The Hateful Eight: 70mm Is Best?

By now, it's likely that you've seen Tarantino's latest offering, The Hateful Eight. You've walked out of the cinema, satisfied with yet another stellar film from the main man himself, and avidly await the announcement of his next project. What a smaller portion of you may have done, however, was to walk out of Leicester Square after seeing the deluxe, 70mm version of the film. Luckily, I managed to be one of these people. 

Now, I love movies. That might be a reasonably clichéd thing to say, but I'll say it regardless: I really love films. I'm not one of these people who can talk in-depth when it comes to the actual production side of cinema, though. Because of that, I'm not going to go in detail when it comes to what actually goes in to the 70mm version of the movie; I'll come off like an idiot. I can go through it in basic terms, though: Basically, when a film is...well, filmed, it is then converted into digital footage to be shown to the masses in cinemas. With the special 'Roadshow' production of The Hateful Eight, however, Leicester Square Odeon is showing the film on reels - like cinemas used to do decades ago. 

But what does this actually mean? Well, it means that the movie looks like an old-timey film. In that, I mean you can see all the wonderful grain and imperfections that a digitally shown movie lacks; giving the cinematic experience an oddly real, palpable feel to it. The colours are deeper, and the contrast between them is a joy to behold. In terms of how you're actual experience will change, though, that's equally significant. After a brief introduction from one of Odeon's staffmembers, you're treated to a three-minute Overture, which consists of music pieced together from the film itself - this sets the mood, and gets you excited to begin. 

Halfway through The Hateful Eight, things fade to black, and the audience is then presented with an "Intermission" slide. During a movie, this kind of interruption is practically unheard of (in modern cinema, at least), but it feels perfect when watching a movie that's essentially a cinematic stageplay. Also, this makes Tarantino's eventual narration feel somewhat justified, if still a little peculiar. 

The final bonus of seeing the film in this context is the free programme given to the audience beforehand, which contains set photos, character profiles, and other titbits of information which just beef up the whole experience. It might seem like I've used the term "experience" a lot during this, but that's because it's exactly what it feels like. In a time when going to the cinema has become commonplace, it's nice to try something new (though technically very old). 

Should you see The Hateful Eight in 70mm if you can? Yup. You definitely should.