If ever a filmmaker was going to make a documentary that explored the storied evolution of New York’s theatrical heritage from the gritty 1970s to the present, it is only natural that a filmmaker with a little grime such as Abel Ferrara (King of New York, Siberia) be the one to do it. While his new film The Projectionist lightly touches on such themes, it is not exactly what we get in the end. Ferrara instead turns an eye towards Greek Cypriot immigrant Nicolas “Nick” Nicolaou, a fixture of the New York City independent multiplex and arthouse scene who has endeavored to keep the cinematic experience pure ever since he started dipping his toes into that world as a teenager of the seventies. With only a love of film guiding him as a young man, he lived the “American Dream” of building a tiny, fragile empire while providing a service to the city at large. It is a story well worth exploring, but a combination of an uncharismatic subject and poor construction make this documentary less powerful than you would imagine.
Ferrara takes us all of the way back to Cyprus as the genial and sincere Nick acts as a guide through his homeland as we get a glimpse of what his life could have been in another universe. In terms of sheer beauty, these moments are the most striking in the film as Ferrara is able to capture the majesty of the sleepy Mediterranean locale. That Nick would have grown up to be a fisherman is of little doubt, which the filmmaker highlights to play up the “unlikely” journey that led Nick to where he is today. While capturing the beautiful locations, this segment of the film feels very unstructured to a detriment with many of Nick’s actions amount to nothing and Ferrara straying from his subject to capture his young daughter (who starred in Tommaso) playing on the docks. It is an indulgent moment that could be forgiven if he did not continue this trend throughout the feature.
The film gets to its most engaging section as 12-year-old Nick moves to New York City with his family and discovers a new world in the flourishing New York theater scene. Through the memories of Nick we get to experience the down and dirty New York of yore, the one that Rudy Giuliani wanted to push out and clean up for the tourists. As Nick abandons school for a place in this world, we gain real insight into this time where upscale cinemas and adult theaters were mere blocks apart. Of course, Ferrara feasts on this section of the film by interspersing clips from films as different as Taxi Driver and the underground Robert Downey favorite Putney Swope. Ferrara also endeavors to include some of his own works such as The Driller Killer and 9 Lives of a Wet Pussy, which are technically relevant to what is being discussed but feels unnecessarily gratuitous for a film that feels accessible to everyone. This story of a young man with the determination and business sense to invest in and grow certain properties is catchy enough – even if the delivery from Nicolaou can be a bit sleepy.
It is as we reach the concluding half of the film where Ferrara once again seems to lose focus on what is compelling about this story. The struggle for Nick to survive as an independent theater operator in a sea of corporate greed is explored quite nicely, but the story seems to jump quite quickly from decades of yore to the current era where Nick is fighting to provide a cinematic experience that patrons will respond to in an age where everyone wants to just wait for streaming. The economics of this situation is compelling, but once again Ferrara fumbles when he tries to insert himself into the film by springing interviews on patrons that read as awkward rather than rousing and sentimental. Ferrara is a polarizing filmmaker, but from what I have seen of his work he is usually much more precise in his decisions than he is here. Nick should be celebrated for carrying on a mom-and-pop outfit during a time where it would be so easy to cash in on the property value of his holdings. There is something special about independent theaters that should not be taken for granted. I fully support this message, but the way in which it is conveyed in this documentary is a bit too messy.
Video Quality
The Projectionist comes to Blu-Ray in its original aspect ratio from a great high definition master. The film mostly consists of new footage with occasional scenes of various films and stock footage interspersed. The documentary footage looks as technically excellent as it can look in high definition. The transfer appears to have plenty of room to breathe and there are no issues with compression artifacts, banding or other digital nuisances. The footage of the classic films seems to be the best version of it that would be possible, with most of it looking pretty strong. Interview segments look sleek and clear depending on the filming conditions with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. The colors featured in the film are natural and vibrant as they provide a nice visual pop on screen. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. I do not see how this set could have been improved visually. It’s a beautiful transfer handled with care by Kino Lorber.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with both a decent DTS-HD 5.1 & 2.0 Master Audio track that captures the subject well enough. Dialogue is the driving force of the film, and it often fights for prominence with competing sounds thanks to how the original material was captured. It feels like Ferrara struggled with capturing his subject and making sure all this information comes through with clarity. The music does not always feel complementary to the information on screen, but it is nonetheless resolved well here as it permeates throughout the room. The chatter in the public locations they chose to film in provides a nice base texture to the proceedings. Ambient sounds are placed well in the rear channels. The audio track is not pushed to the limit with this content, but it delivers the information clear enough to get the information you need. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for those who desire them.
Special Features
- Cinevangelist – A Life in Revival Film (2018): A 25-minute documentary from Matt Barry which delves into the life of projectionist George Figgs as he regales the audiences with stories from his life at the theater, including a fascinating story about the perils of a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening, along with stories about how the cinematic experience saved his life as a child. This is a really entertaining piece that complements the feature film really well.
- Trailers: The minute-and-a-half long trailer for The Projectionist is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Pasolini and Tommaso.
Final Thoughts
The Projectionist is a love-letter to the independent theatrical scene of today and yesteryear. The message is an inspirational one that makes you want to support your own local independent venue, but the documentary itself is a mixed-bag from a filmmaker not typically known for being so technically unfocused. Kino Lorber has released a Blu-Ray with a good A/V presentation and a really cool additional short film that is often more entertaining than the feature. While this likely would have functioned better as a documentary short, there is some content worth exploring in here if the subject interests you.
The Projectionist is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Lorber has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.