 Filmmaker Marlin Darrah will narrate his film “Northern Europe: Journey to Iceland, Norway, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Russia, Poland and Prague” at SUNY Fredonia’s Rockefeller Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. It marks the World Travel Series’ first-ever high definition, widescreen presentation. |
The World Travel Series at the State University of New York at Fredonia will make the move to high definition, widescreen film on Saturday, Oct. 30 when Rockefeller Arts Center presents “Northern Europe: Journey to Iceland, Norway, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Russia, Poland and Prague” at 7:30 p.m. in King Concert Hall.
This will be the 124th program in the popular travel-adventure series, which is in its 27th season, and the very first in the high definition, widescreen format. The change in format follows the recent installation of a new projection screen. The new screen is 16 feet high by 28 feet wide, which means it can accommodate films in the 16:9 ratio — the new industry standard.
Rockefeller Arts Center Director Jefferson Westwood said he is very excited about the move to widescreen, high definition images for the World Travel Series, which has drawn more than 58,000 patrons during since its inception in 1983.
“We have seen a lot of changes in the technology over the years,” Mr. Westwood said. “After I started the series in 1983, one of the first big changes was the addition of synchronized sound. Then, about five years ago, the conversion to digital video hit big time. Digital video, which replaced 16-mm film, made it possible to maintain photographic quality while increasing flexibility in the editing room and drastically reducing production costs at the same time.”
Audience members will experience the new technology in viewing some of the world’s greatest art and architecture that is highlighted in “Northern Europe: Journey to Iceland, Norway, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Russia, Poland and Prague.”
“The preview footage I have seen from ‘Northern Europe’ is really stunning,” Mr. Westwood said. “I hope that some of the thousands of patrons who have been to programs in the past but may not have been to a show recently will come back and check out what this new equipment can do.”
“Northern Europe” will be personally narrated by filmmaker Marlin Darrah. He is the award-winning executive director of the renowned Portland, Oregon-based production company, International Film & Video. Mr. Darrah’s 30 years of production experience have taken him to more than 130 countries worldwide, yielding more than 70 documentary and travel-adventure programs to date.
PBS, History Channel, Discovery Channel, CNN, FOX, CBS, ABC, TBN and MTV all have aired Mr. Darrah’s international footage or programs. Recently, a two-hour documentary he shot and directed in Egypt was screened at the Cairo Opera House to an audience of 3,000 guests, including President and Madame Mubarak.
The high definition film gives viewer a chance to sample the great natural wonders, architectural treasures and cultural and artistic highlights of several cities, including Paris – which Mr. Darrah contends may “possibly be the most beautiful city in the world.”
“Over the centuries, countless books, plays, paintings and movies have been created by people who have fallen under the spell of the city,” he said.
Darrah’s camera captures all the well-known sites Paris has to offer, from the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Luxembourg Palace to the Eiffel Tower – which he notes is the single-most visited paid monument in the entire world.
The film pays particular attention to the famous museums found in Northern Europe, particularly the Louvre in Paris and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, which Mr. Darrah describes as “one of the 10 greatest museums in the world.”
Mr. Darrah notes that Czar Peter I, who founded St. Petersburg 1703, took inspiration in designing the city from Paris – in particular, the Palace of Versailles. In response, Czar Peter created the Peterhof Palace with its Grand Cascade, an intricate and impressive fountain system highlighted by magnificent sculptures.
Paris, however, was not the only place Czar Peter I turned for inspiration in designing his capital city. Amsterdam, another stop in the Darrah film, also had influence on the Russian monarch.
In Amsterdam, Mr. Darrah looks at the canal system – which Czar Peter I mirrored in St. Petersburg. The filmmaker noted Amsterdam’s 60-plus mile canal system was the result of “conscious city planning” earning it distinction as “the Venice of the north.”
In addition to the impressive art and architecture, “Northern Europe: Journey to Iceland, Norway, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Russia, Poland and Prague” captures landscapes and slices of life from the fish markets, cathedrals, pedestrian thoroughfares, great canals and bridges, palaces and parks, offering a look at the fascinating Northern Europeans.
Tickets are available at the Williams Center in advance or at the door. One child 12 and under is admitted free with each adult ticket. The World Travel Series is sponsored by Fredonia Place as part of the Lake Shore Savings Season.
For more information and a short video preview of this film, visit www.fredonia.edu/rac.
