
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kiterr
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response 16 of 20:
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Jan 31 20:29 UTC 1992 |
****** Flight Computer For Sale: ******
(Guy who bought it, got one for Christmas)
//////// \\\ //// ////////
//// // \\\ //// // ////
//// \\\//// __ ////
//// ///\\\\ -- ////
//// /// \\\\ ////
////////// /// \\\\ /////////////
-------------------
P A T H F I N D E R
True Airspeed Heading Crosswind WT/ARM
Groundspeed Heading
--- --- --- ---
Density, Alt. True airspeed is This function uses Weight and Balence
and mach # are entered through runway number. has NEVER been so
answered under automatic memory Negitive Crosswinds easy. Program re-
PLN CAS function if you so desire are from the left. mains to shif wt.
The CX-1 Pathfinder was developed to answer aviation questions and problems
that pilots will encounter. And, it was built to do it faster and with more
information than other flight computers. If you'd like, you can stop by and
and put the CX-1 through the test. You'll see how advanced technology makes
flight computing significantly easier!
The CX-1 relies on features like the LARGE LCD screen with 6 lines of
labeled input, Units reference and the Menu; the Information Guidance System,
a Reminder of the units you're working in, and the ability to calcuate in the
middle of any equation; a conversion key to convert in and out of metric and
to convert time into 1/10ths and a timer that counts UP or DOWN.
The CX-1 is also attractively packaged in a protective case that can be
easily slipped into your shirt pocket.
This CX-1 is in -MINT- condition and has only been used in about 4-5 of
my flights (before I kinda dropped out of flying). It would be a GREAT gift
for the special someone for Christmas, or for yourself if no one thinks of
-YOUR- flying this christmas...
List:......................................$99.95
Ann Arbor Airport:......................................$79.95
Dave Parks' Price:......................................$50.00 (or BEST offer)
__
sharkey!m-net!kite Public Access Altos 68020 UNIX Sys-III (313) 994-6333
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n8lic
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response 17 of 20:
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Aug 9 19:39 UTC 1992 |
gee talk about *drift* !!!
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ecl
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response 18 of 20:
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Aug 11 04:17 UTC 1992 |
NOW at the FOX CX1-Flight Computer, The story of a Man with a Vendetta and
a slightly used Flight Computer. Is it a horror story ?
Is it a Love story ?
You decide ! You won't belive your eyes .
also on the second feature...
See You Next Tuesday.
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jeffk
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response 19 of 20:
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Aug 12 03:33 UTC 1992 |
What the L was that!? Is that in the Grex Rule book?
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orwell
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response 20 of 20:
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Sep 21 04:38 UTC 1995 |
Holy Moly! I am the first person to touch this item in THREE years. I actually
saw the Spartacus movie back in '91 as a matter of fact....Wow.
The crucifixtion scene at teh end was very powerful. I love Stanley Kubrick,
such great movies
In teh big history of things, however, the slave revolt of Spartacus wasnt
that big of a deal to the Roman empire...The moive blows it out of proportion
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