Anyone going to Casino Royale at the Royal Albert Hall on Sat?
Charmed & Dangerous
Posts: 7,358MI6 Agent
I'm going to the 2.30 performance, happy to have a drink with any other AJB members beforehand. -{
"How was your lamb?" "Skewered. One sympathises."
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Roger Moore 1927-2017
Yes NP, that's pretty much how it works. The film playing but with a live soundtrack. Awesome.
I'm gutted not to be going. (Have a long standing engagement up North this weekend). When I first saw this event advertised I was so excited, then I noticed the date and I let out a huge Skywalker Noooooooooo!!! Talking of which I am attending the music of Star Wars event at the Royal Albert Hall next month, which I'm looking forward to.
For all those going this weekend, I hope you have a great time. Please post your reports!
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do the filmmakers provide a special soundmix for these type of events?
or do the audience members all shout out the dialog Rocky Horror style?
The afternoon started with a Q&A with David Arnold (I had the good fortune to meet and speak with him at a premiere a few years back, he's a really amiable, likeable guy) who spoke at length about John Barry, and writing Bond music. For the final track of the film - the first time we hear the Bond theme - David played the guitar as he does on the soundtrack. The entire orchestra too were superb. I have no idea how long they rehearsed, but it was electrifying.
I didn't have the world's best seat as you can see, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. I'd definitely go again.
Seeing Casino Royale on a gigantic screen and with an audience of 4500 was really memorable. David Arnold said that Bond movies used to be big events. He admitted they still are, but there are just many more movies of that scale around now.
This is probably the largest audience I've ever sat in while watching a Bond movie.
The scale of the presentation was what blew me away.Massive screen. Great image quality. The sound echoing in the massive hall. Just like the old days. Excellent.
It reminded me of watching the Bond films in the old fashioned, massive "movie palaces" where I grew up, when audiences where numbered in the thousands, rather than the hundreds (or even dozens) as they are these days. I know there are Imax screenings, but the auditorium, which is late Victorian added an extra, exotic element.
Have I made my point, yet? Massive.
There was even an intermission. Ha Ha. They split the movie in two. Ended the first part just as Bond arrives at the Casino for the first time. Did I mind? No. I thought the orchestra were working really hard on what is a busy score.
Arnold performed the guitar theme with the orchestra over the end titles.
The orchestra's performance over the music-free movie was seemless. At times, I even forgot they were there, just below the screen. The sound balance was perfect. Dialogue and music sounded just right. The only music left on the movie soundtrack was Chris's vocals for the theme song. Arnold paid a lovely tribute to Chris and said he couldn't have allowed any other voice to perform the song for the screening. So they left it on.
My main memory of the experience was the sheer scale of the presentation. The Albert Hall is a huge space, and the movie filled the space effortlessly.
This is the SIZE that Bond movies need to be experienced. We are getting seriously shortchanged in the modern multiplexes, folks.
From now on, I want to see every Bond movie with an audience of thousands, and in a space big enough for an orchestra.
One of the staff at the Albert Hall told during the intermission that this had been the most successful of these movie with orchestra performances they've done. Maybe they'll do other Bond movies.
Anyway, this was probably my most memorable experience of Bond movie in decades. Big, bold and very, very loud.
Oh, and the movie? Seeing it like this makes me realise this is one of the top 3 Bond movies.
Was gutted that I couldn't attend as it looked everything and more I thought it would be. Really hope they do another Bond film in the future. -{
You were warned that you can get sucked into the film and forget that there was an orchestra there and that's exactly what happened to me.
I'd definitely go again
That's what happened to me. The performance of the orchestra fitted so well with the movie above their heads that I frequently forgot to look at them.
I had a fairly close seat, so I could see that some of the orchestra members were staring up at the movie in between cues. They were clearly enjoying themselves.
Give me a chance to attend a Barry scored Bond done like this, and nothing will stop me going.
Saying that, the upcoming showing of Jaws with an orchestra looks like fun.