I'm writing quickly from the computer room at the Marriott. I'm sure others will be able to provide more detailed and technical information, but I'll share some impressions. First, the experience itself: there were five busloads of people from the hotel, and I was on the last bus. I wasn't able to see anything when they were preparing the cement and I realized I wouldn't be able to see any of the ceremony, and then I learned that there was a line to see the movie. It wrapped around the corner and down two blocks; I ended up being the third to last person in line. The temperature was in the 90s, and we stood in line for more than an hour in the sun. (I hadn't thought to put on sunscreen.) From the outside, the theater facade looked extremely small and it seemed doubtful that I would even make it in to the movie, but everyone did get in. And was it worth it! I felt like I was seeing "House of Dark Shadows" for the first time -- and it was the first time I had seen it on the big screen. There were countless details I had never seen before, mostly in the background of the rooms at Lyndhurst. The filming was much more interesting than I had remembered; I especially liked the textures, depths, light and shadows of in the many scenes that had fires flickering in fireplaces, such as at the Blue Whale (not sure if that was what it was in the movie). I had never seen the textures and dimensionality of the ornate carvings, paintings, etc. of Lyndhurst and the Old House interiors (not sure where that was shot). The music also set the mood in a completely unique way, especially the first half hour or so of the movie. The music score was clear as a bell, resonant and effective - again, I had never heard it this way before. Also, many details of the acting - for example, Joan Bennett's control of her character through her facial expressions - came through very vividly on the big screen. At the same time, the print seemed a bit on the dark and murky side, but I can't be sure that the movie wasn't supposed to be "dark and murky." Some of the color may have been washed out. There was some scratching to the audio around the pool scene with David, and at a couple of other points later in the movie. I can't speak at all to the aspect ratio, other than that it wasn't what I would call the widest of widescreens, but I assume this is the way the movie was filmed.
