TMP - Did You Know the Movie Started?

[ZapBrannigan]

I think it was really dumb for ST TMP to open on a blank screen, and stay blank throughout the overture. When I first saw it in December 1979, my companions and I had no idea the film had started. We were talking, didn't notice the coming attractions had ended, and then gradually noticed that some easy-listening instrumental was playing. But there was no sense that this was STAR TREK music, to say nothing of the film itself starting up.

I thought the projector was off and the theater was playing Muzak for some reason. Like they were having technical difficulties, and the ten year wait for this movie was about to get a little longer.

Was your theatrical experience anything like that, if you're that old?

WEST SIDE STORY opens with an overture, but there's a visual to go with it. It's a colored silhouette of the NYC skyline that very gradually resolves into a full photo. It works. TMP didn't work.

I don't know if the blank screen was an artistic decision, or a case of having no time and money left to do anything visual. I would assume it was the latter, as the blank screen seems like an insane decision-- except that the state of Gene Roddenberry's artistic judgement (and his over-the-top desire to make STAR TREK understated, high-brow, and classy) by 1979 was pretty bad.

 

[Relayer1]

....the state of Gene Roddenberry's artistic judgement (and his over-the-top desire to make STAR TREK understated, high-brow, and classy) by 1979 was pretty bad.

Except that TMP was all of that. It's in many wasy the best of the Trek movies - elegant, considered, intelligent and beautiful. I'm no fan of Gene, most Trek shows benefitted from his removal or lack of involvement, but TMP is his best work.

With regard to the opening ? I saw it at the cinema, but I really can't remember...

 

[drt]

I don't remember the overture from the initial release (it's possible that my local theater trimmed it off to shorten the run time). However, when I saw it as part of a marathon a couple of years later, the screen wasn't blank but showed stars at warp, similar to the view out the recroom window after Spock's return to Enterprise. I recall thinking that it was kinda neat, as I always liked the TMP warp effect (I don't remember if it was the same "receding" view, or more of a front view though).

 

[Melakon]

The overture was a throwback to how some big budget productions with reserved seating engagements were done during the early 60s. I know I've seen films presented like that, Cinerama did it with several titles. It was sort of a cue to stop wasting time at the snack bar and get to your seat. Some films even had an intermission, such as 2001*.


* Right after Bowman and Poole try to conceal a conversation from HAL. That's when hippies would drop acid to prep for the stargate sequence.

 

[Firebird]

I don't know if the blank screen was an artistic decision, or a case of having no time and money left to do anything visual. I would assume it was the latter, as the blank screen seems like an insane decision-- except that the state of Gene Roddenberry's artistic judgement (and his over-the-top desire to make STAR TREK understated, high-brow, and classy) by 1979 was pretty bad.

Overtures in the roadshow theatrical exhibition served two purposes: set the mood for the film through the use of leitmotifs that the audience will soon associate with the characters (Ilia's theme, in this case). Additionally, it serves to notify the audience should finish entering the theater, the same with the entr'acte. It was a rare thing to have an overture with a title card on screen. When you see the cards on modern releases of films like Ben-Hur, Cleopatra or Spartacus, these are just additions for the home video release.

Of course, I've heard many stories about idiot projectionists during the 80's and 90's that had no idea of the roadshow concept and would trim the overture from the prints, thinking it was just blank leader.

 

[J.T.B.]

I would assume it was the latter, as the blank screen seems like an insane decision-- except that the state of Gene Roddenberry's artistic judgement (and his over-the-top desire to make STAR TREK understated, high-brow, and classy) by 1979 was pretty bad.

Robert Wise, more likely. The other Wise/Goldsmith picture, The Sand Pebbles, was a roadshow with a nice overture.

It was a rare thing to have an overture with a title card on screen. When you see the cards on modern releases of films like Ben-Hur, Cleopatra or Spartacus, these are just additions for the home video release.

Thanks, that is what I thought but I was pretty young at the time. I remember quite a few intermissions, though, with entr'acte music but nothing on the screen. In fact, IIRC theaters with curtains would close them for the intermission.

And another question: Did roadshows not have coming attractions?

 

[Firebird]

And another question: Did roadshows not have coming attractions?

Typically, they didn't. Since the roadshow experience was designed after what it would be like to see a play in a theater - overture, 1st act, intermission, 2nd act - you were there to just see that film. Since the whole shebang would last at least 3 hours, I'm sure the theater management wouldn't want additional trailers to prevent cramming in more showings.

 

[Kor]

The moving star field in the DE is really for contemporary audiences who are unfamiliar with the overture that was typical of classic roadshow movies. This added visual is just as out of place as Greedo shooting first in Star Wars.

Ilia's Theme is a wonderful piece of music, and the blank screen is perfectly OK as a prelude to the actual movie, before the lights have been dimmed and the screen curtains have been opened.

Kor

 

[Galileo7]

....the state of Gene Roddenberry's artistic judgement (and his over-the-top desire to make STAR TREK understated, high-brow, and classy) by 1979 was pretty bad.

Except that TMP was all of that. It's in many wasy the best of the Trek movies - elegant, considered, intelligent and beautiful. I'm no fan of Gene, most Trek shows benefitted from his removal or lack of involvement, but TMP is his best work.

With regard to the opening ? I saw it at the cinema, but I really can't remember...

Agree. I was a boy on Friday December 7th 1979 when I saw TMP and sat in silence with the audience as it began, but can't remember the overture.

 

[J.T.B.]

Typically, they didn't. Since the roadshow experience was designed after what it would be like to see a play in a theater - overture, 1st act, intermission, 2nd act - you were there to just see that film.

That's what I guessed, thank you for the info.

 

[FormerLurker]

I don't remember the overture from the initial release (it's possible that my local theater trimmed it off to shorten the run time). However, when I saw it as part of a marathon a couple of years later, the screen wasn't blank but showed stars at warp, similar to the view out the recroom window after Spock's return to Enterprise. I recall thinking that it was kinda neat, as I always liked the TMP warp effect (I don't remember if it was the same "receding" view, or more of a front view though).

The moving star field in the DE is really for contemporary audiences who are unfamiliar with the overture that was typical of classic roadshow movies. This added visual is just as out of place as Han shooting first in Star Wars.

Ilia's Theme is a wonderful piece of music, and the blank screen is perfectly OK as a prelude to the actual movie, before the lights have been dimmed and the screen curtains have been opened.

Kor

The moving starfield was there from the beginning, or was supposed to be. The film was rushed through the printing process to get it to the theaters by the scheduled release date, and as a result many prints of the film were shipped to theaters before the film had time to dry, and the starfield got washed out as a result.

 

[Elder Knight]

It was problematical. The first few times I watched it on VHS, I fast-forwarded through (along with the FBI Warning) the overture, and didn't discover it until later on.

 

[Firebird]

The moving starfield was there from the beginning, or was supposed to be. The film was rushed through the printing process to get it to the theaters by the scheduled release date, and as a result many prints of the film were shipped to theaters before the film had time to dry, and the starfield got washed out as a result.

Not quite sure if this is a joke or not, but as I said upthread, this was never the case with TMP's overture. It was intentionally supposed to be dark. The starfield was an addition made for The Director's Edition.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Not quite sure if this is a joke or not, but as I said upthread, this was never the case with TMP's overture. It was intentionally supposed to be dark. The starfield was an addition made for The Director's Edition.

That's my understanding as well. The starfield is an artifact created for the DVD era.

 

[Kor]

Yes, this type of overture is supposed to be playing when the auditorium lights are still on and the curtains are still covering the movie screen. It makes no sense to project a moving star field onto the curtains.

If the projectionist dimmed the lights and opened the curtains first, and then started playing the overture with a blank screen, they weren't doing it right.

Kor

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Yes, this type of overture is supposed to be playing when the auditorium lights are still on and the curtains are still covering the movie screen. It makes no sense to project a moving star field onto the curtains.

If the projectionist dimmed the lights and opened the curtains first, and then started playing the overture with a blank screen, they weren't doing it right.

Kor

By 1979, I think most movie theaters didn't even have curtains. The drive-in wasn't entirely gone yet, but otherwise we were well into the "cineplex at the mall" era. And those theaters were not lavishly decorated. They were built for efficiency.

 

[J.T.B.]

By 1979, I think most movie theaters didn't even have curtains. The drive-in wasn't entirely gone yet, but otherwise we were well into the "cineplex at the mall" era. And those theaters were not lavishly decorated. They were built for efficiency.

Well, that was they way things were going but the multi-plex definitely hadn't fully taken over in '79. The big single-screen, curtained theater where I saw TMP closed in 1986, but I where I lived there were a few others that survived into the early '90s. The last movie I remember seeing in a big single screen (curved and curtained) cinema was in 1997.

 

[Maurice]

I thought it was great.

There was no starfield on the original release. That's just another fan rumor.

People want to blame every single thing "wrong" with the film on the release date, but, really, the only things affected re the VFX mess and other problems were the final edit, sound, and scoring.

 

[eyeresist]

Yes, this type of overture is supposed to be playing when the auditorium lights are still on and the curtains are still covering the movie screen.

Yes, this was standard for "prestige" motion pictures in the 50 and 60s. Going back further, I think Gone with the Wind had an overture as well (and probably others; maybe Wizard of Oz?). Going even further back, prestige silent films had orchestral scores written for them (though of course most cinemas made do with the piano version), and some of these had overtures too.

There were no visuals for this music, which was intended to be similar to the overture for a stage show. The curtains would open when the overture finished. Any visuals you associate with this music were added years later for the home video release.

I recall seeing the curtains open and close at the movies in the 80s. In fact, I think a lot of cinemas still have screen curtains, but the way showings have changed mean you never see them closed. Although the theatrical associations of the curtain have faded, they still serve the practical function of protecting the screen from dust and damage.

 

[Elder Knight]

Turner Classic Movies often runs "prestige" films (e.g., My Fair Lady, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) with an overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music. They don't make these up, so they're presumably part of the actual release materials. However, they always provide their own screen graphic. (A blank screen might lead a viewer to think that his reception or his set has failed.) All of this suggests that these were audio-only for theatrical runs.