THE FRONT LINE: FEBRUARY 2009
The Ambler Theater’s Sixth Annual Oscars® Party
After last year’s Academy Awards were cancelled due to the Writer’s Guild strike, the 2009 event was welcomed back by a packed house of cinema enthusiasts.
Figure 1. The Ambler Theater strikes a dramatic pose as dusk falls.
The historic Ambler Theater, located right on the main street of Ambler, Pennsylvania, has been fully resurrected to its original 1928 glory since being purchased by the non-profit group Closely Watched Films several years ago. This is the same group that restored the County Theater in Doylestown, and also operates the Bryn Mawr Theater in Bryn Mawr, PA.
Of the three, the Ambler is by far the largest. It was originally conceived as a vaudeville theater with an enormous main stage and lofts for raising and lowering stage flats and sets. But 1928 was a year after “talkies” came out, and song-and-dance entertainment was on its way out.
Over the years, several groups have operated the theater, most recently as a Christian cinema before CWF took it over. The original theater was split into two smaller cinemas, with the main stage allowed to deteriorate until a million-dollar fund-raising campaign brought it back to its former glory — updated, of course, with the latest in projection and sound equipment.
Figures 2a-b. Mitsubishi’s FL7000U lit up Theater 3 in HD (left),
while Sanyo’s PLV-WF10
provided the lumens in Theaters 1 and 2 (right).
Figure 3. Pioneer’s PRO-151FD 60-inch Kuro plasma kept bar patrons entertained.
The February 22nd event was the first to show the Oscars in high definition in the 250-seat main theater from a permanent HD projection installation — in this case, a Sanyo PLV-WF10 (WXGA, 4000 lumens) 3LCD installation projector. This model was purchased as part of a general video, film projection, and audio upgrade to all three theaters in late 2007, and another one was installed in the 2nd largest theater at the same time.
Theater 3 — the smallest — retained its older Proxima XGA projection system, now approaching a decade of service. For the party, I replaced this projector with Mitsubishi’s FL7000U, a 5000-lumens 1920x1080 3LCD chassis, and what a difference that made on the 21’ x 12’ screen! In addition, three Samsung DTB-H260F ATSC receivers were purchased and installed to receive the terrestrial HD broadcast from nearby ABC station WPVI-DT (their tower is visible from the theater’s roof).
With all three theaters now showing 720P HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, a fourth screen was called for in the main lobby, behind the concession stand. Christina Ramirez of Pioneer Electronics very kindly arranged for the use of a PRO-151FD Kuro plasma HDTV, using the fourth RF drop from the rooftop antenna. A Sony STR-DG500 AV receiver provided audio playback to a pair of Bose staging speakers.
Figure 4. The main lobby was jammed with ticket holders
within minutes of the theater doors
opening.
Figure 5. This carving station featured consistently long lines.
Figure 6. These guests really got into the red carpet action in Theater 2.
It was pretty clear that, even in a recession, movies still capture the public’s imagination. Over 250 guests showed up in a wide range of sartorial expressions, from sports jackets and jeans to black tie and evening gowns. And they brought their appetites, ravaging the elaborate banquet tables and serving stations set out by Wild Blue Catering of King of Prussia, PA. One station featured special desserts created in themes that honored each of the five nominate best pictures. It took over an hour to set up, but was stripped clean in a matter of minutes.
Past Oscar parties featured a silent auction to benefit capital improvements to the theater. This year, the silent auction was eschewed in favor of a drawing for a “wagonload of cheer” (or, as some of my old fraternity acquaintances from college would call it, a “one night kegger). The fortunate winner couldn’t have picked a better time — he had a wedding and reception impending.
The Oscar telecast itself was the subject of much pre-event discussion and debate. Would it run long again? (It did, at 3 hours and 38 minutes.) Would song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman command the stage as well as previous hosts and funnymen Billy Crystal and Steve Martin? (He was entertaining, but not as witty.) Could a committee of 11 writers, producers, and choreographers breathe new life into what is often a dragged-out and tedious evening? (Sorry, but a nice try anyway.)
Figure 7. The cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire revel in their victory. (® AMPAS)
Figure 8. Sean Penn beat out some tough competition in the Best Actor category. (® AMPAS)
Figure 9. Kate Winslet finally got her Oscar after several tries. (® AMPAS)
The awards themselves weren’t all that surprising, with Slumdog Millionaire capturing the Best Picture trophy and its director Danny Boyle walking away with the Best Director statuette. As expected, Sean Penn took Best Actor honors for Milk, while Kate Winslet finally grabbed the brass ring for her performance in The Reader. Heath Ledger was posthumously recognized for his Best Supporting Actor turn as The Joker in The Dark Night, while the only real surprise was provided by Penelope Cruz’ Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Vicky Christina Barcelona.
Of course, most of those awards were announced long after 11 PM to a half-empty house, thanks to numerous overly long dancing and singing numbers. Even the crop of Best Song nominees was pretty weak, as was a “top-hat-and-tails” tribute to movie musicals, crafted by Baz Luhrmann of Moulin Rouge fame and featuring Jackman and Beyonce Knowles.
Two highlights of the evening were Queen Latifah’s rendition of “I’ll Be Seeing You In All The Old Familiar Places” over montages of recently deceased actors, producers, directors, and other Hollywood talent, and the Academy giving 82-year-old comedian Jerry Lewis the Jean Hersholt humanitarian award for his annual muscular dystrophy telethon.
Technically, the evening went off without a hitch, save for a problem with ABC’s feed of the Barbara Walters pre-Oscars special at 7:00 PM that was minus any dialogue track for nearly 20 minutes, and resulted in the switchboard lighting up at WPVI’s newsroom. All three projectors hummed right along without a hitch, providing colorful, contrasty views of everything from the red carpet and its cavalcade of evening gowns to a series of film clips recapping comedic and dramatic moments from 2008 (more sequences that ran too long).
Even so, it was a successful evening for all involved. The food was sensational, the company engaging, and the atmosphere festive. The HD images from the Kodak Theater were simply icing on the cake. As for 2010, who knows what the surprises Academy has up its sleeve. (Suggestion: Why not broadcast the Oscars in 3D?)
