It's far from pointless, and it was somewhat common in the past. Just as an opera has an overture, and a break between acts, so to did longer and more prestigious films. I've seen 2001 in a theater twice, once in the '90s and once a few weeks ago, and both times they started with the overture. The lights go down, the curtains remain closed, and about 3 minutes of music plays. Then the curtains open and the film begins. It's an effective way to build up a film, just as the intermission is a great way to provide a clean break between the film's two major acts.
I watched Lawrence of Arabia recently as well. Coincidentally, as with 2001, I'd only seen it once before, in a theater, and saw it again this past summer at a nearby theater. On both occasions the film was shown with its overture and intermission, as well as the entr'acte music, which is the overture music again to lead into the second act, after the intermission, and the exit music. As with 2001, it lends a gravitas to the film, and provides a much more fulfilling and complete experience.
Finally, I also had the chance to see Seven Samurai this past summer. It was a great summer for seeing epic classics apparently! While that has no overture, it does have an intermission, and as with the other two films it serves to reset things and provide a necessary thematic break between acts.
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moviechatterer (15583)
2 months ago
In the Cinema sure , all that stuffs great .
I meant it seems a bit redundant at home on DVD , especially the intermission bit given the availability of the pause button , as someone pointed out
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thingmakersback (1370)
2 months ago
Of course it's redundant on DVD... These things simply remain as artifacts or reminders of what the film originally was. And, if you don't want them, you just skip over them.
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FilmBuff (7234)
2 months ago
I'm an avid collector of films on Blu-ray and DVD, and always opt for whichever release is closest to the original theatrical presentation of the film.
For example, I have the Grindhouse Blu-ray release of the Star Wars trilogy, and despite Empire having a magenta hue (apparently blue and yellow fades faster from film, which is why so many old films look pink), I'd rather watch that than the altered modern versions.
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FilmBuff (7234)
2 months ago
I can see that, but there are many who try to recreate the cinema experience at home, and having the full presentation on disc gives an easier way to achieve that.
Semi-related: I'm seeing Megalopolis tomorrow night. I've read that there is a moment in the film when a character onscreen speaks to the audience, and at the film festivals and premiere shows, a hired actor was placed in the audience to carry on a conversation. I don't expect that to be a part of all theatrical shows, but I wonder if that is something that will somehow be approximated on physical releases down the line.
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