Have you ever watched an old film like Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and wondered, “How did they get the picture so sharp?” The answer is VistaVision, a high-resolution 35mm film format developed by Paramount Pictures in the 1950s as an alternative to CinemaScope. However, as studios looked for easier, more efficient ways to make films, VistaVision largely fell out of use by the early 1960s. Until now.
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, with Warner Bros. Pictures, has revived the rare format for his new film, Digger, starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jesse Plemons.
For Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, shooting in VistaVision was an intentional choice “because cinema deserves scale,” Iñárritu said.
To ensure audiences experience the format as intended, the studio has partnered with five hand-picked cinemas worldwide, including the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts, to screen the film using original VistaVision projectors.
In Brookline, Digger will be screened on what are believed to be the first two prototype VistaVision machines made by Century Projector Corp. in 1953. The George Eastman Museum provided the projectors, and Boston Light & Sound fully restored them and is also overseeing their installation at the Coolidge.
So, what makes VistaVision different?
Unlike traditional 35mm film, which runs vertically through a projector, VistaVision runs the film horizontally, allowing each frame to use eight perforations instead of four. The larger frame captures more detail while reducing grain, creating a sharper, more immersive image designed to take full advantage of the big screen.
VistaVision screenings of Digger begin at the Coolidge on Friday, October 2. For a full list of showtimes, visit coolidge.org. Tickets for screenings in this premium format are $24.75 for general admission and $21.75 for Coolidge members, excluding fees.
These screenings are made possible in part by the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s “Film Forever Fund,” which directly supports celluloid film projection, including equipment maintenance and projectionist training.
Featured Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures | (L-R) TOM CRUISE as Rockwell and RIZ AHMED as Ganesh in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “DIGGER,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Amelia Cordischi, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Juice Box Press, is an accomplished digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in media and communications. Her work has been featured in notable publications, including The Boston Globe. A communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston, Amelia served as manager of Simmons College Radio (“The Shark”), where she also launched and co-hosted her radio show, The Find.
In addition to her editorial work, Amelia is an established freelance photographer, with bylines in Blended Magazine and CelebMix, capturing artists and cultural moments across the music and media landscape. Her career began at WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she gained firsthand experience in broadcast journalism and storytelling.
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