“Preserve Me a Seat” Screening in Sacramento, CA, Tonight!

TheaterBuff1 on May 10, 2008 at 1:19 am

Based on my own experiences and observations, the movement to save and restore single-screen movie thaters and movie palaces of yore — which really didn’t go into full swing until after the year 2000 — just happened to coincide with none other than an especially bad political timing for it. For in no way whatsoever is this movement in itself intrinsically impractical. Rather, it’s a clash in ideologies. And dare I say it, strong prejudices on the part of those who happened to be, quite unfortunately, in upper positions of political power from the year 2000 onwards. And to be sure, should Barack Obama become the next president of the U.S., this predjudice can be expected to dramatically increase further, given the role he played in the case of the DuPage, which is among the several theaters featured in this documentary. The DuPage was located in his district, while it should be clarified it was not in Chicago, but in the Chicagoan suburb of Lombard outside it. When efforts were being made to restore the DuPage but a band of thugs wanted it torn down, when Obama was called upon to intervene, which as a U.S. senator of that district he was obligated to, he totally refused, fully sharing the predjudicial views of those determined to see it demolished.

These days, though it wasn’t always the case, it is frequently overlooked that theaters are entitled to First Amendment protection, which all elected officials are sworn to enforce. This is not to guarantee that single-screen theaters and movie palaces can be operated as successful businesses, but it does indeed grant them special immunity from the wrecking ball that many other forms of businesses, and also other types of historic buildings, cannot necessarily look to as well. But that’s only when looking at things from within the framework of law. And to be sure, predjudice does not have much, if any, respect for laws.

There will, of course, come a time when the other side of the current political predjudicial trend will be reached. So in that regard, the movement to save historic cinema treasures — despite the bad political timing for it — will not have been in complete vain. This documentary for the most part is one of looking at merely the present and past, while offering no real glimpses of what the future holds. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. If anything, by serving as a matter of record, aspects of it will be able to contribute to what is yet to come.

Non_Gay_Sail0r on April 8, 2017 at 3:28 pm

4/8/2017:1527:Hello:I am T00 sent $100.00 for past drive-in movies in Rio Linda next month.$ / \ ~/ ABJJ