Rare Steve Jobs Footage Has Exclusive Theater Engagement

During the making of the 1995 TV series Triumph of the Nerds, Steve Jobs candidly spilled his thoughts on video for an hour—after which most of the footage was thought to be lost.

Recovered only recently in the form of a VHS copy in the director’s garage, the interview was remastered for the big screen. On Friday, it began its one-week run at in Cupertino, apparently the only place in Silicon Valley showing it now. (It made a seven-day run at the Aquarius Theater in November 2011.)

“Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview” spotlights Bob Cringely’s memorable brain-picking session with the late Apple founder, 10 years after he left the company following a fall-out with then-CEO John Sculley. 

At the time, Jobs was running niche computer company NeXT, which he would later sell before returning to Apple. 

In the interview, Jobs foresees technological developments years before they actually came into fruition. 

“It’s interesting how he made predictions about how people would get music online long before the iPod,” said Art Cohen, the co-owner of BlueLight, pointing out the film is further proof of Jobs’ genius. 

The interview gained notoriety for Jobs’ quip that Microsoft has "no taste" and makes "really third-rate products."

He also waxed philosophically about product design, stating that “every day you discover something new, that is a new problem or a new opportunity, to fit these things together a little differently."

The film will also hit Landmark Theaters on Friday in 11 cities, none of which are in Silicon Valley. Magnolia Pictures plans to release the documentary on DVD and to other theaters over the summer.

If the documentary does well enough at BlueLight, said Cohen, the theater will continue its run for another week. For now, the public can catch it from May 11 to May 17 at 7 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. for $5 a ticket.

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