Yearning to revisit the golden age of Hollywood, dripping in vibrant Technicolor and classic films that draw eager audiences to the multiplex? The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Boston has created a time warp of its own this fall, projecting Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” in the age-old, analog medium of Vistavision. 

Boston joins New York, Los Angeles, and London as the only four cities worldwide where you can catch Anderson’s new film projected in Vistavision. Paul Thomas Anderson chose to shoot his new film in this format to give it a stylistic edge and nostalgic visual.

“[Vistavision] gives you a really deep, rich, beautiful image,” Anderson said in a promotional video. 

Crimson red curtains hug the screen at the end of The Coolidge’s Moviehouse One. As I walked into the 4:00 PM showing, it did not take much effort to imagine myself in the TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, shifting in my seat as the audience awaited the film’s overture. 

The dimming lights preceded a movement of the curtains, creating a near-perfect square around the screen as if it were an eye dilating to the projector light. The hum and pulse of the Vistavision projectors filled the silence as crisp colors painted the screen among quivering grain and a visual clarity greater than my own 20/20 vision. 

The awe-inspiring, searingly sharp cinematography felt reminiscent of an earlier 2025 release, “The Brutalist.” This Academy Award-winning film is one of several modern films to have revived the Vistavision filming format. What is unique about “One Battle After Another,” however, is its use of Vistavision projectors in its theatrical circuit. The last film to be widely released and exhibited in this format was 1961’s “One-Eyed Jacks,” so Anderson’s film marks a return to the practice for the first time in several decades.

Tom Welch, lead projectionist at The Coolidge Corner Theatre, is one of two individuals manning the refurbished projectors. He believes screening Anderson’s film for audiences in its most authentic format is an exciting moment to revel in for both filmmakers and film-lovers alike.

“To present something the way it’s intended to be seen is rewarding,” Welch said. “These prints are made directly from the negatives, and there’s something about the way it looks. I’m super impressed…and I’m glad that I’m getting to see it, let alone be a part of the process.”

Welch has been working for The Coolidge since 2011, but in his 14 years, this is his first encounter with Vistavision projectors. 

The George Eastman Museum collaborated with Boston Light and Sound to bring Century Company projectors to The Coolidge. Recently refurbished for the Turner Classic Movies film festival, the projectors were more functional than ever.

“These are museum pieces, so they were completely ripped apart [and] put back together on new pieces added to them to make them more functional,” Welch said.

Before they were restored, the projectors were a relic of Hollywood’s golden age.

“These two projectors are actually the prototype Vistavision projectors that the Century Company made,” Welch said. “[They] are different than any other Century Vistavision projectors, because these are the very first ones…originally used for ‘White Christmas’ when it was released.”

Vistavision is a medium dating back to the 50s, created as a means of competition against other cinematic novelties of the time. The preeminent factor of the format was its ability to double the size of a standard frame, therefore increasing the quality and sharpness of the film. Vistavision was able to achieve this feat by essentially flipping the 35mm frame onto its side, and the projection system followed suit. 

“These are completely different projectors, a completely different system,” Welch said. “It’s basically like I’ve spent 14 years doing one job, and then now I have to, in a matter of a day or two, relearn how to do everything… The basic concepts are the same, but all the muscle memory is gone. What’s right is left, what’s up is down. Everything you know is just thrown in a blender.” 

Although the inverted projection system presents challenges, Welch notes that the audience reaction to the film and the enthusiasm for the format put things into perspective.

“Everyone involved in this project and everyone around us has had to do a ton of work to make this whole thing happen, so to look out the port glass and see so many people definitely makes it worth it,” Welch said. 

The digitization of cinema has largely eliminated the role of projectionists in most commercial movie theaters. The Coolidge Corner Theatre has kept this job alive, however, and Welch screens films dozens of times throughout their theatrical run from his seat in the projection booth. The projectionist has now seen “One Battle After Another” nearly 30 times, but he still finds himself in awe at the beauty captured and translated through the Vistavision format. 

“Everyone, the small crew folks in the booth, we’ve seen this movie so many times, but still it gets to a couple points where you just look out at the port glass like ‘damn, that looks really good,’” Welch stated with a humorous grin.

He mentioned his continued excitement for moments that always elicit a crowd reaction, and as I watched the film he was projecting, I, too, waited for those moments. Welch clearly developed an expertise on the film, for he was correct in predicting each moment in which the audience expressed their reactions of shock, humor, or discomfort.

As film continues to evolve in the modern age, dusting off the cobwebs on these Vistavision projectors has opened a door to countless possibilities, Welch says, and he is grateful to have Boston be a part of this cultural moment in cinema. 

“It’s a lot of work, and a lot of people have done so much to bring this to this point, and a lot of people are coming to see it, and they’re having a good time,” Welch said. “It’s awesome that we’re able to bring this to Boston, because Boston has a wonderful cinema culture, and it’s great to be part of it. In this moment, we are doing something that is interesting and rewarding for people.”

While at times it may feel like one screening after another, Welch continues to be energized by the undeniable enthusiasm for the revival of the golden age film format. Until the next nostalgic resurrection of an age-old Hollywood practice, The Coolidge Corner continues to play “One Battle After Another” in Vistavision with scheduled showings through Oct. 22.

As I left the theater below the glowing, neon marquee rarely seen in cinemas of the present, I felt as if something metamorphic had occurred within those walls. As Nicole Kidman always proclaims as a prelude to an AMC showing, “We come to this place for magic,” but with what Welch and The Coolidge team are doing, one may have to travel farther than their local chain theater to experience such. It is this feeling of enchantment that fuels Welch’s passion each hour on the clock.

“It’s magical to work in the movies and to be here giving people a show,” he said. “for two hours and 56 minutes they can…let everything else go for the moment and have this shared experience of seeing lights in the dark.”