Movie houses need glamour
Here’s a confession from a self-professed film buff: I haven’t been to a movie theater for about four months.
That’s the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing a film on the big screen. It’s not that my love of movies has dwindled, or that I think DVD is inherently superior. It’s that the experience of seeing movies in a theater has gotten so annoying that it takes a lot of the joy out of the event. I’m not referring here to the poor manners of the audience (though those are a drag), but to the pre-show countdown – those music videos, TV promos, celebrity interviews, and commercials for soft drinks, cell phones, and video games that play in a loop as you wait for the main feature to begin.
Not the most inspiring things to watch, those commercials. They don’t necessarily get you in the mood for the next two hours, especially if the film you’re about to see is a period piece that will remind you of how far standards in pop culture have fallen.
There was a time when theaters used to treat the time before a film began with a certain dignity. Frequently I wish we still had the old-fashioned, single-screen movie houses that my parents grew up with, which often played the featured film’s theme music in the lobby and had assigned seating and large curtains. It all seems quaint now, but there was a glamour to the movie-going experience back then that I like.
And that glamour had a real impact on one’s enjoyment of the film. When audiences in 1962 heard the Lawrence of Arabia theme music emanate through the lobby of one of those old-time theaters, chances are their spirits were elevated. (And how could they not be, especially with that movie’s score?) No one wanted to go into a film feeling down. The same is true today, although those in the theater business don’t seem to take heed.
Elevating culture elevates, whereas depressing culture depresses. And a culture that no longer seeks to elevate the spirits of the average moviegoer results in things like smaller screens, arcade games, and now TV commercials.
I will go back to the movies at some point. I just hope that when I do, they won’t have started running infomercials.
April 7, 2009 at 11:43 pm
im with you man, as a movie buff the only time i’ve been to the theater in the last couple months was just becuase my girlfriend has dragged me to certain movies but nothing in particular has grabbed my interest. I am waiting on Star Trek and Transformers 2 though. But I am more hyped up about blu-ray then anything else….so yeah, i feel your pain!
April 9, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Good to know I’m not alone!
April 8, 2009 at 5:34 pm
[...] The new culture site Idea Anaconda captures that malaise. The site’s author hasn’t been to a movie theater in months, and his post explains why. [...]
April 9, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I absolutely refuse to see any more movies at the Palace theater in Kansas City. I always end up with a headache before the movie starts… they blast the volume on the commercials and previews so loudly I have to stick my fingers in my ears or walk out to the lobby until the movie starts. The only theaters in Kansas City that I gladly attend are the Tivoli, the Rio, and the Glenwood Arts, all small art houses. The Tivoli is my absolute favorite. Comfortable seats, quiet classical music before the movie starts, only a couple of trailers, and no commercials. Years ago, I used to enjoy movies at the Castro theater in San Francisco, and the Grand Lake theater in Oakland — I can’t remember which one had a large pipe organ on stage, and just before the show an organist would play a few songs, ending with the MGM theme music as the organ platform on the stage descended out of site, the lights fell, and the curtains opened. What a way to start a movie!
April 9, 2009 at 2:25 pm
You’re right — that last theater you described is the way to start a movie.
There’s a chain of theaters where I live that used to play classical music before the show. A very nice touch. Now they, too, run commercials.
And I, too, have waited in the lobby until the movie starts.
April 9, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Ah! It’s the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, California, that has the organ on stage. Here’s a line from the entry on Wikipedia regarding the Grand Lake Theater:
“The main auditorium is also equipped with a Mighty Wurlitzer organ hidden beneath the floor. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the historical organ rises for a brief concert before the movie.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Lake_Theater