It’s a summer of 70mm at the Irish Film Institute, as they announced yesterday afternoon a trio of classics to be shown on film over the next three months. Beloved hits all, tickets for these 70mm films are sure to sell out fast. Screenings of films in this classic format have traditionally been a hit with the IFI crowd and following on from last year’s successful showings of films old and new like Lawrence of Arabia and Dunkirk, this format returns for a season in the sun.
The summer of 70mm begins this June as a new 70mm print of The Sound of Music arrives at the IFI. From Friday June 15th until Thursday the 21st, viewers will have the chance to see Robert Wise’s adaptation of the hit Broadway musical the way it was meant to be seen, with stunning hillscapes captured on authentic filmstock. Julie Andrews stars as Maria, who leaves the abbey she’s studying in to instead become the governess to the seven children of the von Trapp family, falling for their father the Captain (played by Christopher Plummer) and fleeing the Nazis along the way. Fun for the whole family featuring some of the best remembered songs in cinematic history.
Then in July, the IFI will be hosting a one-night only screening of one of the all-time great sci-fis, a sure fire sell out. On Saturday 21st July, they’ll be showing Aliens, James Cameron’s bigger, louder, dumber (?) sequel to Ridley Scott’s more quietly nightmarish sci-fi horror. The original 1986 theatrical cut of the film will be shown, once again in 70mm. Aliens is controversial in some quarters for tossing out the slow-burning horror of its predecessor in favour of relentless action, but the performance of Sigourney Weaver, Oscar-nominated no less, is landmark acting in genre films.
Finally in August, 2001: A Space Odyssey will be arriving on the IFI’s screens in time for its 50th anniversary. Kubrick’s film will also be showing at the Light House Cinema through June, but if you can’t catch it this month then the IFI has you covered, with screenings from Friday August 10th until Thursday the 16th. A contemplation of the future by minds now stretching into our past, the film covers key moments of humanity’s development throughout its odyssey, featuring iconic classical music, innovative special effects and a powerful sense of awe.
Tickets for 70mm cost €14 (€13 for concessions) and available for The Sound of Music, Aliens and 2001 from the IFI now.