Movie theaters have that certain magic, bringing the stars of Hollywood Boulevard to life on a 50-foot silver screen. Yet for all their enchantment, movie theaters have this particular tendency to bring together the most infuriating, irritating, and inconsiderate people in one place. Popcorn thieves, candy packet thieves, talkers, serial phone users, latecomers, blinkers, copulatory indulgences (seriously, get a room), noise eaters, parents who let their babies talk and scream – there is a special place in hell for each of you. Yet despite these infuriating inclinations, cinemas not only welcome the boring, but have also hosted several films that have taken place within their very confines.
The trailer for the new film by Sam Mendes, Empire of Light starring Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Michael Ward and Toby Jones premiered last week, and it’s a film that pays homage to British cinema and the beauty of 24 frames per second. There are plenty of standout movies that mostly take place in movie theaters or feature them in crucial ways, and here are some of the best…
6 Morning
John Goodman plays Lawrence Woolsey, a Hollywood director and producer, who decides to premiere his new film Mant! in Key West, Florida, a city hosting an American military base, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, where brothers Gene and Dennis Loomis reside with their mother. Excited by the prospect of the famous Woolsey being in town, leading to Gene and Lawrence’s paths crossing in the most random of circumstances. Morning is a love letter to cinema (especially 1950s B-movies about giant creepy bugs), which combines subtle humor with the joyous innocence of youth.
5 Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino’s obsession with incorporating the very essence of cinema into some of his films is charming and often pays homage to the art of cinema and the wonders of cinema. Margot Robbie’s barefoot depiction of Sharon Tate catching up The demolition crew in Once upon a time in Hollywood continuing the director’s fascination with capturing both cinemas, and his big-screen foot fetish was a memorable scene, but the prominence of the movie theater has in his 2008 near-war flick, Inglourious Basterds is the most remarkable.
Shosanna Dreyfus, the orphan and owner of the cinema Le Gamaar (Emmanuelle Mimieux), and Marcel (Jacky Ido), her accomplice and projectionist, plot to overthrow the Nazi dictatorship that occupies their native France by organizing a Nazi propaganda premiere in their cinema. and set the whole place on fire.
4 The Majestic
Frank Darabont directs this heartwarming comedy-drama, starring Jim Carrey as Peter (Carrey), a successful screenwriter of the early 1950s. Following the second red alert, Peter is accused of participating in communist activities and is then blacklisted, losing his job and his girlfriend in the process.
After crashing his car, Peter suffers from amnesia and inadvertently finds himself in a town where he assumes the identity of a missing WWII soldier, Luke Trimble, whose father mistakes Peter for his son. Peter sets out to help the community rebuild their cinema, The Majestic. The Majesticis a feel-good affair and the story of a man who fights against the backward ideologies of the American Congress and the injustices against it.
3 The purple rose of Cairo
Woody Allen is driving his 1985 film, The purple rose of Cairo. Starring Jeff Daniels and Mia Farrow as the central protagonists, the film follows the story of Cecilia, a depressed and neglected wife who, despite living in the Depression era, is the main breadwinner, her husband splurging on alcohol and gambling. Cecilia uses local cinema as a form of escape and becomes mildly obsessed with a new movie, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and with its main character, Tom Baxter (Daniels), who then literally walks off the screen and into his life. The purple rose of Cairo is a voice of hope about the power of cinema and its role in escapism.
2 Farewell, Dragon Inn
At Ming-Liang Tsai’s Farewell, Dragon Inn represents the last screening of a cinema before its final closure. Viewing the 1967 action epic Dragon Inn in the crowded Taiwanese cinema in Taipei City, the theater quickly filters through the duration of the film, leaving only the ghosts of former viewers. The film is a nod to modern cinema and the frequent sea of empty seats, the only remnants of a bygone era. Although released in 2004, the film’s understanding of the threat to a once treasured communal establishment is deeply poignant and sadly foreshadowed the cinema’s demise following the success of streaming services, increased access to television and piracy. The striking lack of dialogue is telling, and so the words that are used carry more weight and power:
“I haven’t seen a movie in ages,” someone says. “No one’s coming to the movies anymore,” which is perhaps the most touching and consequential exchange of the entire film. Of what was once a public arena to host the latest films, where people would gather to share an intimate experience of watching a film for the first time, and the feelings, emotions and nostalgia it can bring , the film and cinema industry is suffering from socio-political and cultural changes, which place less importance on facilities for the enjoyment of the working and middle class.
1 Cinema Paradiso
Oscar by Giuseppe Tornatore Cinema Paradiso tells the story of a mischievous young boy, Salvatore, and his friendship with the local cinema projectionist, Alfredo. Initially cold, Alfredo’s inhospitable behavior towards his young companion soon dissipates, and the pair form an unlikely friendship, with Alfredo doubling as his surrogate father. As Salvatore reaches adulthood, at Alfredo’s request, Salvatore leaves for Rome to pursue his dreams and a career in the film industry.
Against the backdrop of World War II, Cinema Paradiso tackles themes of the difficulty of single parenthood, community, friendship, nostalgia and the true power of cinema. It’s one of the great odes to cinema, an innocent, heartbreaking and touching film that depicts the purity of youth and how a mutual love for cinema can form the basis of a blossoming friendship. In a cruel irony, it seems that Cinema Paradiso is adapted as a mini-series for television.
