Comment posted by Lee Wellbrook, at 16:24 11 May 2018Lee Wellbrook
16:24 11 May 2018
Now that I am of a certain age, and I occasionally partake of a coffee during a film, anything longer than 2 hours 15 minutes can be a bit of an endurance test, bladder-wise. If a film really has to be over 2 hours (and very few need to be), an interval would be welcomed...
U
Comment posted by U16810050, at 16:16 11 May 2018U16810050
16:16 11 May 2018
I was expecting an intermission halfway through this blog.
S
Comment posted by Stephen Taylor, at 22:45 11 May 2018Stephen Taylor
22:45 11 May 2018
Stephen Taylor 3 hours ago I agree with that last point people the best one -give people the choice with what they want to do . Do screenings of the same film without intermission and let people decide . I also think film studios should give opportunities to directors to cinematically release 2 or more cuts of some of some these big blockbusters (like Avengers 3) so there is an option to audiences of both a 12A and 15 cut.
B
Comment posted by Bob J, at 18:45 11 May 2018Bob J
18:45 11 May 2018
Didn't 2001 have an interval in the cinema? A sure sign of being well into my 50s was the ridiculous sense of pride I felt that I managed the whole of the Avengers film without a wee break.
A
Comment posted by Apes fan 68, at 08:31 15 May 2018Apes fan 68
08:31 15 May 2018
Odd Mark that one of your contributors mentioned the break in The Towering Inferno. It has lasted long in my memory as one of the most inappropriately placed intermissions in cinema-going history. I saw it on first release at the now defunct ABC in Coventry (thanks Cannon!). The tension was rising as Paul Newman and Jennifer Jones are making their way down the stairway. There is an explosion... abrupt intermission... collective groans from the entire cinema and a ten minute wait to find out what has happened.
There is an argument for having intermissions but they need to be for longer films and designed for inclusion. Lawrence of Arabia and El Cid are great examples. I actually quite like it when they are included in DVDs/Blu-rays - it’s where the film maker wanted you to take a break, if you need one it’s an appropriate place to take one and if you don’t want to take advantage you can always skip or fast-forward to the next part.
U
Comment posted by U16810050, at 18:21 14 May 2018U16810050
18:21 14 May 2018
Rest in Peace, Margot Kidder.
B
Comment posted by Brian - New Forest, at 12:53 14 May 2018Brian - New Forest
12:53 14 May 2018
So in addition to the 3d and 2d, there would be 2 pee screenings? (well, someone was going to get that in...)
When I first started work as a mobile cinema projectionist, and as almost our entire audience (across various rural village halls) is "ofacertainage" for longer films some venues expected a break in the film. We usually have trailer and a short followed by a break anyway. For my personal taste, I'm a bit sniffy about a break, but as I view the venue as a client, I would usually comply, but put in the editorial position of choosing a break point (slightly dodgier if showing/seeing a film for the first time, and usually relying on chapter points (when we've commercial disc to show). As we're a mostly one night one show only at each venue, usually monthly, packing people in for multiple screenings isn't an issue, although some of the punters would rather have the show over sooner and be tucked up in bed.
The directives from "management" had been a bit funny about this, sometimes suggesting it was OK practice, others not, then we got (I presuming a distributor had something to say about this) a dictum which was "we can only break a film if it has been provided with a break" (multiple discs), which happened when we showed War Horse for instance (the break being towards the front end when after about 45 minutes we shift from "peace" to marching off to "war"). I still get the requests, and there might be a look the other way, don't mention/ask/tell attitude. I am still sniffy however if asked for a break in anything under a 100 minutes, and I think some films lose momentum, particularly comedies, if you shoehorn a break in.
E
Comment posted by enigmajx, at 22:46 11 May 2018enigmajx
22:46 11 May 2018
Hi Mark,
I need to, in the most friendly terms, moan about your blog entry concerning intermissions. I went to see Infinity Wars last week after listening to your blog. Naturally, as I arrived at the cinema I found my thoughts drifting back to your blog and the absence of intermissions and the relationship to the film's long running time.
Of course, prior to the film I made sure I attended the lavatory. However, sitting down after 5 minutes the thought of the "NO BREAK / NO INTERVAL / LONG RUNNING TIME" became lodged at the back of my mind! The film then became a mild endurance test of ignoring the increasingly impending feeling of lavatorial urgency.
Was my interest in the film lessened? Mildly so and for that I hold your totally responsible.
Best regards
enigmajx
M
Comment posted by Malthus, at 20:03 11 May 2018Malthus
20:03 11 May 2018
That choice choice is a great choice.
G
Comment posted by Glowstar, at 19:12 11 May 2018Glowstar
19:12 11 May 2018
I went to see the new Blade Runner and it had an interval, but unfortunately they just stopped it at a random point in the scene (although after one of the emotional twists so at least thematically it was a good place to stop) so when the film started again, it went straight into some dialogue.
J
Comment posted by Jezburg, at 16:17 11 May 2018Jezburg
16:17 11 May 2018
Back in the days of VHS I bought a copy of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World which had an intermission half way through. About ten minutes of blank screen and music from the soundtrack. I would have been fine with an intermission at the cinema for this rather lengthy film, but for a home tape? Clearly the distributors had not heard of the pause button.
Comments
Join the conversation
3 hours ago
I agree with that last point people the best one -give people the choice with what they want to do . Do screenings of the same film without intermission and let people decide . I also think film studios should give opportunities to directors to cinematically release 2 or more cuts of some of some these big blockbusters (like Avengers 3) so there is an option to audiences of both a 12A and 15 cut.
There is an argument for having intermissions but they need to be for longer films and designed for inclusion. Lawrence of Arabia and El Cid are great examples. I actually quite like it when they are included in DVDs/Blu-rays - it’s where the film maker wanted you to take a break, if you need one it’s an appropriate place to take one and if you don’t want to take advantage you can always skip or fast-forward to the next part.
(well, someone was going to get that in...)
When I first started work as a mobile cinema projectionist, and as almost our entire audience (across various rural village halls) is "ofacertainage" for longer films some venues expected a break in the film. We usually have trailer and a short followed by a break anyway. For my personal taste, I'm a bit sniffy about a break, but as I view the venue as a client, I would usually comply, but put in the editorial position of choosing a break point (slightly dodgier if showing/seeing a film for the first time, and usually relying on chapter points (when we've commercial disc to show). As we're a mostly one night one show only at each venue, usually monthly, packing people in for multiple screenings isn't an issue, although some of the punters would rather have the show over sooner and be tucked up in bed.
The directives from "management" had been a bit funny about this, sometimes suggesting it was OK practice, others not, then we got (I presuming a distributor had something to say about this) a dictum which was "we can only break a film if it has been provided with a break" (multiple discs), which happened when we showed War Horse for instance (the break being towards the front end when after about 45 minutes we shift from "peace" to marching off to "war"). I still get the requests, and there might be a look the other way, don't mention/ask/tell attitude. I am still sniffy however if asked for a break in anything under a 100 minutes, and I think some films lose momentum, particularly comedies, if you shoehorn a break in.
I need to, in the most friendly terms, moan about your blog entry concerning intermissions. I went to see Infinity Wars last week after listening to your blog. Naturally, as I arrived at the cinema I found my thoughts drifting back to your blog and the absence of intermissions and the relationship to the film's long running time.
Of course, prior to the film I made sure I attended the lavatory. However, sitting down after 5 minutes the thought of the "NO BREAK / NO INTERVAL / LONG RUNNING TIME" became lodged at the back of my mind! The film then became a mild endurance test of ignoring the increasingly impending feeling of lavatorial urgency.
Was my interest in the film lessened? Mildly so and for that I hold your totally responsible.
Best regards
enigmajx